The following piece is an opinion and does not reflect the views of The Eagle and its staff. All opinions are edited for grammar, style and argument structure and fact-checked, but the opinions are the writer’s own.
Earlier this year, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Food and Drug Administration effectively ended the “broad emergency use” for vaccines. This new mandate means that, despite COVID-19 still being prevalent, you can no longer walk into the Tenleytown CVS and get a booster shot without prior written approval from a doctor, something that most students can not easily access in their college town.
While CVS and other pharmacy chains have now resumed offering COVID-19 vaccines without prescriptions following the CDC’s October guidance, the weeks of confusion and restricted access left many students uncertain about how to access vaccines. This has rendered basic healthcare access extremely complicated for students in D.C., and the University should address this disparity in healthcare access and promote the well-being of our community by offering COVID-19 vaccines on campus to all students who want one.
While the federal government now limits vaccine recommendations to those 65 and older and younger people with underlying health conditions, D.C.’s emergency legislation allows anyone three and older to receive the vaccine without a prescription.
College campuses, especially at the beginning of the semester, can be breeding grounds for sickness, including COVID-19.
“It’s going around,” everyone responds, almost subconsciously, when yet another roommate or friend comes down with cold and flu symptoms.
It’s the nature of being in close quarters with hundreds of different people throughout the day, especially after being away in various parts of the country and world over the summer. However, this mass spread can be mitigated with vaccines. The University has an obligation to facilitate a vaccination program for students who have lost access to them.
In previous years, AU held pop-up vaccine clinics on campus, in an effort to prioritize the “health and safety of our community.” A similar effort must be made now.
While the Student Health Center does offers to write students a prescription for the vaccine, the unfortunate reality is that if students have to log in to the Student Health Portal, make an appointment, attend the appointment and then seek out an additional provider for the vaccine itself, the already-low vaccination rates are only going to continue to decrease.
Most AU students are heavily involved in on-campus activities, full-time classes and jobs. Seemingly “healthy” individuals are not going to jump through all of these hoops to attain a COVID-19 vaccine, even when doing so could protect them and those around them.
However, offering vaccination directly on campus will increase vaccination rates, as students could conveniently visit in between classes or on their way to the dining hall. Although the COVID-19 vaccine is not required for students unless they are 17 years old or younger, it is still imperative that the school offers it as an option for those who wish to receive it.
The ongoing federalization of D.C. lends itself to extreme uncertainty for students across the District. With the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the National Guard, and continuous pressure from the Trump administration to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at universities, the last thing students should have to worry about is healthcare access.
Additionally, the ramifications of the recent government shutdown and the expiration of the Affordable Care Act’s premium tax credits are going to raise healthcare costs exponentially in the coming years. This is all the more reason for the University to offer on-campus vaccination sites, as has been done in the past. This effectively promotes public health and safety and assures students that our school is supporting them during a tumultuous time for our community.
Alice Still is a senior in the School of Public Affairs and a columnist for The Eagle.
This article was edited by Quinn Volpe, Alana Parker and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Arin Burrell, Paige Caron and Andrew Kummeth. Fact-checking done by Aidan Crowe.
