Mia Fischel, Features Editor—
In the midst of flu season, Denison changed their vaccination policy, no longer requiring records of a flu vaccination from students, staff, and faculty. However, the vaccine is still strongly encouraged.
An email from the Hoaglin center September 18 stated “As was our policy for the past three years, and as indicated to incoming students on Denison’s vaccination documentation forms, the flu vaccine is required for all students for 2023-2024.”
After this initial reminder, a decision was made by public health officials through the Denison-OSUWMC partnership to return to strongly recommending the vaccine. Jack Wheeler, Director of Student Wellness, explained the shift from the original enrollment requirements.
“The decision was made to begin the academic year with the flu vaccine requirement since that was required for enrollment based on last year’s recommendations,” Wheeler said.
The updated email from the October Hoaglin Highlights Newsletter informed students of the policy change: “All students are strongly encouraged to get the flu vaccine by November 1, 2023.”
Both the flu and COVID vaccines are no longer required. The original cut-off date of November 1, 2023, also has no particular meaning and with the new policy, holds no significance.
According to Amy Ehrlich, program director for the Denison OSU Wexner Medical Center partnership, the lifting of the COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11, 2023, eliminated the need for some public health measures, including the flu vaccination requirement.
The flu shot requirement was instituted during COVID to reduce impacts on health systems and to support the health of our community. Since the COVID public health emergency has been lifted, it was decided to return to strongly recommending flu vaccines.
“Benchmarking with other universities, there are certain vaccines and immunizations that are required and I think they’re aligning with similar universities,” Ehrlich said.
Though the vaccine is no longer required, it is still imperative for students with the ability to receive the vaccine. During the offered flu vaccination clinics in the Hoaglin Center, around 300-400 students, staff, and faculty were signed up each day.
“It can be tricky now… you’ve got the cold, flu, COVID, and allergies. Those can all have nasal congestion, and trying to tease out symptoms is difficult. It’s that time of the year, stuff goes around,” Ehrlich said. “From a personal perspective, the vaccine is the best way to prevent a bad case of the flu, and the fewer folks that have the flu, the less chance that you’re spreading it in the community.”