University Health Services (UHS) is hosting vaccine clinics at various locations around campus throughout the fall semester to help limit the spread of infectious diseases. Students and employees of the University of Wisconsin-Madison can receive a no-cost flu vaccine with or without health insurance through Dec. 2.
“Vaccination is a critical tool we use to protect individuals in our community,” Andrew O’Donnell, Director of Medical Services, told The Daily Cardinal in a statement. “UHS makes it easy and convenient to access vaccines.”
During last year’s vaccine clinics, nearly 12,000 students and employees received a flu vaccine. O’Donnell said COVID-19 vaccines are also being offered at the clinics, though eligibility and insurance coverage is subject to Center for Disease Control guidance.
This year’s clinics occur as vaccine development and accessibility face scrutiny from Trump Administration officials. In August, Department of Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pulled $500 million in funding from mRNA vaccine development projects used to prevent the flu, COVID-19 and other respiratory infections.
O’Donnell said vaccines are important to protect others and prevent the spread of diseases like the flu and COVID-19. “Vaccines protect our campus community,” O’Donnell said. “Especially those with health conditions that put them at an increased risk for more severe disease.”
The UHS clinics offer accessible ways to receive vaccines at a time when federal guidance is ever-changing. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed an executive order Monday requiring insurance companies to continue covering COVID-19 vaccines despite these changes. In the order, Evers called on the state Department of Health Services and other relevant agencies to “ensure vaccine access for Wisconsinites to the fullest extent of the law and available funding.”
Emma Mohr, a pediatric infectious disease doctor at UW Health, received flu and COVID-19 vaccines at a clinic Tuesday. “Do it to protect your health,” Mohr told the Cardinal, urging other students to get their vaccines as well.
Mohr said vaccines help protect individuals, lower the risk of hospitalization and reduce infectivity to others.
For more information on the clinics you can visit the UHS website.
