Next week’s on-campus vaccination clinic may be Chapman’s last

As the deadline approaches for students to submit proof of vaccination, the university will host another on-campus vaccine clinic Sept. 18. Graphic by HARRY LADA, Art Director

Chapman University will team up with the Orange County Health Care Agency to host another pop-up COVID-19 vaccine clinic for all Chapman faculty, staff and students next week. 

However, Dean of Students Jerry Price told The Panther this event may be Chapman’s last.

“Right now, the vast majority of people have already gotten (the vaccine) or are already pretty set that they’re not going to get it,” Price said. “The people whose minds might change, we don’t think we need to have the vaccine available every day for that group. We can help them go anywhere to get it.”

The clinic will be held Sept. 18 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the testing site behind the Student Health Center. 

This is one of several pop-up COVID-19 vaccination events Chapman has hosted. Last April, at the first vaccine clinic, Chapman distributed approximately 800 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to students and faculty in attendance, according to Director of Student Health Services Jacqueline Deats.

The upcoming September vaccination event marks the second of its kind this semester. The previous clinic was held Aug. 28, and saw 49 participants receiving a dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

At next week’s event, Chapman is offering these two options again. 

Chapman temporarily halted dissemination of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine last semester following reports of complications and potential blood clots. However, they have since resumed offering the one-dose injection.

According to Chapman’s COVID-19 dashboard, 89% of Chapman faculty, staff and students are fully vaccinated as of Sept. 10, which Price said signals a decreased need for access to on-campus vaccination events. Currently, 96% of faculty are fully vaccinated, 83% of staff and 89% of students; individuals have until Sept. 14 to submit proof of vaccination or fill out personal declination paperwork.

Students who opt not to receive a COVID-19 vaccine must complete COVID-19 testing twice a week. 

The high vaccination rate across the Chapman population has not seemed to slow the outbreaks spreading across the Chapman community after the first weeks of in-person classes, with cases doubling within days amid criticism of the university’s COVID-19 protocols.

Now, with the rise in cases, students are questioning whether stopping the provision of vaccination clinics is a positive choice.

Senior business administration major Camille Jacobson agreed hosting more vaccination events isn’t likely to convince anyone else to get one who hasn’t already.

“I don’t think students who are unvaccinated are likely to change their minds,” Jacobson said. “Everyone who wants the vaccine has been given ample access to get one, but a lot of people are just not interested, and they aren’t likely to change their mind now.

Other students, like sophomore health sciences major Riya Belani, believe the clinics remain valuable for the handful of students that choose to utilize them, regardless of quantity. 

“(Chapman) should (keep hosting vaccination clinics) until we at least reach a percentage that would allow herd immunity to exist to protect our classmates that physically can’t get the vaccine,” Belani said.