Just over two-thirds of Yale students have received flu shots ahead of Nov. 15 deadline
For the second consecutive year, the University’s community compact stipulates that Yalies must receive flu shots.
Zoe Berg, Photo Editor
Around two-thirds of Yale College students have received their flu shots ahead of a flu shot mandate that requires undergraduate, graduate and professional students to receive the vaccine by Nov. 15.
This marks the second year that a flu shot mandate is in place — it was first implemented during the fall 2020 semester, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Paul Genecin, CEO of Yale Health and a professor at the Yale School of Medicine, the mandate was put into place for a variety of reasons, including the fact that having both the COVID-19 and flu vaccine reduces the chances of co-infection. Flu shots also lessen the demand on hospitals and free up valuable healthcare resources like hospital beds.
“The flu shot is an effective way to reduce the risk of serious flu-related illness, hospitalization and death.” Genecin wrote in an email to the News. “Flu causes respiratory symptoms that may be difficult to distinguish from COVID-19, and anything we can do to reduce respiratory illness will facilitate and simplify the diagnosis of COVID.”
Currently, 67.7 percent of Yale College students have been vaccinated against influenza. The number includes students vaccinated through Yale’s clinics or elsewhere with submitted proof. The majority have been vaccinated at Yale. Genecin said that Yale is aiming for 100 percent vaccination, “but we are pleased that we have gotten this far by early November.” He added that the proportion when broken down into Yale’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and professional school students is similar to the equivalent figure for all Yale students.
The flu vaccine is created based on predictions of which strains may be most prevalent in the upcoming flu season. According to Genecin, although the flu vaccine some years may not perfectly protect against the most prevalent strain, it is still an effective way to decrease the chances of getting a severe disease or being hospitalized.
There was “no influenza at all” in the Yale student community last academic year, Genecin said, and this can be attributed to a variety of factors including the flu vaccine mandate, remote learning and fewer on-campus students. Genecin said that because some of these infection control measures are relaxed, respiratory illnesses not related to the flu or COVID-19 have been increasing this fall. However, there have not been any cases of influenza on campus this year so far.
Students were notified of the flu vaccine mandate before the school year when they signed the Yale Community Compact, and deans of schools have been sending reminders about compliance. In early November, Yale College Dean of Student Affairs Melanie Boyd sent a reminder to people who had not yet submitted proof of flu vaccination, and said that all students must do so by Nov. 15.
“In signing the Community Compact for this year, students agreed to get a flu shot when they became available,” Boyd told the News. “Students who do not follow through on this commitment will be referred to the [Compact Review Committee].”
According to the Yale Community Compact Enforcement webpage, if students are not able to fulfill the commitments in the Community Compact — such as not receiving a mandatory flu vaccine — they may be issued a warning, may have to receive additional counseling on the importance of following the Community Compact or may not be allowed to participate in the current or upcoming semester.
According to Yale Health’s flu shot information page, exemptions for the flu vaccine mandate are made for students “with evidence-based medical contraindications and religious reasons.” For an exemption, students must complete a waiver form.
Genecin emphasized the importance of receiving the flu shot this season.
“Flu vaccine protects our close contacts who may have decreased immunity, including infants and those with immune disorders, as well as pregnant women and others who are at heightened risk for complications of flu,” Genecin told the News.
Yale staff, faculty, students, seniors and Yale Health members are able to receive the flu vaccine for free at a variety of spots on campus, including Yale Health. Students can also go to any retail pharmacy that accepts their insurance, and if students choose to receive a non-Yale Health affiliated flu shot, they must manually register the vaccination information into the Health and Safety Database. Students can also use the Flu Shot Finder Tool provided by Yale Health to schedule a flu shot.
Cem Kupeli ’25 was aware that this mandate existed and received his flu shot.
“I think it is a good idea,” Kupeli said. “A lot of people around me have been sick for the past month or two, usually two or three people at a time on my floor, so I think it’s a good idea to mandate a flu shot because [the flu] can be quite pervasive.”
Edmund Zheng ’24 has not yet received the flu shot, and was made aware that the mandate existed through word of mouth.
Zheng plans on receiving his flu shot soon on campus.
“I see a serious need for a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, but not a flu shot mandate,” Zheng said. “The flu isn’t as severe and doesn’t have the same complications. But at the same time, I can get behind the mandate because it gives the community peace of mind knowing that we’ve gotten the shot.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, COVID-19 is more contagious and spreads more quickly than the flu. In the 2019-20 flu season, 22,000 people died of the flu in the U.S.; 630,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the U.S. in 2020 and 2021.
According to Yale Health, symptoms of the flu can include fever, chills, body aches, sore throat, cough, runny nose and headaches.