In a press release published on April 22, the California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC) announced that vaccination against COVID-19 will be required for all students and staff for the Fall 2021 semester. To assist community members in fulfilling this requirement, Sonoma State University hosted a vaccine clinic in partnership with Rite Aid. 

According to a CNN article by Aya Elamroussi published on April 29, over 100 colleges and universities in the U.S. will be requiring students and faculty members to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for the Fall 2021 semester. 

The vaccine requirement is contingent upon the full approval of one or more COVID-19 vaccines by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As of right now, the Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have only been authorized by the FDA for emergency use. 

The vaccine clinic at SSU took place 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday April 28 and Thursday April 29 in the Cooperage in Sauvignon Village on the SSU campus. Appointments were available to schedule online. 

According to the SSU vaccine clinic webpage, only Pfizer vaccines were administered. Vaccinations at the clinic were available to anyone 16 years or older for free and did not require proof of medical insurance. Identification was required to check in for an appointment, either government-issued or an SSU ID card. 

Second doses will be scheduled 21 days after the first, Wednesday May 19 and Thursday May 20. Rite Aid will assist any students that will no longer be on campus with scheduling an appointment in their area, though it is recommended to receive both doses at the same location. 

Tracey Eaton, the interim director of the Student Health Center at SSU, commented on the clinic saying, “Many community members participated and were very excited to be getting vaccinated.” 

Vincent Spence, a writer with the STAR, went to the clinic to receive a vaccine. He said that there were approximately 10 stations spread across the Cooperage with doctors administering vaccines. After receiving the vaccine, people were asked to wait a few minutes to make sure they didn’t have any adverse reactions, and then were cleared to go. 

Spence said, “I had a good experience getting my vaccine and am happy that it’s here at Sonoma State now.” 

Along with the requirement of the COVID-19 vaccine, SSU will still require face makes, social distancing and regular sanitation of facilities on campus. 

For any students or faculty members that are unable to get vaccinated or do not want to, the CSU and UC systems allow students and faculty to request exemption from vaccines for medical or religious reasons. According to the Student Health Center at SSU, in order to receive such an exemption, a waiver is required as well as confirmation of a medical condition preventing a specific vaccination. The doctor treating the condition must also provide a letter including the duration of the exemption. 

If any students interested in receiving a vaccine were not able to attend the clinic at SSU, the Student Health Center (SHC) is still compiling a list of students interested in getting a vaccine. In order to add your name, you can sign up by following the instructions on the SHC website. By adding your name to this list, you will be contacted by the SHC if vaccines become available to SSU.