Listen Here
By Victoria Hansen
hansenv@findlay.edu
On Sept. 25, the University of Findlay (UF)’s Cosiano Health Center (CHS) will host its annual Health and Wellness Fair in the Koehler Fitness and Recreation Complex (FRC) with free flu shots for UF students and 35 vendors representing various forms of physical, mental and spiritual health. While these groups offer a wide range of services, one service is missing from previous years: COVID-19 vaccines.
“I just spoke with the health department, and they will not be offering Covid vaccines at the health fair this year as the guidelines for them are still being worked on,” said Tracy Tweed, medical assistant and office manager at CHS, in an email.
After a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Sep. 19, the COVID-19 vaccine was approved for those over the age of 65 and those under 65 through “shared decision making,” a process where patients and doctors work together to make healthcare decisions. A prescription is not required.
In late 2020, both the Pfizer and the Moderna COVID-19 vaccines were made available through an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) under 564(b)(1)(C) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, which allowed them to be used without approval due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
This authorization was revoked last month on Aug. 27 by the CDC, led by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been vocally against vaccine mandates and who has been categorized as an anti-vaccine advocate, though he denies that label.
“I promised 4 things: 1. to end covid vaccine mandates. 2. to keep vaccines available to people who want them, especially the vulnerable. 3. to demand placebo-controlled trials from companies. 4. to end the emergency,” Kennedy wrote on the social platform, X. “In a series of FDA actions today we accomplished all four goals. The emergency use authorizations for Covid vaccines, once used to justify broad mandates on the general public during the Biden administration, are now rescinded.”
Despite Kennedy’s claims of wanting to keep COVID-19 vaccines available, the revocation of the EUA and recommendation of shared decision making has made it harder for the general public to access those vaccines.
“By narrowing its approval, FDA has made a decision that completely contradicts the evidence base, severely undermines trust in science-driven policy and dangerously limits vaccine access,” the Infections Diseases Society of America said in a press release.
While the COVID-19 vaccine is facing federal scrutiny, flu shots are not, and will be widely available at the Health and Wellness Fair.
“Flu shots are recommended for everyone,” Tweed said. “Flu is a contagious disease that spreads around the United States every year, usually between October till May. Anyone can get the flu, but it is more dangerous for some people.”
The Health and Wellness Fair will be held in the FRC on Sept. 25 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is open to the public, with flu shots being free for UF students, and $25 for UF faculty and staff. The first 200 students to receive a flu shot will also receive a gift bag with candy, Bombas socks, a pen, lip balm, and makeup. Three additional gift baskets will be raffled off to UF students, faculty, and staff that have their vendor list signed at all the tables.
*Correction: This story was updated on Sept. 22 to clarify that Kennedy’s role and to update the story with the latest recommendations from the ACIP.
