BERKELEY – UC Berkeley students will have an extra requirement if they plan to attend this fall: A flu shot.
Students at the university will not be alone in the sudden mandate. Administrators of the University of California issued the requirement of each student in the university system.
In a statement, UC President Janet Napolitano said the executive order is part of a proactive strategy by the UC system to reduce flu season burdens that are expected to be heaped on a health care system already infected by the COVID 19-pandemic.
“To support the health and well-being of UC students, faculties, and staff and our communities, the University of California, in consultation with UC Health leadership, has issued a system-wide executive mandate,” a statement from the Bureau of Education said Friday. Napolitano.
Students will be required to receive the shot on November 1st.
The order is, according to the statement, “designed to prevent an outbreak of influenza at health care facilities across the state during the unusual public health crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.”
The executive order also requires all faculties and staff working at a UC location to receive a vaccination. Faculty and staff can apply for medical exemptions, but that process has not yet been determined.
The move comes just a week after a Contra Costa County health official urged the public to take more precautionary measures to stop the spread of COVID-19, especially considering what lies ahead.
“This is going to be bad,” said Drs. Desmond Carson. ‘When flu season arrives, how do I peel corona flu? How will I do that? “
The Centers for Disease Control said that flu vaccinations can reduce the risk of flu-related hospitalizations among older adults by about 40%.
