With newly updated guidelines and abundantly available antigen tests, University Health Services (UHS) and URMC have continued to provide services for individuals looking to protect themselves against the spread of COVID-19. Yet cases continue to rise in Monroe County — and the newly updated COVID vaccine, Novavax, is currently unavailable on River Campus.
The 2024-2025 formula of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine was authorized in August under the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization. Getting an updated vaccine allows individuals at risk to best ensure their protection against today’s current variants of the virus — yet as of writing, the vaccine is unavailable at UHS. The closest location for students to receive the vaccine is Mount Hope Avenue’s CVS Pharmacy. Students are eligible to receive the vaccine under Aetna’s student health insurance.
Early May saw URMC lift masking restrictions after evaluations showed a significant drop in daily COVID-19 infections. According to the New York State Department of Health, January and February posed the greatest threat in terms of daily infection, with a rate of about 87 infections per day. This dropped significantly in March, with the months of April, May, and June presenting a relative minimum in Monroe County’s daily rate of infection.
“We are seeing an uptick in COVID cases locally and nationally, including recent clusters and nosocomial transmission to patients and employees within our hospitals … [As a result], we will resume masking for staff in patient care areas,” stated the Medical Center in a recent update. Masking is now required for all staff when providing direct patient care throughout the inpatient area and emergency departments, as well as encouraged across the entire hospital.
On the River Campus, masking policies have remained the same. “UHS is continuing to strongly encourage patients and staff to wear masks, but masking is only required for those with symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection and those who recently tested positive for COVID-19,” stated Dr. Ethan Beaudett, Medical Chief at UHS.
While UHS continues to offer COVID-19 rapid antigen tests and surgical masks to all students, being vaccinated is not a requirement for enrollment or presence on campus. Self-test kits are provided by UHS and at the Wellness on Demand Vending machine at all times in the outer lobby of UHS.
Currently, there is no timeline for Novavax’s availability at UHS. “As of this time, the COVID-19 vaccine is not available for us to purchase. We are continuing to look into this,” Beaudett stated. The upcoming University’s Flu Clinic on Oct. 17 will have a readily available flu vaccine for River Campus students.
