COVID-19 vaccination deadline extended by one week
In a Campus Communication email sent on Sept. 4, OU announced an extension to the COVID-19 vaccination deadline by one week.
In a Campus Communication email sent Saturday, Sept. 4 — Oakland University announced an extension to the COVID-19 vaccination deadline by one week. All faculty, students and staff who have not yet received their first vaccination dose now have until Friday, Sept. 10 to do so. The deadline was previously Friday, Sept. 3.
For the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, the second dose is required by Friday, Oct. 8.
Vaccination status must be uploaded to the Graham Health Center Patient Portal, where the $100 incentive is still offered through Sept. 30 to those who upload their data. The university will not share this information publicly — only collect the data as a whole to track the campus’ collective vaccination rate.
According to the email, OU is “striv[ing] to reach a campus-wide vaccination rate as close to 100% as possible.”
The vaccination mandate applies to all faculty, students and staff who plan to attend on-campus classes, utilize on-campus services, or attend activities in-person on main campus or any offsite locations, according to OU’s vaccine mandate FAQ’s.
OU first announced they were mandating the COVID-19 vaccine to students, faculty and staff on Monday, August 23 after a plethora of other Michigan universities had done the same — including the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Wayne State University, Grand Valley State University, among others.
“I am so very proud of how the Oakland University community has weathered the past 18 months of the COVID pandemic,” said OU President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz in a press release detailing the expanded vaccine mandate. “It is a tribute to your individual and our community’s collective perseverance, determination and resilience. But, unfortunately, the national and international health crisis is not over.”
As the Delta strain continues to spread alarmingly, Michigan’s positivity rate has increased from 4.74% to 8.74%, as mentioned in the press release.
Unvaccinated individuals are 29 times more likely to be hospitalized from COVID-19 compared to those who are fully vaccinated, according to a study done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC continues to stress that vaccination prevents not only infection, but getting severely ill, and reduces the chance of hospitalization and death.
The best way to slow the spread is to get vaccinated.
All members of the OU community can receive a COVID-19 vaccine through the Graham Health Center. Appointments and walk-in’s are available — appointments can be scheduled through the patient portal. For additional vaccine locations, visit vaccines.gov.
Along with the vaccine mandate, OU has a mask mandate in place along with the Daily Health Screening Form.
Students, faculty and staff who do not comply with the vaccination mandate will receive disciplinary action, according to the vaccine mandate FAQ’s. Not complying with mask requirements may result in disciplinary action from the Dean of Students office.
“To protect yourself, your family and your community, you must get vaccinated and wear your mask,” Pescovitz said. “It is important that you listen and speak to one another respectfully. If you understand how vaccines are saving lives, please explain that to a friend, a colleague or a fellow student. The empathy you show others during this challenging period will serve you well in the future, even if it is not reciprocated today.”
