In an email to the USC community on Mar. 30, the university’s chief health officer Dr. Sarah Van Orman announced new vaccine eligibility as L.A. county prepares to enter the less restrictive orange tier of reopening.
Those over 50 and living in L.A. County will be eligible for the vaccine beginning on April 1 and any residents over 16 will be eligible to receive the vaccine starting on April 15. USC hopes that this will allow all of its students to be vaccinated in the coming months.
Vaccines continue to be offered for students, faculty and staff at the Lyon Center based on available doses, though delivery of doses varies week to week, according to Van Orman.
Though USC offers vaccines to its community, the email also reminded students of other vaccination resources in the surrounding L.A. area that they are encouraged to take advantage of, whether it be through the California State My Turn website or L.A. County Department of Public Health.
Van Orman also mentioned that the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are all highly effective and that USC community members should get whichever vaccine becomes available to them first.
Although the university encourages all students to sign up for vaccines, the email also reminded students that they should still be getting tested for COVID-19 regularly.
“We remind all individuals to continue using Trojan Check and getting tested regularly (twice weekly for undergraduates; once weekly for graduate students, faculty, and staff) even if you have completed vaccination, as infection is still possible,” Van Orman said.
In the same email, Van Orman announced USC’s “Tap for Tracing” program on campus that will allow for students to use their USC ID cards for contact tracing.
Students can reserve workplaces at five outdoor locations on and around campus and tap their USC ID cards at these spaces to be notified if any individual who tests positive for COVID-19 has been at that location.
Though the “Tap for Tracing” program is optional for students, those who choose to participate ensure that they will be notified by email any time they have been exposed at any location where they tapped their ID.
Van Orman said that the administration is thankful to the USC community for continuing to make safety a priority as they move forward with broad re-openings.