Still confused about the booster requirement? Here’s everything you need to know.

In an effort to combat the emergence and spread of the Omicron variant, on Dec. 28, 2021 USC required all students, faculty and staff members to get the COVID-19 booster shot by Jan. 31, 2022. But even after the infamous Aidan Moriarty sent an email to the entire USC community asking when it was okay to get her booster after having COVID-19, there is still some confusion among un-boosted students.

Compliance with weekly testing, vaccinations and boosters are necessary to gain campus access through Trojan Check. Students up to date with requirements (fully vaccinated and boosted) will return to the normal cadence of weekly testing. Their Trojan Check will expire after eight days. Students who are fully vaccinated but have not yet received their booster shots will need to test twice weekly. Consequently, their Trojan Check will expire after four days. Anyone who gets their booster shot outside of USC can upload their booster status onto MySHR for review. Doing so will allow their Trojan Check to expire after eight days instead of four. Unvaccinated students with approved medical or religious exemptions will continue procedures from last semester, where they tested every 72 hours.

All students who have tested positive will be exempt from testing for the next 90 days since their first positive test.

Alexandra Donovan, a sophomore studying journalism, was hesitant about getting the booster especially after getting COVID-19 over winter break. Since then, she has struggled to keep up with updated guidelines from the CDC and USC.

“It’s just difficult because we don’t really know what the guidelines are and they’re kind of changing day by day,” Donovan said.

In a briefing on Feb. 1, Dr. Sarah Van Orman, chief health officer for USC Student Health, clarified the approach toward booster shots after testing positive for COVID-19 and why there might be some confusion.

“There’s no reason to wait to get your booster after infection really, just once you leave isolation, you can and should go ahead and get your booster,” Van Orman said.

“When vaccines first came out, we recommended people wait 90 days after infection to get vaccinated, that was not at all related to health or safety concerns. It was entirely related to the fact that there was a vaccine shortage at the time, and we wanted to prioritize getting vaccines to people who hadn’t been infected,” Van Orman said. “But we know that there’s a lot of people who still kind of believe that it’s unsafe to get the vaccine or get your booster if you’ve been recently infected. And that’s actually not true. Again, especially with Omicron, we don’t know how long the duration of protection lasts. So people should get their booster as soon as they’re able to leave their quarantine.”

Several students have experienced difficulty scheduling a booster shot appointment through USC and have decided to seek booster shots elsewhere.

Sophomore journalism major Jack Reid wants to receive his booster shot as soon as he can after testing positive for COVID-19 over winter break, but said that it has been difficult to schedule a test through the school due to long wait times.

He explained that, due to his confusion with USC’s mandates, going to get the booster shot at an off campus site makes most sense for him.

“Despite the fact that I am not currently boosted, I actually think it’s a good decision,” he said. “I think it’s smart for the health of students and just generally trying to curb the spread of COVID-19.”

Students have a one month grace period to receive the booster once they are eligible. Eligible students can get their booster shot through USC Pharmacies or visit myturn.ca.gov to find off-campus vaccination sites. Some vaccination sites near campus include the St. John’s Well Child and Family Center (SJWCFC) - Rolland Curtis, SJWCFC - Magnolia, Cina Urgent Care, Central Neighborhood Health Foundation (Grand Clinic), and Vermont Square Park.

Victoria Dechamps, a junior studying geodesign and practicing with the club volleyball team, believes the booster is critical — especially while participating in athletics.

“Getting the booster has made me feel much safer when it comes to attending volleyball practices, among other activities such as large lectures and hanging out with friends,” she said. “I definitely think everyone should get the booster, if they can, because it’ll improve their safety as well as the safety of others, and it’s free — so there’s really no reason not to get it.”

Van Orman expressed that, despite minor hiccups, things are improving. She said last week’s high 15% positivity rate for students declined to 6% this week. “That is related to the fact that…we had a lot more students coming back to campus,” Van Orman said. “Overall, things are trending in the right direction…we’re feeling positive.”