Not a music festival: USC provides vaccines during ‘Vaxchella’

USC Pharmacies will supply both the COVID-19 bivalent booster and the flu vaccine to USC students, faculty and staff at Engemann Student Health Center from October 10 to 21 as part of their “Vaxchella” event. This walk-in clinic will be held on the first floor weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Students receiving vaccines at Vaxchella must be currently enrolled in the USC Health Insurance Plan and must be available to receive both the COVID-19 booster and flu vaccine at once.

Vaxchella coincides with the emergence of new variants that have caused a rise in cases, hospitalizations and deaths, said USC Chief Health Officer Dr. Sarah Van Orman.

From September 25 through October 1, 660 COVID tests were administered, resulting in 25 new positive cases in students and two in staff. Currently, 5% of students tested for COVID-19 are positive, with 67 students in isolation.

Alongside COVID-19, around two to three influenza cases are reported per week. According to Van Orman, it’s uncommon to see influenza cases this early. Vaxchella aims to offer a quick and easy way for students, faculty and staff to get these vaccinations in order to combat a spike in case numbers and ensure people are safe on and around campus.

“A lot of healthy people get their flu shot, whether that’s in student health or everywhere else. It’s really about communicating and the importance of it providing a whole range of opportunities for people to be vaccinated,” Van Orman said. “We’ve done that historically, and this is just another opportunity to do that.”

While the flu vaccine can easily be administered at any type of location from an off-campus pharmacy to a farmer’s market, Van Orman said that the COVID booster is a bit more complicated to administer. Therefore, a special event like Vaxchella creates an opportunity for both vaccines to be easily administered at the same time on campus.

Sarah Wager, a graduate student studying double bass - performance, recently received both vaccines at Vaxchella.

“The fact that they have the option for people so that they don’t have to go out of their way since public transit is so difficult in L.A. was probably a good thing,” Wager said.

Charlie Korman, a freshman majoring in writing for screen and television, is another student who received vaccinations at Vaxchella.

“I think it’s great,” Korman said. “I think everybody should get vaccinated. I don’t want to get sick. And if everybody gets vaccinated, then hopefully we won’t get sick.”

Van Orman said the university hopes to administer between one to two thousand flu shots by the end of Vaxchella’s two-week run.

“We still have a really strong requirement for students to have their primary series, and we still strongly recommend everybody is up to date on their boosters,” Van Orman said.

Aside from Vaxchella, other walk-in vaccination sites will be held at the USC Village Plaza on Tuesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., McCarthy Quad Farmer’s Market on Wednesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Pappas Quad on the Health Science Campus on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Additionally, vaccination appointments can be scheduled at the Student Union Pharmacy, Medical Plaza Pharmacy at HSC and Verdugo Hills Professional Pharmacy.