Flu cases are rising, but fewer people are receiving vaccines on USC’s campus.
The administration of flu vaccines has dropped both on campus and nationally, with both reporting record-low rates, according to Dr. Sarah Van Orman, chief campus health officer.
“Uptake of flu vaccines has really declined on-campus and nationally,” Van Orman said, “[because of] misinformation, disinformation and vaccine hesitancy in the world right now.”
According to the CDC, 30 million more Americans were vaccinated for influenza at this time last year compared to this year.
At USC, the vaccine is not mandatory but highly encouraged by the student health office. Both walk-in vaccinations and scheduled appointments are available on campus at the Engemann Student Health Center, and the farmer’s market on McCarthy Quad administers flu vaccines from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesdays.
For students on the SHIP/Aetna healthcare plan, vaccinations are free. For everyone else, they’re $20.
Still, many students said they are unaware or haven’t made it a priority.
Anthony Moore, a sophomore majoring in acting for stage and screen, has not yet received his flu shot this year. He said he was unfamiliar with the process of receiving one on campus and hasn’t been back home to his doctor yet.
“It’s because I haven’t been back at home [with] my doctor, and that’s really it,” said Moore. “But I usually get it every year.”
Giovanni Ibrahim, a sophomore majoring in theater, echoed Moore’s sentiments about the vaccine not being a top priority.
“I keep forgetting, Ibrahim said. “Every week, I’m supposed to go and get it, but I keep forgetting… I have no idea what the process is.”
Some students haven’t gotten the vaccine because they are not only uninformed about the vaccinations on campus but also about flu season and the vaccination process in general.
Eric Wim, a sophomore studying aerospace engineering, said that he didn’t know that he needed a vaccine every year. He also hasn’t seen any emails from the school about flu season.
“It’s just silence. Right now is the first time that I’m hearing about the statistics about that,” said Wim.
Students may be oblivious to the severity of this year’s flu season, but that hasn’t stopped the consequences from being real.
Last semester, the school saw a significant peak in influenza — particularly in early December — and cases are rising again this semester.
According to a report by the California Department of Public Health, positive influenza cases during week five of 2025 have risen 27.8% from week four. COVID-19 cases only rose 2.4% from the previous week.
So far this flu season, which lasts from October to May, there have been three total pediatric deaths in California due to COVID-19 and ten total due to the flu — three of which were teenagers. They were all unvaccinated.
This is the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began that influenza is causing more deaths in California than the coronavirus.
For USC, the impact is simple.
“We’re seeing record lows in flu vaccines on campus… [and] the unfortunate impact is we’re seeing more people with the flu,” Van Orman said.