As USC students begin another week on campus, COVID rates continue to rise in the surrounding area. As of last week, about 16% of COVID tests in Los Angeles County were positive.
In addition to the increase of COVID cases in Los Angeles, USC Chief Campus Health Officer Dr. Sarah Van Orman stated “there is often a COVID surge on campus at the beginning of the semester.” During a Tuesday briefing, she noted current “wastewater surveillance” lends credence to a fall semester surge.
There was also a surge in cases last fall. A USC COVID notification email from September 10, 2024, recorded eight new reported cases, indicating the prevailing nature of the virus on campus at this time of year.
As classes pick up, several students have noted the influx of COVID on campus.
“I’ve been hearing about residents having COVID. I’ve received notifications that COVID was detected in the wastewater as well,” said junior Ivan Tran, a Resident Assistant at Parkside.
Residents of Pardee Tower have also received emails notifying them about COVID in their wastewater. “I know a few people who have taken a COVID test in Pardee but they were all negative so far,” said Bela Dhar, a freshman resident in Pardee Tower.
Armen Agahi, a Resident Doctor at USC Keck Medicine said he has also “received COVID contact tracing notifications.”
With COVID vaccine policy changing at USC Student Health many who want to receive the vaccine are currently ineligible. “FDA approval for the new COVID vaccine only covers those aged 65+ or suffering from underlying conditions,” said Van Orman during Tuesday’s briefing. Administering the vaccine to patients not in these populations “without FDA approval would be off-label use,” she added.
Mckenzie Maresh, a senior at USC, revealed she cannot get the new COVID vaccine due to a persistent case of long COVID. “I think sometimes immunocompromised individuals like myself can’t get vaccinated, and so we rely on everyone else to be vaccinated to build herd immunity.” Maresh said she hopes students will receive vaccines at clinics that do not have Engemann’s current vaccine restrictions. However, she recognizes this is “less accessible” for some students.
Other students are making the decision to receive – or not receive – the fall COVID vaccine.
Tran explained how he wants to get vaccinated for COVID this fall. However, he is not currently eligible for the vaccine at USC Engemann.
Agahi revealed he has not received a dose and “does not plan to get the COVID vaccine this fall.”
Van Orman encourages those wanting to get the vaccine this fall to “hold tight,” emphasizing that “nothing about the COVID vaccine is new or risky.”
“FDA guidance is important, but recommendations from professional societies and other governmental agencies are also extremely important,” concluded Van Orman. “Health organizations are releasing new vaccine recommendations, which will be reviewed.”
Additional reporting by Luisa Tripoli-Krasnow.