Campus physicians are reiterating the importance of current vaccinations as the rate of COVID-19 detected in campus wastewater spikes and the Dec. 1 deadline for flu and COVID-19 shots approaches.

The new COVID-19 shots continue to be widely available, and Occupational Health is providing flu shots for employees on a first-come, first-served basis at a previously scheduled flu clinic Thursday (Nov. 2).

• Free flu shot clinic for employees: Thursday, Nov. 2 — 10 a.m.- 2 p.m., Cowell Building Lobby

“Both COVID and flu are contagious diseases that can be severe and we are seeing both in our campus community, including the highest levels of COVID in the wastewater for campus that we have seen in the past couple of years,” said Cindy Schorzman, medical director of Student Health and Counseling Services. “One of the best ways to protect yourself, especially against severe disease and hospitalization, is vaccination.”

Wastewater samples collected on Oct. 2 included the highest concentration of COVID-19 virus since the campus started tracking the data in 2021. Subsequent samples from Oct. 16 included less of the virus, but were still higher than any point this year. Wastewater sampling data is available on the Campus Ready website.