UT plans to provide available COVID-19 vaccines to students and staff, but students who currently live outside of Austin said they have received little guidance from the University on how to access them.
Students outside Austin should consult local public health authorities to get information about the vaccine, Susan Hochman, associate director of assessment, communications and health information technology for University Health Services, said in an email. Currently, any student, faculty and staff may receive the vaccine if they qualify under the 1A or 1B phase by state guidelines, according to the Protect Texas Together website.
“Vaccine distribution in the U.S. is determined by federal, state and local authorities,” said Hochman. “There is a great amount of variability from state to state. There is even further variability internationally with regard to vaccine supply and distribution plans.”
As of Jan. 25, only 53 countries have started actively vaccinating citizens in limited groups, while multiple countries have no available vaccine, according to Our World in Data.
Michael Moon, a petroleum engineering sophomore staying home in South Korea, said it is frustrating to live in a country that is wary of outside vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
“I am concerned. … If vaccines become a requirement and if (UT) requires students to come back and take classes, (what happens if) Korea doesn’t import the vaccines by then,” Moon said.
Even though a negative test is required to enter the U.S., Hochman said there are no current plans to mandate the vaccine at UT. According to the Texas Global website, plans for the fall 2021 semester regarding travel policies will be announced on or before May 15.
Surendar Malai, an electrical and computer engineering applicant, said he is concerned about the controversial and less effective vaccines from his home country, India, and the possibility of a vaccine mandate.
“(It) would be a major concern for me if (the U.S.) made it a requirement,” said Malai. “People are just really concerned about how the vaccine is because everyone is aware that our country is trying to hide the real numbers, the number of deaths, … the number of COVID-19 cases.”
Hochman said students who qualify to receive the vaccine can travel to Austin to receive the vaccine from UT if they wish to do so.
“However, vaccine distribution is by appointment, and there is typically a short window between when an individual is contacted to schedule and their actual appointment, so they would need to factor that in,” Hochman said in a text.
Moon said he would not be willing to travel to Austin to get the vaccine.
“I think there’s more risk going to the airport, riding the plane and going to Austin, and that process is more risky, I’d say, than the benefit that I get out of (the vaccine),” Moon said.
