The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: vaccine

  • University requires booster by January 23

    University requires booster by January 23

    Starting Jan 23, students, faculty, and staff must be fully vaccinated to use campus facilities. This Humboldt State announcement was made in December shortly after students left for break. Anyone not able to receive a vaccination or booster can submit for an appropriate exemption. Following an updated certification date, the university said the likelihood of infectious spread in the classroom will be low given vaccination requirements, mandatory testing, masking, and other efforts made by the school.

    In a press release sent to all students earlier this week, HSU clarified full vaccination status as ”attesting that you are fully vaccinated (including a booster if eligible) or have submitted for the appropriate exemption.” Recipients of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are eligible for boosters five months after completing their initial series. Johnson & Johnson recipients can get a booster two months after their initial dose.

    The university asked that those who have already received the booster should go into their student portal and complete the attestation about vaccination status. Students can do so by logging into their Health Portal at myhumboldt.edu. To find a vaccination clinic in your area, visit My Turn California (myturn.ca.gov). However, clinic availability in some areas is limited, including Humboldt County.

  • A quick rundown of a few COVID-19 vaccines

    A quick rundown of a few COVID-19 vaccines

    Pfizer–BioNTech and Moderna mRNA Vaccines

    Vaccines usually function by injecting a safe version of a virus into a patient’s body. Sometimes it’s a whole virus, parts of a virus, or a different virus that can still teach our immune system about the intended target virus. The vaccine essentially gives our immune cells a dummy to fight so they are prepared for the real thing.

    mRNA vaccines are different. Cells in your body contain DNA, a code for creating the proteins we’re made of. They function as a set of instructions for building our bodies. mRNA, or messenger RNA, plays a critical role in the process of interpreting your body’s instructions for making proteins.

    So, instead of injecting a virus, some COVID-19 vaccines inject pieces of mRNA. Using the dummy analogy, the injected mRNA are instructions for our cells to create their own dummies to learn from.

    Those dummies take the form of specific proteins like the ones found on the surface of infectious agents. Our cells build the dummy proteins, recognize that the proteins should not be in our bodies, then send our immune system to fight the dummy proteins. This builds our immunity, but the process takes time.

    The two COVID-19 vaccines currently approved for emergency use here in the United States are both mRNA vaccines. The dummy that the mRNA in the vaccine helps our body make is a harmless piece of a protein found in the spikes of the virus that cause COVID-19. The spikes are what give the virus access to our cells, so they are an effective and easy target.

    This mRNA process has been the target of widespread misinformation. Though you may hear otherwise on social media, the mRNA does not alter your DNA, it only uses the process of creating proteins to construct the dummies for our bodies to fight. The mRNA is destroyed in the process.

    Vector Vaccines

    These vaccines use a harmless virus to deliver DNA to your cells. Once injected, it then works in a similar way to the mRNA vaccines. The DNA delivered by the harmless virus acts as instructions for your cells to create dummy proteins for your immune system to fight.

    The harmless virus does not replicate itself. The DNA that it injects into your cells does not replicate or become a permanent part of you. Rather, it is destroyed when the immune system fights the dummy protein.

    Though many of the mechanisms are like the mRNA vaccine, vector vaccines are easier to transport. The DNA is not as fragile as the mRNA.

    No vector vaccines are approved in the United States as of publication, but there likely will be approved vector vaccines in the near future.

    The Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine is a vector vaccine that may see approval in the United States. Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, China’s Convidicea vaccine, and Ad26.COV2.S, also known as the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, are all vector vaccines.

    Inactivated Virus COVID-19 Vaccines

    These three vaccines are not approved in the United States as of publication but are approved in other parts of the world. They function like conventional vaccines with a safe version of the virus injected and used as a dummy by the body’s immune system.

    BBIBP-CorV was developed and approved in China. It has less storage and transportation requirements, making it easier to distribute. The developers claim it has a slightly lower effectiveness than the mRNA vaccines, but there is a lack of publicly available data and some conflicting numbers surrounding its use.

    CoronaVac was developed in China as well. Though approved in some countries, it has a much lower effectiveness than either the BBIBP-CorV vaccine or the mRNA vaccines.

    BBV152 was developed in India and is approved for monitored emergency use within the country. The effectiveness of the vaccine is not yet known.

  • Updates on Testing and Vaccinations for COVID-19 at HSU

    Updates on Testing and Vaccinations for COVID-19 at HSU

    Coronavirus testing will be available for all HSU students and employees in a matter of days. Here are some details on testing and vaccinations for students at HSU.

    Testing

    Beginning this month, Humboldt State, in cooperation with HealthQuest, will be offering free coronavirus tests on campus for all HSU staff, faculty, and auxiliary employees. An HSU ID will be needed when it comes time to take the test but HealthQuest will only bill insurance directly, so there is no need to worry about paying up-front.

    Students who are residing on campus will be tested when they move in and then again seven to 10 days later. These students will be contacted by Housing regarding arranging testing appointments.

    Athletes will be frequently tested as mandated by NCAA and County Public Health protocols.

    Vaccinations

    The University is currently working with County Public Health on plans to give out the vaccine to all HSU staff, faculty, and employees who would like to receive the vaccine when available. HSU aims to administer vaccinations to students when allowable based on state and county prioritization and vaccine availability.

    Additionally, all Humboldt County residents who want to be given the COVID-19 vaccine are able to submit their contact information through an online interest form to be alerted when doses are available for their tier.