To support the health and well-being of UC students, faculty, and staff, as well as our local communities, the University of California, in consultation with UC Health leadership, has issued a systemwide executive order requiring all members of the UC community to receive an influenza immunization.
The 2022/2023 flu season policy requires you to receive a flu shot, or opt-out and communicate your immunization status, to UC Riverside by January 30, 2023.
The executive order is an important proactive measure to help protect members of the UC community — and the public at large — and to ease the severe burdens on health care systems anticipated during the coming fall and winter from influenza and COVID-19 illnesses.
WHO IS REQUIRED TO GET A FLU VACCINE?
The executive order requires the vaccination for all faculty and staff who are working at a UC location. Employees with an approved 100% remote work agreement on file do not need to submit their vaccine status. The university already has a clear policy on immunizations for students, and this action adds influenza to existing vaccination requirements for them, and extends the requirement to faculty and staff beyond those which presently exist for all UC health care workers.
WHERE DO I SUBMIT MY VACCINE INFORMATION OR DECLINE THE VACCINE?
Both employees and students must access the Student Health Center/Employee Vaccine Record patient portal to record their vaccine information. This patient portal only maintains records that the employee has provided or will provide to the campus Occupational Health program as part of the UC policy. The portal already contains UCR employee COVID-19 vaccination information previously provided by employees and updated in MyChart.
Details on how to access the system along with instructions can be found on the UCR flu vaccine page.
WHAT DO I NEED TO DO IF I CHOOSE TO DECLINE THE FLU VACCINE
If you choose to decline the 2022-2023 seasonal flu vaccine, you must:
• Indicate your choice to decline by accessing the Employee Vaccine Record system.
• Continue to mask during the flu season, which ends in March 2023. Masking will be required while indoors.
• Review the flu vaccine information material found here.
SUPPORT
For program support, contact your department’s Human Resources partner or UCR’s COVID Management Team at covid19@ucr.edu or call 844-827-6827 and selecting option 1.
Where can I get a flu vaccine?
You can get a flu vaccine from a variety of sources:
- Your healthcare provider. All UC medical plans that cover faculty, staff, and academic employees cover flu vaccinations at no cost to those covered by the plan. In addition, for those without group health care coverage, all ACA-compliant health plans also cover flu vaccinations as part of a preventive care package that includes no copay.
- Use the CDC Vaccine Finder to see where vaccines are available near you.
Vaccination against influenza is an important measure to protect the health of our communities based on a review of guidance from public health authorities and scientific studies, as well as consultation with UC experts.
Influenza vaccinations have proven effective in reducing the risk of flu-related hospitalizations and the most serious forms of the disease. With influenza and SARS-CoV-2 viruses circulating simultaneously, vaccination against both is needed to mitigate overburdening healthcare systems and the threat to the health and safety of the UC community and the public at large. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the best source for information on this year’s flu vaccination, which is readily available.
If you are 100% remote, then vaccination is not required, but is strongly encouraged.
More information