the
Volume 119, Issue 05
VISTA “Our Words, Your Voice.”
vistanews1903 @thevista1903 @thevista1903 The Vista ucentralmedia.com Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021
Deadline looms to report vaccinations
Football
Bronchos lose their third straight game in a row against North Western Missouri Bearcats. See Pg. 7
Although UCO has hosted several clinics, the percentage for reported vaccinated students remains at 34%. (The Vista/ Manuela Soldi)
Christopher Lomelin
Julius Jones
Contributing Writer
The fate of death-row inmate Julius Jones hangs in the balance. See Pg. 3
‘The Laramie Project’ The highly acclaimed show returns after being postponed in the spring due to the pandemic. See Pg. 4
Around Campus “Rent,” the musical, debuts this week, along with Jazz Ensemble concerts and Zac Lee & Friends. See Pg. 2
The University of Central Oklahoma’s ‘Move the Needle’ incentive to get students to register their vaccinations to receive extra days for the upcoming Fall Break continues to struggle to reach its first goal with the deadline set for Friday. The campaign has three goals: one extra day added to Fall Break when 50% of the student population has reported that they have been vaccinated, two extra days at 60%, and three
extra days at 70%. As of last Tuesday, only 34% of the student population self-reported that they have been vaccinated. To register their vaccination status, students must upload a picture or PDF of their own vaccination card as proof onto the campus “Move the Needle” campaign. The Vista sent out an unscientific survey and asked students around campus about their vaccination status and comfort with reporting it to the university. Most students, like business major Shuhei, who did not give a last name, noted that while being
fully vaccinated, the reason why they haven’t registered their vaccination online yet was due to not having the time to locate their vaccination card and upload it. “One time, I looked at the website and they asked me to upload the picture and at that time I didn’t have the card with me. So, maybe I will do that before the deadline on October 1st,” Shuhei said. Noorjawa Breh, who is majoring in Continued on Pg. 3
Are flu shots just as important as COVID-19 vaccines? Ainsley Martinez Managing Editor
As the annual flu shot clinic at UCO combined with COVID-19 vaccines at last week’s clinics, some wonder if combining the vaccine drives will be the new normal. According to chief COVID officer for the University of Oklahoma Dale Bratzler, no one knows at this point. “You have probably seen a lot of press about the need for booster shots right now, but that remains controversial,” Bratzler said. Bratzler likely refers to the “booster shot debate” between the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On Sept. 13, some scientists with the
FDA published a review stating that boosters are not necessary for the general public at this time. This conflicted with the CDC’s plan to roll out booster shots for all adults about eight months after their initial course of the vaccine. “I think we will certainly roll out booster shots for the elderly, those who have underlying illnesses that put them at risk of complications of COVID, healthcare workers who get exposed all of the time, and those who are immunosuppressed. But at this point, it is not clear in any way that a young healthy college student who is fully vaccinated needs to get a booster,” Bratzler said. The FDA already approved booster Continued on Pg. 3
Passport Health hosted a flu shot clinic that included COVID-19 vaccines. The future of vaccine clinics could mean the addition of COVID-19 booster shots, but no one knows for sure. (The Vista/ Manuela