2023-2024 Flu/COVID Vaccination Challenge
Take the Survey to Help the U of A Win the Challenge
The survey is now closed. Stay tuned for the announcement of the 2023-2024 College Flu/COVID-19 Vaccine Champions. ImmunizeAR will name the winners for Flu Vaccination Champion, COVID-19 Vaccination Champion, and the Innovation Award Winner in February 2024.
What is the Vaccination Challenge?
The 2023-2024 Flu and COVID Vaccination Challenge is hosted by the Arkansas Immunization Action Coalition (ImmunizeAR) with support from the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH). The purpose of the challenge is to encourage the U of A community to receive the flu and COVID-19 vaccines. The challenge is against other colleges and universities across the state of Arkansas to see which institution will get the most undergraduate students to self-report recieving their vaccine(s) in a survey. You can receive the flu vaccine or the COVID-19 vaccine from the Pat Walker Health Center or anywhere else to complete the survey, and no identifiable information is collected within the survey.
Who can participate?
The overall challenge is open to undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty and staff. However, the institutions enrolled in the challenge will be judged on the percentage of their undergraduate student population who self-report their vaccines in the survey. The university with the highest percentage of undergraduates vaccinated with the most flu and COVID-19 vaccines will be announced as the winner(s) and receive trophies in February/March 2024.
Why should I receive the vaccines?
The Pat Walker Health Center cares about the health and safety of the University of Arkansas community. College/university students are at risk of contracting the flu and COVID-19 due to lifestyle factors. Close contact such as dorms, classrooms, public transportation, parties, and sports events make the flu and COVID-19 especially easy to spread at college. Further, lack of sleep, not eating healthy foods, and not exercising regularly can weaken the immune system, making young adults more vulnerable to these viruses.
Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is recommended that anyone six months and older receive an annual flu vaccine. Getting vaccinated early is the best way to ensure you are protected throughout the entire flu season.
The CDC recommends updated COVID-19 vaccines for anyone six months and older, and you must be two months post receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. It is important to note that taking a COVID-19 vaccine is not required.
Why should I participate in the challenge?
The survey does not take long to complete. It will take you less than 1 minute and will help us in reporting a number of vaccinations. Remember, no identifiable information is collected within the survey.
What is the timeline for the challenge?
The survey CLOSED on Friday, December 15, 2023.
Early participation is encouraged! Last academic year, the U of A won the Innovation Award for the challenge, which you can read more about in this Arkansas News article.
What other ways can I keep up with the challenge?
Be sure to follow the Pat Walker Health Center's Instagram @uofahealth to keep up with the challenge and to see who wins come February/March 2024. We would appreciate you sharing information about the challenge with others in the U of A community to help us protect our community and work to win the challenge!