The Newest Numbers: COVID-19 Data

Recent numbers show that more OU community members are getting vaccinated – take a look at the latest data, which also points to the vaccine’s effectiveness.
 

Vaccinations at OU: What We Know

Norman Campus

Student Survey Data: OU Health Services at Goddard Health Center facilitated a survey in June 2021 of current Norman campus students (n=2,867) regarding attitudes and behaviors related to vaccines. Key findings included:

• 73% of students responding (undergraduate and graduate) had one or more vaccine doses at the time of the survey
• Upperclassmen and graduate students were more likely to be vaccinated when compared to first-year students
• 63% of rising sophomores received at least one dose, as compared to 84% of graduate student respondents receiving at least one dose
  
  

Move-In Survey Results: As part of the Move-In process on the Norman campus, incoming first-year residential students (n=3,807) were asked about their vaccine status or their intentions to get vaccinated. With an incoming class of 4,595, this represents an 83% sample size. Key findings included:

• 66.46% of incoming freshmen responding reported they were vaccinated
• Of those that were not vaccinated, 22.33% expressed interest in getting vaccinated
  
  

Walk-In Clinics: Vaccines given during the walk-in vaccine clinics on the Norman campus:

• 122 vaccines given during Move-In week
• 235 vaccines given during Camp Crimson week
• 109 vaccines given at the First Week of Class Mobile Clinic as of 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 24
  
  

Health Sciences Center Programs

Health Sciences Center program students who have patient-facing responsibilities must comply with the university’s COVID-19 vaccine policy. Of the approximately 2,870 HSC program students with patient-facing responsibilities, 95% have submitted proof of completed vaccine and 5% have submitted a medical/other declination form as of Wednesday, Aug. 25. HSC program students are located in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Weatherford, Ardmore, Bartlesville and Lawton.

Vaccines

• Unvaccinated individuals make up 92.1% of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Oklahoma.
  • Fully vaccinated individuals make up 7.8% of Oklahoma’s COVID-19 hospitalizations; however, the majority (73.5%) are in the 65+ age group.
  • Source: OSDH COVID-19 Weekly Epidemiology Report, Aug. 8-14, 2021
• Of those hospitalized for COVID-19 at OU Health University of Oklahoma Medical Center and Oklahoma Children’s Hospital at OU Health, 5% are fully vaccinated and 95% are unvaccinated.
  • Source: OU Health, Aug. 25, 2021
• COVID-19 vaccines are safe. Millions of people in the United States have received COVID-19 vaccines under the most intense safety monitoring in U.S. history, and over 4 billion doses have been given worldwide.
• According to the CDC, unvaccinated individuals who were previously infected are more than twice as likely to be reinfected with COVID-19 than those who were fully vaccinated.

Delta Variant

• Over 90% of current cases in the United States are caused by the Delta variant.
• Delta is more than twice as contagious as previous strains, so it’s more important than ever to get vaccinated to protect you and others from severe disease, hospitalization, and death.

Breakthrough Cases

What is a breakthrough case?

• Breakthrough cases occur when a fully vaccinated person becomes infected with the COVID-19 virus. COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective and are a critical tool to bring the pandemic under control. However, some fully vaccinated people still get infected with COVID-19.
  
  

Does it mean the vaccine doesn’t work? Why should people get the vaccine if you can still get sick?

• No vaccine is 100% effective to keep you from getting infected. It’s not impossible to still get COVID-19 once you’re vaccinated, but it’s less likely.
• Even taking breakthrough cases into account, the vaccine still greatly reduces the chances of getting COVID-19. Although a recent study by the CDC found decreased vaccine effectiveness against the Delta variant, being fully vaccinated significantly reduces the risk of developing a severe case of COVID-19 that could result in hospitalization or death.

Where to Get Vaccinated at OU

COVID-19 vaccines are available to all students, faculty and staff on all three OU campuses at no cost to the individual.

• Norman Campus: To schedule a vaccine appointment at Goddard Health Center, visit the OU Health Services webpage. For more information about vaccine distribution at OU, visit the COVID-19 Vaccine Update page.
• Health Sciences Center: OUHSC COVID-19 updates, resources, and vaccine information are available at https://www.ouhsc.edu/coronavirus. HSC students and employees may schedule a vaccine with Student and Employee Health (405) 271-9675, OU Children's Pharmacy (Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.), Sooner Pediatrics (405) 271-6827, and Family Medicine (405) 271-4311.
• OU-Tulsa: OU-Tulsa COVID-19 updates and resources are available at ou.edu/tulsa/coronavirus. OU-Tulsa students and employees may schedule a vaccine in the Internal Medicine clinic at covidvaccine.ou.edu/tulsainternalmedicine or check their local health department website.

Article Published:  Wednesday, August 25, 2021

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