According to Assistant to the President Laura Tevaga, the COVID-19 vaccination policy at BYU–Hawaii was seen as the best way to mitigate the risks of COVID-19 for the university and the surrounding community. Tevaga, gave insights into how the policy came to be and her hopes for Fall Semester.
Q. When was there a plan to make the vaccine mandatory?
A.“From the very beginning of the pandemic, the President’s Council members have been talking about what we can do to help keep the campus and community as safe as possible. When we knew the vaccines were going to be available, we started encouraging everybody as strongly as we could to get the vaccine. However, when we saw the vaccination numbers weren’t rising as quickly as we wanted with the students, we knew there wasn’t going be a way for us to have the Fall Semester we were hoping for.
“It was a little bit of a process to get it approved. Our President’s Council members were in agreement that it’s what we wanted to do. Obviously, for a decision like this, we sought approval Church Educational System and the commissioner’s office to make sure we had their support. We have the support of the Board of Trustees to do this, too, because of the unique circumstances we have here in Hawaii.”
Q. Students have been on campus since the pandemic hit, and there have not been that many positive cases here on campus. Why enforce the vaccine as mandatory now?
A. “With 3,000-plus students back on campus on in Fall, the way we were doing the weekly testing program wasn’t going to be feasible for us. The numbers on campus have stayed so low because of the weekly testing. The testing made it possible that as soon as a case was found, that person was put in isolation and not able to infect other people.
“I think a lot of times, people felt fine when they were tested, and it was a couple of days later when they started feeling sick. The good news is they didn’t infect other people. With the vaccines being available, the decision to ask people to be vaccinated was based on several recommendations from state officials, the CDC, and the Church. So, for us, this felt like the right thing to do to be good citizens.”
Q. Was there a specific event or circumstance that made the decision makers consider a vaccination mandate?
A. “We looked at what the Church had said about the vaccine, and also the announcement in April from the Church asking missionaries who serve outside of their home countries to be vaccinated before traveling. I’m sure there are people who were hoping to serve a foreign mission but maybe aren’t interested in getting vaccinated. So, now they have to make a decision. Either they’re going to serve in their home country, or they decide to get the vaccine.
“Many other universities on island are requiring the COVID-19 vaccine, plus hundreds of other universities across the United States, and now government and other employers are also requiring it.”
Q. Why wasn’t it announced earlier?
A. “We announced it as soon and as quickly we could. It was a process to go through, making sure we’re taking everything into account and counseling with the Church Educational System leaders. This policy will continue to evolve dependent on disease prevalence, vaccination levels, and guidance from state and local governments.”
Q. So it's about putting the community and the people above the individual?
A.“Yes, and hopefully people see keeping everyone safe has always been what we’re trying to do, especially being as remote as we are on the North Shore of Oahu. We don’t want to be the ones who spread the virus in the community, overrun our local Kahuku hospital or add to the caseloads of our limited number of first responders and medical personal on the island.”
Q. How did the Laie community and recent Hawaii state regulations influence the vaccination mandate?
A.“Those were the main things we considered. This has only ever been about us and our particular situation, meaning the state of Hawaii regulations and our location. None of the other Church universities are this remote and on an island. I get reports from the state every day, and they are worried about how much the cases are increasing, and the majority of the cases are from unvaccinated people.”
Q. In what ways do the President Council and Board of Trustees think the vaccine mandate will benefit BYUH?
A. “We are hoping Fall Semester this year is going to be very different from the Fall Semester people had last year. Is it going to be all the way back to what it was pre-COVID-19? We don’t know because things keep changing. But we do know that having a vaccinated campus will allow us to do more and go back to in-person learning for students. I know online remote learning was really hard for so many. There was probably a small amount of people who thought it was great and would love to be at home and do everything online. But the people who are coming here, that’s not what they signed up for or what’s best for them. We are hoping to have as many students back here in person as we can.”
Q. What do you want others to know about the vaccine mandate?
A. “I think if people go back and look at what has been said by the Church and what’s come from the prophet, they will see we are trying to be good citizens. To us, this is doing everything we can to keep the campus safe and to have the in-person experience we’ve all been missing for the last year and a half. We just want to be able to start doing what everybody has come here for, and that’s learning and working together, having interactions and becoming better people. Hopefully we get to do that a lot more this Fall.”
COVID-19 Updates and information From First Presidency of the Church:
On Aug. 12, the Church sent the following message about the pandemic to members of the Church around the world:
“We find ourselves fighting a war against the ravages of COVID-19 and its variants, an unrelenting pandemic. We want to do all we can to limit the spread of these viruses. We know that protection from the diseases they cause can only be achieved by immunizing a very high percentage of the population.
“To limit exposure to these viruses, we urge the use of face masks in public meetings whenever social distancing is not possible. To provide personal protection from such severe infections, we urge individuals to be vaccinated. Available vaccines have proven to be both safe and effective.
“We can win this war if everyone will follow the wise and thoughtful recommendations of medical experts and government leaders. Please know of our sincere love and great concern for all of God’s children.”
From BYU–Hawaii’s COVID-19 Update webpage:
As of Aug. 23, 97 percent of faculty and 80 percent of staff (non-student) are vaccinated. There are four active cases on campus and the overall percent positive rate is .24 percent.
The Vaccine Exemption Process
“BYU–Hawaii’s medical exemption process is detailed on the Vaccination Requirements and Tuberculosis Clearance web page. Exemption requests and supporting documentation should be sent to BYU–Hawaii Health Services at healthcenter@byuh.edu. Each request is considered carefully and individually by a health professional according to the guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American Medical Association (AMA), and disease specialty associations as appropriate. The CDC guidelines on contraindications for the COVID-19 vaccine are listed on the CDC website.
“When someone meets the criteria for a contraindication, a medical exemption will be given. Individuals impacted by diseases that do not meet these criteria will not be granted a medical exemption. Please contact Health Services at (808) 675-3510 if you have additional questions on the medical exemption process.
Seasider Testing
“The CDC now recommends everyone gets tested if they have been exposed to someone with COVID-19. Even vaccinated individuals who don’t show symptoms should get tested three to five days after exposure and wear a mask in public for 14 days after the exposure or until a negative test result is received. Seasider Testing is available for students and employees who wish to get tested.”
“BYU–Hawaii has partnered with Nomi Health to provide a saliva-based PCR testing program at no cost to employees and students. As of August 2021, COVID-19 testing will also be available at no cost to the public (non-students and non-employees). Participants are asked to bring some form of identification and insurance cards although having insurance is not required to get tested. Appointments and walk-ins are accepted. Drive-in testing is also available.
“Testing is available Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. and on Saturday between 9 a.m. and noon in the southeast corner of the Cannon Activities Center (CAC) next to the Gym Parking Lot.”
Working to limit the spread of the virus on campus
“With the Delta variant increasing the number of infections, BYU–Hawaii continues to encourage people to do what they can to be informed, prepare, and stay healthy.”
Get Vaccinated
“The spread of the Delta variant is higher in low vaccination areas. BYUH encourages everyone to get a vaccine, including family, friends, and community members. Vaccine clinics on campus are available to anyone 18 years and older to receive the vaccine.”
Wear a mask
“The state’s indoor mask mandate is still in place. Please continue to wear masks in public spaces.”
Watch for symptoms
“With new variants, symptoms of infections have changed for both unvaccinated individuals and breakthrough cases in vaccinated individuals. The ZOE COVID Symptom Study, the world’s largest ongoing study of COVID-19 symptoms, has outlined the following top five symptoms:
Vaccinated Individuals
- Headache
- Runny nose
- Sneezing
- Sore throat
- Loss of smell
Unvaccinated Individuals
- Headache
- Sore Throat
- Runny Nose
- Fever
- Persistent cough
State of Hawaii Updates:
The 7-day average of daily new COVID-19 cases in Hawaii is at 867, reports the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Sept. 3, and the testing positivity rate is at 7.5 percent. There are 448 COVID-19 patients in state hospitals, according to the COVID-19 dashboard, edging closer to 500, which Lt. Gov. Josh Green says is a breaking point for hospitals.
Hawaii’s Gov. David Ige said he is frustrated because he believes Hawaii’s surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations could have been avoided, reports KHON2 News. “I definitely feel like was preventable if we could have gotten more people vaccinated sooner,” he said. With COVID-19 numbers increasing, Ige said he will have no choice but to implement more restriction if Hawaii’s situation does not get better, the article continues.
“We are trying to look at targeted restrictions and measures that can get to the activity that we see spreading the virus,” he said. Ige does not want to implement a full lockdown and stay at home order like was done in 2020, and said, “We clearly understand that businesses are struggling, and we don’t want to create more economic turmoil in our community.”
Ige added the virus is not going away anytime soon and part of the reason numbers are going up is people are letting their guards down, including those who are fully vaccinated, reports KHON2 News. He said people need to act like they did at the start of the pandemic and avoid gathering in groups for the next four to six weeks, “so we can stop spreading the virus,” Ige added.
Over the Labor Day weekend, Honolulu police officers were expected to ticket groups that exceed the 25-person outdoor limit, said Mayor Rick Blangiardi, who has also issued a new order that makes any violation of emergency rules subject to a $250 fine including those who gather in large groups and fail to wear masks indoors.
Also starting on Sept. 13, Blangiardi says people will need to show their vaccines cards or a COVID-19 negative test result within 48 hours, reports KHON2 news, at the door of any restaurant, gym, bar or other venues, to get into them. He says this is the best way to avoid another lockdown. Other venues include: Bowling alleys, arcades, pool/billiard halls, movie theaters, museums, indoor portions of botanical gardens, aquariums, sea life attractions, zoos, commercial and recreational boating, public and private commercial pools, shooting/archery ranges, go karts, mini golf, and any establishments that offer food and/or drink for on-premises consumption.
According the USA Facts, Hawaii residents are nearly 65 percent fully vaccinated but 74 percent have received at least one shot.•