Lecture halls, libraries and residence buildings are central to student life, but they also make post-secondary campuses ideal environments for illness to spread.
With hundreds of students sharing indoor spaces each day, respiratory illnesses like COVID-19 and influenza can move quickly through campus communities.
According to Public Health Ontario, about seven per cent of respiratory samples are currently testing positive for influenza, while around six per cent are positive for COVID-19, indicating that both viruses continue to circulate across the province.
“When we’re in close proximity, as we’ve learned from past years and learned about social distancing, if we’re in close proximity, there is a higher risk for disease transmission,” said Gillian Dunn, associate dean in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Durham College (DC).
According to Health Canada, respiratory virus hospitalizations across Canada, including flu, have declined from a high of more than 4,000 per week at the end of last year to roughly 370 per week at the end of January, although the majority of hospitalizations are people over the age of 65.

To help reduce the spread of illness in shared spaces, the Campus Health and Wellness Centre is offering free flu and COVID-19 vaccinations to students through the Campus Pharmacy. Staff say the goal is to make prevention accessible in an environment where many students live, study and socialize in close quarters.
“So, when you are in a small community, it’s good to be vaccinated, because you’re not only protecting yourself, you’re also protecting the people around you, and you don’t want to miss that class, right?” said Olivia Ballesteros, pharmacy manager at the Campus Pharmacy.
Some students say vaccination fits naturally into campus life. Electrical Engineering student Mohamed Sahraoui said his decision was influenced by trust in science.
“There’s no reason not to trust scientists that vaccines work,” he said. “So, there’s no reason to take the health risks, I think.”
For others, vaccination is about protecting family members beyond campus. Paralegal student Samantha Kocher said she chose to get both shots before visiting home.
“My dad’s immunocompromised, so I just got COVID and flu shot right off the bat,” she said. “I’d rather get the slight side effects that a shot gives you than actually getting sick without any of the protections.”
Ballesteros and Dunn say vaccination plays a role in herd immunity, where higher levels of immunity help reduce the spread of illness and protect people who are more vulnerable.
In dense campus settings, that protection can mean fewer outbreaks, fewer missed classes and less disruption to learning.



