Social media post criticizes California university vaccine mandates

A social media post referenced a California university that recently stopped requiring and instead only recommends that students receive COVID-19 vaccines. In response, a popular post criticized California universities that still mandate COVID-19 vaccines for students. 

Risk level: Low

Recommendation: Social media posts criticizing California university vaccine mandates may discourage patients in California from getting the updated COVID-19 vaccine. While conversations about mandates are unlikely to arise in a clinical setting, doctors may face questions about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. Messaging may emphasize that years of research and vaccine monitoring show that staying up to date on COVID-19 vaccines prevents severe illness, hospitalization, death, and long COVID. The CDC recommends the updated COVID-19 vaccine for everyone 6 months and older.