Student Health Services kicked off its annual flu vaccine clinics this week as a way for students to prevent the contraction and spread of the virus.
The university ordered 3,230 vaccines this year and has so far given out 1,288 to students, faculty and staff, with close to 2,000 remaining as of Wednesday.
Charge nurse Mary Hanna said they typically start giving the vaccinations in early October and go all the way into spring until all the vaccines have been used. The kickoff clinic planned for Oct. 5 was canceled due to Hurricane Matthew, so this is the first week the flu vaccines have been administered.
“We could return some, but we don't want to because really for a campus of 33,000 students to give 3,000 is pretty small, so we hope to give that and have to order more, which is always an option,” Hanna said.
The vaccines are free of charge for students, as well as faculty and staff insured by the BlueCross BlueShield state health plan. They cost $20 for faculty and staff not insured under the state health plan.
Students said they were in and out of the flu vaccine clinic in the Thomson Student Health Center on Wednesday in less than five minutes. Graduate biology student Maeve Snyder was particularly pleased with the Health Center's outreach efforts.
“It was really nice that the health center emailed me because I have a medical history of asthma and people with asthma should definitely be a group that gets the flu shot, so I regularly get it anyway but I thought it was kind of sweet that they reached out to me," she said. "I was kind of worried I would have to wait in a long line but that was really quick."
Although last year's flu vaccine had about 50 percent efficacy, Hanna still believes it is a valuable preventative measure especially for college students.
“If someone really comes down with the flu it can knock them out of class for a week, so I think it is very important,” Hanna said.
First-year global studies student Graceanne Stokes agrees on the importance of the vaccines for individuals as well as those around them.
“It’s really important especially since you're living in such close proximity with everybody else and you're always out with people. It’s not only good to get it for yourself but for everybody else around you as a courtesy,” Stokes said.
Aside from receiving the flu vaccination, Hanna also advocates simple everyday choices that can help students avoid getting sick in college.
“Getting plenty of rest and eating, you know, good meals, but the main, main thing is good hand washing,” Hanna said.