Faculty and staff are also encouraged to receive a flu shot from any clinic or pharmacy that administers them, the SHS website said. (Amar Batra/The Daily Campus)
University of Connecticut Student Health Services (SHS) will administer free flu shots to undergraduate and graduate students at clinics offered through mid-November.
SHS offered the first of six clinics yesterday, according to the Daily Digest. Hundreds of students got their flu shots yesterday and hundreds more are expected to participate in the coming weeks, Nursing Services Director Tina McCarthy said.
In addition to yesterday’s clinic, flu shots will be administered in the Student Union ballroom from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 26 and Thursday, Nov. 16. They will also be offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 7, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 8, and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 15.
McCarthy said these events have been put on for a number of years and have always been successful and effective.
“Things have been managed well, we certainly see students come in with the flu but it’s (comparatively few compared) to the community at large,” McCarthy said. “We certainly want to keep it that way.”
Outside of the clinics, McCarthy said flu shots are available at SHS for free throughout the flu season. Information regarding the illness is accessible year round on the SHS website, shs.uconn.edu.
“We communicate regularly with Eastern Highlands Health District (EHHD) and the Connecticut Department of Public Health with regard to influenza prevention and treatment recommendations,” the SHS website said.
First-semester marketing major Ruibo Yang said he already received a flu shot as part of his acceptance into the university. He also said he appreciates the vaccine’s accessibility and availability to students.
“(The clinics are) really good since (they are) free and offered a couple of times,” Yang said. “It is good for students.”
Faculty and staff are also encouraged to receive a flu shot from any clinic or pharmacy that administers them, the SHS website said.
“Vaccination is one of the best ways to protect against influenza,” the website said. “(The Center for Disease Control’s) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that every American older than 6 months of age get vaccinated against the flu.”
According to the State of Connecticut Department of Health website, there have been 11 documented cases of the illness in the state so far this flu season.
First-semester pre-teaching major Sara O’Connell said she appreciates UConn’s efforts to combat the common autumn illness.
“I think it’s a great thing that UConn is providing free flu shots for people,” O’Connell said, “especially for people that can’t afford them.”
Luke Hajdasz is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at luke.hajdasz@uconn.edu.