The University of Connecticut’s Student Health and Wellness center (SHaW) kicked off the start of a series of free flu vaccine clinics on Oct. 9. Throughout October and November, students can visit SHaW and receive a flu vaccine on specific days, at no charge to the student.
Receiving a flu vaccine provides a host of benefits, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), which include a reduced risk of both contracting the flu and flu-associated hospitalization. Additionally, for those who are vaccinated but still contract the flu, patients experience symptoms of a lower severity.
“During an average flu season, flu can cause millions of illnesses, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and tens of thousands of deaths,” the CDC notes. “Many more people could be protected from flu if more people got vaccinated.” Despite this, only around half of Americans get the flu vaccine each year.
“The flu vaccine is safe and effective and recommended,” said SHaW Nurse Coordinator Eileen Kenny (Registered Nurse) said in an email. “ShaW RNs will review with each student their flu consent form and discuss specific individual concerns prior to administering the vaccine. Students can also contact one of the advice nurses if they have any questions about the flu vaccine by calling 860-486-4700.”
All flu shots at the clinic require insurance, but there will be no additional cost regardless of the insurance, Kenny noted. Students don’t need to have UConn insurance specifically — all types are acceptable.
“Students who receive a flu vaccine will be protecting themselves and will also be helping to keep our campus community healthy!” Kenny said.
The free flu vaccine clinic ran again on Oct. 15 and will return this Friday on Oct. 25. Further clinics will be on Oct. 29, Nov. 4, Nov. 13 and Nov. 19. To receive their flu shot, students can register for an appointment on myhealth.uconn.edu. Students must bring their UConn ID with them when they visit the clinic.
Other events and services that SHaW provides include mindfulness classes, pet therapy, meditation, individualized and group therapy and more. SHaW’s event calendar is available on their website.
SHaW also provides several other immunizations. These include vaccinations against illnesses such as measles, mumps and rubella — all of which are required immunizations for UConn students. Additional vaccinations include those against COVID-19, HPV and tetanus. Further information can be found on SHaW’s immunization page.