Approximately 300 flu shots will be available to students today and Wednesday at the Amelia T. Wood Student Health Center.
The shots cost $22, payable by cash, credit card or bursar's account, and are only available to students. Students can receive vaccines from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Students can expect the entire process to take about 20 minutes.
Kent Bullis, Health Center director, said he anticipated this would finish the remainder of the 700 vaccines originally purchased. Around 400 were given out during three flu clinic days earlier this year.
"We didn't know what to expect," he said. "Last year we had to quit giving them. We didn't know what the response would be, and to be honest, people aren't as worried about the flu this year as last year."
The demand for the vaccine is down from last year, but Bullis said there was still some difficulty obtaining the flu shots.
"We ordered ours several months ahead of time so we are OK," he said, "but other people are having trouble ordering at this point, and some didn't even get their original supply."
Student response has been steady, and students appreciate the flu clinic concept where they get in and out of the Health Center quickly, Bullis said.
Registered Nurse Heather Wood said she gave about 80 vaccines in three hours during a flu clinic earlier this year. Students have not been having difficulties, but many are receiving their first flu vaccine, she said.
"Some of them are nervous and a lot of them don't like needles," Wood said. "Some are confused thinking 'Where are we going to get this injection?'"
Bullis said students should get the vaccine because they are exposed to so many people on campus. Also, the flu can take students out of up to a week of class during exam periods.
"It is 85 to 90 percent effective," Bullis said, "not only against getting sick, but also getting it and passing it on to other people."
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