OHIO encourages students, faculty, staff to get flu vaccine
Flu season is back, and students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to get their flu vaccines.
Seasonal flu results in millions of illnesses each year in the United States and has the potential to affect learning and other activities on OHIO’s campuses if there is an outbreak. During the COVID-19 pandemic, flu also could have a particularly strong impact on health care systems that are already overwhelmed.
OhioHealth Campus Care on the Athens campus has reported an uptick in flu over the past week, with positivity for flu tests on Thursday, Nov. 18, at 40 percent.
“This year – even more than ever – it’s important,” said Dr. Jane Balbo, a family physician in the Primary Care Clinic of OhioHealth Campus Care in Hudson Health Clinic. “Influenza can cause life-threatening symptoms. If more people have flu vaccines, we are likely to have fewer people becoming very ill with influenza, which means we’re likely to have fewer people present for medical treatment in our emergency rooms, urgent cares and hospitals – which are overwhelmed with COVID.”
Influenza can cause severe respiratory illness and is contagious. It causes time loss from school and work, and can lead to hospitalization and in some cases, death. The annual flu vaccine is recommended for all individuals ages 6 months and older.
COVID-19 and flu are caused by different viruses, which is why the COVID-19 vaccine and flu vaccine are different. The flu vaccine does not impact COVID-19 vaccination or immunity status, and vice-versa. You can get these vaccines within a close timeframe, even concurrently, if necessary.
The flu vaccine can sometimes generate a mild response with mild, short-lived symptoms as your body builds immunity. It is not possible to contract infection through a flu vaccine injection. The flu vaccine is approved, authorized, and has undergone rigorous evaluation and testing before release through various stages of CDC/FDA review.
“Having a flu vaccine doesn’t make a person sick. They might feel a little crummy as their immune system is getting revved up, and that will protect them from getting very ill with influenza a lot of the time,” Balbo said. “It won’t necessarily prevent them from getting influenza but it will reduce the chances that they’ll get very sick with influenza or that they’ll be able to transmit it to others.”
How to get a flu vaccine
Students on the Athens campus can walk in or make an appointment for a flu vaccine at OhioHealth Campus Care, located in Hudson Health Center near College Green. Vaccines are available Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call 740-592-7100 to make an appointment. Campus Care will be closed on Nov. 25 for the Thanksgiving holiday and will reopen on Nov. 26, though vaccines will not be available that day. The cost of flu vaccine is billed to the student’s health insurance, and students are encouraged to check their plan to be sure OhioHealth is an in-network provider before scheduling an appointment. Flu vaccines also are available in the Athens community at local pharmacies and by appointment at the Athens City-County Health Department.
Students on regional campuses can get a flu vaccine at local pharmacies or by contacting their local health department.
Faculty and staff can find information about getting flu vaccine at local pharmacies, physicians’ offices and health clinics by visiting Wellbeing at OHIO. Most local health departments also provide flu vaccine by appointment.
For more information about how and where to get the flu vaccine, and what to do if you're experiencing flu symptoms or get sick, visit Seasonal Flu and COVID-19 under the Health Alerts page.