Students can receive their flu vaccination at the Boo to the Flu clinic at the Wilce Student Health Center Thursday. Credit: Sandra Fu | Managing Photo Editor
Student Health Services is hosting the Boo to the Flu vaccination clinic Thursday from 5 to 6:45 p.m. at the Wilce Student Health Center. The clinic is hosted annually to help combat the upcoming flu season and keep students healthy heading into the holidays.
SHS offers the clinic as part of their long-standing mission of containing sickness both on and off campus, according to their website. Vaccines at the Boo to the Flu clinic are given by appointment only and students can schedule online via the MyBuckMD website.
“[It] can be a good idea to get the vaccine before leaving for the holidays and coming in contact with friends and relatives who may have weaker immune systems, especially elderly family members,” Phillip Anderson, pharmacy manager at SHS, said in an email.
The service is free for students under the university health coverage, according to the SHS website. Students under other insurance policies are also eligible to receive the shot.
“Ohio State has over 67,000 students, making safe practices extremely important for all students and faculty members,” Lindsey Charley, a third-year in pharmacy and intern at SHS, said in an email.
Anderson said the weather is a large reason that the flu spreads so easily among the population.
“Typically, winter is the worst time for outbreaks,” Anderson said. “It’s because it’s cold outside and everyone is inside together, which allows the virus to spread easier.”
Charley said educating students on the importance of getting vaccinated is another large part of the clinic.
“We really try to provide the students with as much information as possible to help them understand the importance of vaccines and also why they are required to receive them,” Charley said. “Campus health safety is a shared relationship between both the college and the student themselves.”
Paul Robinson, allied services manager at SHS, said the facility is aiming to be efficient and safe in order to not let time be a limiting factor of the clinic.
“We have six stations set up for the flu vaccines, and so that really helps ensure that the students have a very minimal wait time,” Robinson said. “Most students are waiting less than five minutes.”
Robinson said in previous years, the clinic has had around 100 people showing up to get their shots, but he said he is hoping for a larger turnout this year.
If students miss out on the clinic, Anderson said they can set up an appointment with SHS and get vaccinated on their own time. The Student Health Center offers scheduled appointments Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m, according to the SHS website.
