Campus Health encourages students to get flu shots

As the whirlwind of a new semester sets in, Campus Health Services wants students to add one more thing to their to-do lists — get a flu shot.

Dr. Mary Covington, executive director for Campus Health Services, said students are not doing enough to ensure they are vaccinated for the flu. She said Campus Health has seen an extraordinary number of cases, consistent with the large-scale national flu outbreak.

“We’re seeing a larger demand, but I don’t think we have an adequate number of our students vaccinated,” Covington said. “The number of influenza-like visits at both the UNC emergency department and at Campus Health has been higher than usual for this time of year.”

Campus Health has given 2,250 flu shots as of today, up from 1,600 given last year by Feb. 2.

She said the University has requested additional flu shots from the state to meet increased demand.

“We can always use more,” she said. “Hopefully we’ll go through them and more people will get them.”

Covington added that North Carolina has seen 17 deaths from the flu since the beginning of the flu season in early October.

“This flu season we’re trying to keep everyone healthy, and the best way to do that is to get that flu shot,” she said.

She said Campus Health is collaborating with the UNC Department of Environment, Health and Safety to facilitate flu clinics for students and University employees to be vaccinated.

Three flu clinics will be held next week to meet increasing demand, she said.

John Covely, public communications specialist for the department, said Campus Health and the department collaborated to host about 23 clinics from September to October.

“We just combine efforts to maximize participation in the flu clinics,” Covely said.

“Generally speaking, when we see increased flu activity we immediately respond and offer more clinics.”

He added that in addition to the vaccinations Campus Health provides, his department gives about 5,500 flu shots annually at various clinics on campus.

Sophomore Paige Tummons received a flu shot from Campus Health because she was considering working at UNC Hospitals, which requires its volunteers to be vaccinated.

“I just saw them in the Union giving them out, and I thought it was a convenient way to get it,” she said.

Tummons said she believes more students would get vaccinated if they knew the resource was available.

“With my experience, I didn’t know they were giving them out,” she said.

“I feel if there were more publicity and visibility, people would do it.”

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