URBANA – With students resuming school, coughs and sneezes have become more prevalent across campus at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. And the number of flu cases has been surging ever since, according to Awais Vaid, executive director of McKinley Health Center.
In response to the surge, McKinley will be providing free, walk-in flu shots starting next week, in multiple locations across campus.
Vaid says flu shots are extremely important because they reduce the risk of getting sick from influenza.
“You don’t want to be in the hospital in the middle of the semester,” Vaid said. “And the flu shot is relatively painless and it takes maybe a couple of minutes of your time. And you don’t have to pay for it. So why would you not?”
Flu viruses constantly change, he said, so people need to get the vaccine every year.
Since flu season comes much earlier in Australia than in the rest of the world, the government looks to influenza strains spreading in Australia to create a flu shot with slight variations to the previous year.
As vaccines typically last for six months, so it’s best to get vaccinated at least once a year. And September is an optimal month for shots to stay prevented through March, Vaid said.
In addition to staying healthy, the shots will also ensure students don’t miss out on important moments.
“Our tagline this year is ‘Never miss a memory’ by getting the flu shot, because we know of so many students who get sick with the flu during midterms or finals, or they’re sick with the flu [and] they can’t go to the football game, or they can’t go to a social event with their friends. This is all because they didn’t take the flu shot,” Vaid said.
Anyone experiencing COVID or flu symptoms should stay home to help to de-escalate the spread of illness, he said.