By Paige Potter–
Staying healthy for the winter is important to everyone. Some people believe a flu shot is the key to staying healthy. If you are one of them you are in luck, because flu shots will be available starting this week.
Flu shots start this Wednesday, October 24, from 11:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. in the Maude Adams Room in the lower level of the Olsen Student Center. Next Tuesday, October 30, they will be offering them again in the Yockey Room from 2:30 until 4:45 P.M.
School nurse Carol Garvey said, “Once someone has influenza in a place like the dorm rooms, it [influenza] spreads like crazy. The age of most people in college haven’t grown up with knowing they can get the flu shot so it’s harder for them to come in and get the shot. College kids are busy people who can’t afford to miss two weeks of activities they’re involved in. That’s why everyone should get the flu shot.”
This shot is not the type of shot to prevent the stomach flu. It fights off influenza. Signs of influenza are high fever, achy body, bad cough, and fatigue. If you have any of these symptoms, it’s likely you are highly contagious. If you have influenza you should not go to classes, work, sporting events, or social events. Taking the flu shot will likely prevent any of this from happening.
A common misconception is that after getting the flu shot, you get sick. Garvey says, “You can’t get sick from the shot. It’s a dead vaccine versus something like the chicken pox where that’s live. After a person gets the flu shot, they may not feel good the next day, and that’s normal, but nothing that Tylenol can’t fix.”
Junior student Colleen Murray said, “I get a flu shot every year so that it decreases my chances of getting the flu. I’ve never got sick after getting the shot so that makes me think they work and keeps me coming back to get them each year.”
The flu shot costs only $20. If you are a student at Morningside, you can charge it to you student account. The only stipulation is that you be at least 18 years of age. Anyone getting the shot can bring family members, friends, and partners as long as they are 18.
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