More than 100 faculty members and students received flu shots during Lipscomb’s first vaccination clinic of the school year.
Students from the College of Pharmacy volunteered to administer the vaccines as a service to the campus community. The college gives flu shots every year, and last Wednesday’s clinic was the first of three for this fall.
Zac Cox, event coordinator and pharmacy professor, said that using pharmacy students to help with the clinic is mutually beneficial.
“They all get immunization-certified in the first year that they get here,” Cox said. “It’s good for them to get the practice in and keep their skills up to date, and it’s a service to Lipscomb. It’s a win-win.”
The second clinic will be Oct. 26 in Burton Hall, and the last clinic will be Nov. 16 in the student center. Cox said that he is encouraging more students to get vaccinated this year because of a new recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since the H1N1 virus last year affected many young people the CDC is suggesting that everyone over the age of 6 months get a flu shot.
“The risk of complications [from the shot] is very, very low,” he said. “And the benefit is very, very great.”
Cox said that he thinks some students seem hesitant about getting a flu shot because they’ve been told that it might make them sick or because they’ve heard stories about people who have severe reactions to the vaccine. He said that the shot cannot cause the flu and that the risk is minimal for serious reactions. He encouraged students to talk to a pharmacist if they have any apprehensions about the shot.
“If you’re concerned about it and you want to know more about it, we’d be more than happy to answer questions,” Cox said.