By Clara Niel
University of Maryland students, faculty and staff went to get their flu shots at the Sixth Annual Flu Shot Clinic hosted by the School of Public Health on Oct. 22.
According to the School of Public Health, the clinic has kept its number of vaccinations above 150 for the past four years. This year it aimed to keep that number near or above that.
Nurses from the Health Center and administrators of the School of Public Health ran the clinic from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Considering the university’s constantly bustling campus, they took pride in the clinic’s convenience.
“We are very focused on care and this makes it easier for faculty, students and staff to get their flu shots,” said Caitlin Waite, an administrator for the School of Public Health.
For students like Letters and Sciences freshman Yasmine Witherspoon, the clinic’s location in the School of Public Health made it the best option for her.
“I just saw this leaving from class so I just got my flu shot,” Witherspoon said. “My doctor’s office is closed on the weekend and you have to make an appointment with the Health Center, so this is just convenient.”
The Dean of the School of Public Health, Boris Lushniak, said the flu shots were covered by recipients’ health insurance. All the organizers of the clinic did was bring the flu shots to campus.
For many people, like Administrator for Environmental Health Maurice Roque, getting vaccinations isn’t the most pleasant experience. As the nurse rolled up his sleeve and inserted the shot, Roque looked away.
“I don’t like shots ever,” Roque said. “I didn’t get the flu shot ever, but ever since I started working here, I started getting it because that’s how you stop the spread of [the flu].”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization conducts research on what flu strains are most likely to spread and give that information to the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). From there, the FDA makes the final decision on the flu vaccine, which is created to fight the certain strains they predict will be most prevalent that season.
“Every year we have a flu outbreak, and we are all about prevention at the School of Public Health,” Lushniak said. “In order to remain an effective community, the community needs to be healthy, so we do what we can to keep it healthy,”
The clinic also provided ice cream from Maryland Dairy for people to enjoy after they got their shot. Laughing and scooping her share, second-year graduate student in kinesiology Catalina Chesney said she deserved a treat after doing her public duty.
“In addition to helping yourself, you’re helping others out as well,” Chesney said.