Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to further clarify information about the flu clinic and vaccine availability.

A clinic with free flu shots for faculty and staff provided by Eastern’s Health Education Resource Center, HERC, will be on Oct. 27 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the South Quad.

HERC’s annual flu clinic will provide a limited amount of free flu shots to students, faculty, retirees and annuitants.

The flu clinic will be held at the South Quad, unless it rains, then it will be moved into the University Ballroom. 

Students will need to bring their Panther card. 

The clinic has a limited number of flu vaccines for the student population, approximately 700 to 800, so it will be first come first serve. The earlier in the day students arrive, the better the chance they have of getting there before the clinic runs out of flu shots as opposed to going at before the flu clinic closes. 

Lindsey Carlson, a graduate assistant and HERC’s health communication and promotion coordinator, said, “We definitely encourage students to come out sooner rather than later.”

Along with the upcoming flu clinic, HERC is also in charge of the COVID-19 testings and provides weekly COVID-19 vaccinations available each Tuesday at the Medical Clinic. 

“They ask you to call ahead of time and schedule an appointment for the COVID vaccine,” Carlson said.

Carlson said that anyone who is uninterested in getting the flu vaccine or who doesn’t think flu season is something to worry about should reassess those beliefs. 

“[The vaccine] is something that has very minimal risks, very minimal side effects. And if there are some symptoms, it goes away within a couple of days,” Carlson said. “The flu is always a very annoying kind of virus, and that can turn to something serious potentially. So the flu shot, because it’s been proven to be safe and effective over so many decades, it’s definitely something that we encourage students and faculty to get it if they want to.”

According to the CDC, some answers to common misconceptions and questions about the flu include:

Can getting a flu vaccine give you the flu?

No, you can’t get the flu from the vaccine. Vaccines given in needle form are made from already dead viruses, so they can’t spread the virus.

Wouldn’t it be better to risk maybe getting sick instead of getting the vaccine?

No, the flu can easily turn into a serious and immune compromising disease. Especially for young children, elders and those already immune compromised.

Do people need to get the flu vaccine every year?

Yes, if someone doesn’t get the vaccine regularly, their immune system will become weaker against the flu over time.

When discussing what last year was like compared to a typical year, Carlson said, “Last year COVID was a priority, now we’re back and able to do presentations to people, able to give speeches and do a lot of the things that we weren’t able to do in the past. Just like the flu clinic itself, it’s now walk-in versus drive-thru.”

This fall’s 2021 Health Fair hosted by HERC was postponed to the spring 2022 semester.

However, HERC plans to have a successful flu clinic especially now it’s partially back to normal.

Madelyn Kidd can be reached at 581-2812 or at mekidd@eiu.edu.