Do Your Part – Plan to Get Your Flu Shot Early

a woman gets a flu shot

Sep 18, 2020, 7:57 AM

As experts warn of a potential “twindemic” this year – a severe flu season striking amid a pandemic – Embry-Riddle urges all students, faculty and staff to get a flu vaccination as early as possible. Embry-Riddle health services professionals will be offering flu vaccinations beginning next week.

Getting a flu vaccine, as recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, is more important than ever to protect yourself, your family and your community from flu.

Seasonal flu and Covid-19 share many similar symptoms, making it difficult to differentiate between the two illnesses without diagnostic testing. In either case, patients may be asymptomatic, yet capable of transmitting the virus to others, thereby placing high-risk friends and family members in jeopardy.

The more people who are vaccinated, the safer we will all be. Do your part. Get a flu vaccine this fall.

“While getting a flu vaccine will not protect against Covid-19, there are many important benefits,” said Sandy Palmer, R.N., director of the Wellness Center on the Prescott Campus. “Flu vaccines have been shown to reduce the risk of flu illness, hospitalization and death. Getting a flu vaccine can also save healthcare resources for the care of patients with Covid-19.”

To receive your flu vaccine on campus:

  • Students should bring their EagleCard and insurance ID card with them to receive a flu vaccine.
  • A limited number of vaccinations will be available at no cost to employees currently working on campus, as a benefit. Bring your EagleCard.
  • Employees who are not currently working on campus should not come onto campus for their flu shots. These employees should obtain their flu shots through local pharmacies or through personal healthcare providers.
  • Note that those over age 65 may need a different type of flu vaccination. Check with your healthcare provider.

Prescott Campus

Starting next week, while supplies last, flu vaccines will be offered on Tuesdays, 9:00 am – 11:00 am; Wednesdays, 9:00 am – 11:00 am; and Thursdays, 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm, at the Wellness Testing Center, behind the Haas Common Building.

Daytona Beach Campus

Flu vaccines will be offered 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Mori Hosseini Student Union, outside the Event Center (in front of the big screens), on the following dates: Sept. 21-23, Sept. 28-30 and Oct. 2. Note that healthcare professionals will offer flu vaccines as well as Let’s Get Checked Covid-19 tests during these times. (These “sentinel” tests do not require self-quarantine.)

It’s especially important for the following high-risk groups to have a flu shot:

  • Adults 50 years of age or older
  • Anyone with chronic pulmonary (including asthma), cardiovascular, renal, hepatic, neurologic, hematologic or metabolic disorders (including diabetes mellitus)
  • Those who are immunocompromised for any reason, including (but not limited to) medications or HIV infection
  • Women who are or could become pregnant during the influenza season
  • American Indians/Alaska Natives
  • Anyone who lives with extreme obesity (BMI 40 or over)
  • Caregivers and contacts of those at risk

Ideally, you should have your flu vaccine by the end of October – or as soon as vaccinations are offered. Vaccinations should continue to be available as long as flu viruses are circulating locally and unexpired vaccine supplies are available

To reduce flu risks, travelers should consider getting a flu shot two weeks or more before their departure.

#KeepFluAwayERAU

Related News