Flu Shots: Now at a Dining Hall Near You

Freshmen rolled up their sleeves for an extra course after dinner yesterday, but it was not a piece of cake. University Health Services began offering free flu shots in Annenberg, administering around 400 vaccination shots last night.

University Health Services (UHS) will be offering the flu shots in Annenberg again on Nov. 15, and will be giving them in several upperclass dining halls over the next few weeks.

Anyone with a Harvard ID can receive a shot free of charge.

“We started [this initiative] about six or seven years ago because we want to make it easy, efficient,” said Director of UHS David S. Rosenthal ’59. “We hope to give as much as 13,000 doses, maybe more.”

This season’s vaccine supply has increased markedly since last year, when a national shortage of the influenza vaccine forced UHS to cut back on its vaccination program. UHS was only able to offer between 5,000 and 6,000 doses last season, according to Rosenthal.

“In some years we’ve had to restrict flu vaccine to high-risk people because there’s been a limited supply in previous years,” said Rosenthal. “No limited supply this year.”

UHS, which began administering the flu shots in October to high-risk individuals, has already given 2,000 shots. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, anyone who is over the age of 65, pregnant, or has chronic asthma, chronic lung disease, heart disease, or cancer is at a high risk of contracting the flu.

Still, Rosenthal recommended that undergraduates line up for their shots.

"One of the big concerns we have is we live in a very close community. The dormitory is a breeding ground for infectious disease," he said.

UHS will be in Eliot, Leverett, Currier, and Mather dining halls providing immunizations on Nov. 16, Nov. 29, Dec. 6, and Dec. 7, respectively.

The Holyoke Center will be open Mondays and Tuesdays from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. throughout the winter for shots. Specific dates and times can be found on the UHS Web site.

To receive the shot, students must fill out a consent form.

"I’m kind of glad that it’s in the dining hall because it’s convenient," said Kaitlyn A. Michaud ’10, who received a flu shot yesterday.

"It didn’t really hurt at all, I didn’t feel it."