ISU WellBeing, with assistance from occupational medicine, will sponsor a flu shot clinic for university employees next month. The clinic will be open Monday through Friday for two weeks (Oct. 7-18, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., 205 Technical and Administrative Services Facility).
No appointment is needed, and registration is paperless. Individuals will check in on a smart tablet with the nurse who administers the vaccine. Employees need their nine-digit university ID number to check in. The vaccine is provided at no cost for these employee groups:
- Faculty, professional and scientific, and merit
- Postdocs
- ISU Foundation
- Iowa State Daily benefits-eligible staff
- Retirees on the ISU health plan who are not yet 65 years old
Only ISU employees are eligible to receive a flu shot, their spouses and children are not. ISU students and visiting scholars should contact the Thielen Student Health Center for vaccination information.
If possible, employees are asked to wear a short-sleeve or loose-fitting shirt to give the nurse easier access to an upper arm. Visitor parking is limited at TASF, so walking or biking is recommended.
Members of ISU WellBeing's Adventure2 will receive points for getting a flu shot.
The vaccine
Employees who participate in the flu shot clinic will receive a four-component vaccine that protects against A and B flu virus strains. The four viruses it contains are:
- A/Brisbane/02/2018 (H1N1) pdm09-like virus
- A/Kansas/14/2017 (H3N2)-like virus
- B/Colorado/06/2017-like virus
- B/Phuket/3073/2013-like (Yamagata lineage) virus
Alternative forms of the vaccine prepared for the 2019-20 flu season will not be available at this clinic. These include a spray/mist vaccine administered through the nose and a high-dose vaccine intended for individuals 65 years and older who are at greater risk of severe illness from influenza. Employees or retirees who prefer one of these should contact their primary care physician.
Regardless of the vaccination received, it takes about two weeks for antibodies that protect against the flu to develop.
More information about the 2019-20 flu season is online, including a Q&A on the ISU WellBeing website and a Q&A on the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Questions may be directed to the university human resources service center, 294-4800.
