University Health Services (UHS) received 1,000 doses of the nasal mist H1N1 vaccine Tuesday and has scheduled the first H1N1 flu vaccine clinic for students this year.
The clinic will be held from
8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday in 205 Student Health Center. Five-minute appointments can be made online at the UHS Web site.
The vaccine is free, and the injectable version is not currently available at UHS. Nursing Manager Nancy Lambert said the clinic was quickly planned for Friday upon receipt of the nasal mists. She said the university wanted to make the vaccines available to students as quickly as possible.
"We didn't know this one was arriving today," Lambert said. "It was a pleasant surprise."
The clinic is only for students under 25 years old, UHS Director Dr. Margaret Spear said. The under-25 age group is at high risk of contracting the H1N1 virus and comprises about 95 percent of the Penn State student population.
Spear said she encourages all students who work in the university childcare centers or in school settings to get the vaccine, because schoolchildren are particularly vulnerable to the illness.
"Anyone working in those settings should try to be at the front of the line," she said.
That being said, Spear added, any student eligible to receive the vaccine is encouraged to do so.
Students unable to receive the nasal mist version of the vaccine include those with asthma and chronic underlying health conditions.
"Unfortunately, those are the people we most want to give the vaccine, but we have not received the injectable," Spear said.
Caitlyn Frey (senior-journalism) said she did not plan on getting the flu shot because she dislikes needles and didn't want to pay for the vaccine. After hearing about the free H1N1 nasal mist vaccine clinic Friday, she said she'd reconsider getting the vaccine.
Liz McHugh (sophomore-animal science) was planning on getting the shot at home during Thanksgiving break, but she's considering receiving the vaccine Friday after hearing about the clinic.
She said she is worried about contracting the virus and washes her hands frequently as a precaution.
"I definitely need one," she said. "I can't really afford to miss anything."
