Campus Apartments to offer flu shots for residents

Residents in some off-campus housing will be taking shots this Friday, but not the kind you’d expect.

Campus Apartments, in conjunction with the Visiting Nurse Associations of America, will offer seasonal flu shots to its residents.

The shots will be available at Campus Apartments headquarters, located at 4043 Walnut St., beginning 10 a.m. Friday.

According to a press release from the company, the program is the first of its kind targeted to students living off-campus.

The vaccine being offered is for the seasonal flu and is not the H1N1-specific vaccine that has recently been released.

According to the American College Health Association, campuses across the country have seen a 25-percent increase in the number of seasonal flu cases compared to last year.

However, the supply of seasonal flu vaccines has taken a back seat to production of H1N1 vaccines, according to the release, which leaves many communities without enough seasonal vaccines.

“While we respect the significance of H1N1 and urge all our residents to receive the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available in the coming weeks, the purpose of this program is to remind residents to take the threat of seasonal flu equally [to that of H1N1],” said Campus Apartments CEO David Adelman.

College sophomore Matt Schwab lives in the Pi Kappa Phi house, a property managed by Campus Apartments. Schwab said although he doesn’t normally get a flu vaccine, he might get one now that Campus Apartments is arranging it.

Schwab said he thinks a vaccine is important, “especially because I live in a house with so many people coming in and out.”

However, he said he would rather have them provide the H1N1 vaccine, since it is a larger concern this flu season.

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