After flu shot scare, clinics see low demand for vaccine

Standing in the aisle at CVS with a plethora of cold remedies in hand, College of General Studies graduate student Erika Rubin said she regrets not getting the flu shot.

Rubin is one of many Penn students who have suffered from a cold at some point this winter, whether or not they chose to get vaccinated.

Even with the severe shortage of the influenza vaccine last October, the number of flu shots given out by Student Health Services was "nowhere close to the 3,000 doses that were anticipated," according to SHS Director Evelyn Wiener.

In late October, based on governmental recommendation, SHS had to prioritize who received the available vaccinations.

However, Wiener said that she believes that the press coverage over the shortage increased public interest in getting vaccinated.

Around the time that the government relaxed qualifications for vaccination, SHS was asked if it wanted to procure additional vaccines. Although it has obtained a supply and made it available to students, only a limited number of doses of the vaccine have been ordered because it is late in the flu season, which typically runs from late December through the end of February.

Last week SHS received and administered 100 doses of the flu shot. It has gotten another supply of 100 vaccines and will "continue to offer [the flu shot] as long as ... students are looking for it," Wiener said.

While some students wish they had gotten the shot, many still prefer not to receive it.

College freshman Laura Black and the rest of the Penn women's volleyball team got the shot. However, she said that there were many complaints because half of the team suffered minor side effects after taking it.

Black -- who came down with a cold a few weeks ago -- said she doesn't feel that the flu shot makes a difference.

"I feel like one way or another you get sick," she said.

Many students -- Black and Rubin included -- agreed that the month of January sees a high number of illnesses.

In fact, Wiener said that SHS "will most commonly see a significant upswing [of sick students] in January, when people are returning from winter break."

Last month, about 25 percent of visitors to SHS were in due to illnesses such as acute viral infections, colds and sore throats. In October, only about 18 percent of visits were for these same reasons.

However, Wiener said that the number of students at SHS this winter season has not differed all that much from those of past years.

"We may be seeing a little bit more, but not an enormous amount," Wiener said.

Other students who said that they understand the severity of the influenza virus and the symptoms that it causes -- which include a high fever, body aches, fatigue, a sore throat and a cough -- still do not not want to be vaccinated.

College freshman Fatema Abdoolcarim has never gotten a flu shot before because she prefers "the natural way of fighting off illnesses."

"As long as I keep warm and take care of myself," she said, getting vaccinated is not one of her major concerns.

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