By ALICIA FEYERHERM
Tiger Media Network
Headache, chills, fever and chest pain are all symptoms of influenza. Associate Health Nurse at HaysMed Sidnee Brown says that while flu season can vary, it is typically between the months of October and March.
To help be protected from the virus, Brown recommends getting vaccinated against the flu.
“While the flu shot is not 100% effective, it greatly decreases the chances that you and those around you will get influenza,” Brown said.
According to Brown, the CDC estimated that in 2022, 290,000 people were hospitalized because of Influenza and approximately 19,000 people died from it. Even if the vaccine does not prevent an individual from contracting the virus, receiving the vaccine can help decrease the severity of symptoms.
With this in mind, the sooner an individual can get vaccinated the better, especially since Brown says it can take up to two weeks after receiving the vaccine to build immunity to the virus.
“It is typically recommended to get the flu shot anywhere between the end of September through the end of October,” Brown said. “Anytime during flu season can be beneficial, though.”
For those who still need to get vaccinated this season, several options are available.
For Fort Hays State University students, Health and Wellness Services on campus offer flu vaccines. To schedule a flu vaccine, individuals can call the office at 785-628-4401. Flu vaccines are normally covered in full by insurance. To get vaccinated, students need to bring their FHSU ID and proof of insurance to their appointment.
In addition to the flu vaccine, Registered Nurse at Health and Wellness Traci Ditter recommends students also get a COVID vaccine, however, Health and Wellness does not offer COVID vaccines at this time.
Students can receive COVID and flu vaccines at other locations in the area including the Ellis County Health Department. Pharmacies like Dillons and Walgreens also administer vaccines. Earlier in the flu season, HaysMed and Health and Wellness hosted walk-in flu shot clinics.
Finally, students who are already established patients of practitioners can call their primary care provider to set up an appointment.
If individuals have concerns about receiving the vaccine, Ditter recommends checking with a primary care physician first.
“By and large vaccines are safe for everyone, and that protects people that cannot get the vaccines due to various reasons,” Ditter said