H1N1 Vaccines to be Available on Campus
Issue date: 11/4/09 Section: News
By Brooke Brennan
Rotunda Reporter
"That is the magic question," said Patti Wagner, a registered nurse at the Student Health Center, when asked about the expected arrival date of swine flu vaccinations at Longwood. As of October 16, 2009, Wagner said that the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) had not produced enough of the H1N1 vaccines and that it would be at least another two weeks before the Student Health Center received the shots. As the predicted arrival date for the H1N1 vaccinations approaches, the university is doing its best to contain the spread of influenza on campus.
According to Wagner, the swine flu vaccination is being offered to everybody in the state for free. Wagner encourages all students, faculty, and staff on campus to take advantage of the free shot because of its prevention potency and its easy accessibility. Once Longwood receives the H1N1 vaccines, the Student Health Center will notify the campus and bring the shots to the students.
According to Wagner, faculty members from the Student Health Center plan to set up clinics inside of the dorm buildings during the evenings, at either 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. or 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. In addition to the on-campus dorms, Wagner said the clinics will be in each of the Longwood-affiliated apartment complexes. There will also be a clinic in the commuter lounge for commuter students and there will be one or two set up in the Student Union for faculty, staff, and anyone else.
Wagner said the Student Health Center does not usually see patients with signs of seasonal flu until mid-December or sometimes as late as the end of January. To have this many cases of the flu in the middle of October shows that "H1N1 is much more potent and much more contagious than the regular flu," said Wagner. In addition, those seen at the Student Health Center have recently gone from having the flu to developing respiratory complications along with the flu, such as bronchitis and tonsillitis.
Rotunda Reporter
"That is the magic question," said Patti Wagner, a registered nurse at the Student Health Center, when asked about the expected arrival date of swine flu vaccinations at Longwood. As of October 16, 2009, Wagner said that the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) had not produced enough of the H1N1 vaccines and that it would be at least another two weeks before the Student Health Center received the shots. As the predicted arrival date for the H1N1 vaccinations approaches, the university is doing its best to contain the spread of influenza on campus.
According to Wagner, the swine flu vaccination is being offered to everybody in the state for free. Wagner encourages all students, faculty, and staff on campus to take advantage of the free shot because of its prevention potency and its easy accessibility. Once Longwood receives the H1N1 vaccines, the Student Health Center will notify the campus and bring the shots to the students.
According to Wagner, faculty members from the Student Health Center plan to set up clinics inside of the dorm buildings during the evenings, at either 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. or 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. In addition to the on-campus dorms, Wagner said the clinics will be in each of the Longwood-affiliated apartment complexes. There will also be a clinic in the commuter lounge for commuter students and there will be one or two set up in the Student Union for faculty, staff, and anyone else.
Wagner said the Student Health Center does not usually see patients with signs of seasonal flu until mid-December or sometimes as late as the end of January. To have this many cases of the flu in the middle of October shows that "H1N1 is much more potent and much more contagious than the regular flu," said Wagner. In addition, those seen at the Student Health Center have recently gone from having the flu to developing respiratory complications along with the flu, such as bronchitis and tonsillitis.
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