Alberta Health Services influenza immunization started Oct. 23, at the SAIT Health Clinic and across the city.
“[Students] should ask [themselves] can I really afford to miss school with influenza,” said Dr. Judy MacDonald, the medical officer of health for the Calgary zone.
Students who want to get the shot can call 403-284-8666 weekdays, or drop in to the clinic, on the ground floor of the R Wing, Senator Burns Building, and make an appointment.
If students want to get the flu shot off campus, there will be a clinic open at Brentwood Village Mall beside the Safeway in northwest Calgary.
All Albertans over the age of six months old can get their flu shots for free with a valid Alberta Health Care Card.
The vaccine will also be available at some pharmacies.
Dr. Vivian Cheng is one of the newest doctors at the SAIT Health Clinic and encourages students to get the shot.
“It’s one of the most preventable [illnesses],” said Cheng.
Most people who get the flu will shake it, however in some cases the bug can lead to hospitalization and even death, said Cheng
“People who have never been immunized against influenza perhaps don’t understand how serious it can be,” said MacDonald.
In 2016-17, there were 19 deaths in Calgary and 64 in Alberta from people who tested positive for influenza.
Additionally 1,698 people who were hospitalized tested positive for influenza.
MacDonald urges people and especially students to get immunized because it is a big population and students are always in close contact with one another, and thus are highly vulnerable to the bug.
The more people who get their flu shot, the more people are protected by herd immunity.
If a large enough group of people get immunized then it makes it harder for influenza to continue in that community, said MacDonald.
Additionally people who cannot get the flu shot will also be protected, said Cheng.
However, last year only 27 per cent of Albertans got their flu shot, so “you may not want to count on other people getting immunized,” said MacDonald.
“There’s no chance you will get the flu from the flu vaccine, it’s not designed like that,” said Cheng.
While there can be a slight reaction to the shot in some people, these symptoms are also a lot less serious than actually getting the flu.
“You feel like you’ve been run over with a truck,” said MacDonald.
Even for a healthy person, the flu will last 3 to 5 days or longer with headaches, fever, muscle aches and a cough that can persist, said MacDonald.
“After that you still feel bad, because you are exhausted and you’ve got this cough that lasts several weeks,” said MacDonald,
“So if you’d like to have that, versus getting an influenza vaccine, I guess go for it.”
The SAIT clinic is in room NR0421, in Burns. Clinic immunization hours are 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. weekdays.
The Brentwood Mall Clinic and a clinic in Northgate will be open from 11 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. Monday to Friday and 9:30 a.m.to 5:15 p.m. on Saturdays.
Visit albertahealthservices.ca to see all clinics and hours for the flu vaccine.
