Students in the nursing program at California State University Long Beach were available from 10am-2pm Tuesday at LAC to administer free flu shots.
The supplies were provided by the Long Beach Health Department, according to Student Nurse Caren Ly.
“We are all certified under supervision of our instructor, who is a registered nurse. We’re just hoping to help protect the city,” said Ly.
Ly explained that various symptoms can occur as a result of the shot, and a new vaccine is provided each year. “This is the best time of year to get it done,” she said, also explaining that it is crucial for students to get the shot each year.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “immune protection from vaccinations declines over time,” requiring an annual vaccination.
Additionally, flu viruses are always evolving, so vaccinations are updated each year to best combat each individual strain. It takes about two weeks following the administration of the shot for the necessary antibodies to develop.
The CSULB nursing program visited various locations administering free flu vaccines, and this is their last stop. Other locations previously visited included the Long Beach Health Department as well as California State University Long Beach. At CSULB, they were able to administer 550 shots, according to Macie Hedrick, another student nurse at the event.
The arrived at LAC with 200 shots ready to administer. As of 11:30 am, around 50 had been administered, Hedrick reported. “We’re hoping to see as many people as possible.”
“Everyone should be protected against the flu,” said Student Nurse Katie Ochoa. “A lot of people we’ve seen today have never even had the flu shot before.” She said that amid the recent controversy surrounding vaccinations, she urged students to be aware and take advantage of the resources available.
“It’s a common misconception among college students, that we all think we’re so healthy,” said Hedrick. However, “There are a lot of people that aren’t able to get the vaccines, such as babies, and the elderly. It helps everyone from getting compromised.”
Ochoa explained that while the vaccine can not completely reduce the risk of getting the flu, “it won’t be nearly as bad as if you hadn’t gotten it.”
Hedrick has noticed that a lot of people do not think of the flu as a large threat, but “it kills more people a year than from breast cancer. If there was a shot you could take for breast cancer, people would be lining up.”