Free flu shots available in MacHall until Thursday

By Gayathri Peringod, October 21 2019—

Free flu shots will be available at immunization clinics set up in MacEwan Hall from Monday to Thursday this week. 

The flu shot clinics will be open from 10 a.m.–4 p.m for staff and students of the university. Those looking to get flu shots must bring their healthcare card with them.

The flu, or influenza, is an infection of the nose, throat and lungs, and is caused by a virus. Its most common complication is pneumonia, an infection that inflames air sacs in the lungs. Its effect on your immune system can be mild to severe, and in extreme cases, can be fatal. 

Alberta Health Services (AHS) encourages all those who are six months and older to get the influenza vaccine. While there are numerous types of influenza vaccines, AHS states that it chooses one particular vaccine to be made free for all in a given year based on what is most needed, and recommends one dose of the vaccine per flu season. 

The flu vaccine can keep you from getting the flu and passing it to others. AHS’s website states that “even when the vaccine does not exactly match the viruses going around, it can still give some protection and make it less severe.”

This protection will begin around two weeks after getting the flu shot. 

Last flu season, over 1.3 million flu shots were given to Albertans in the province, according to AHS.