Student gets flu shot, develops immunity to influenza

By Frankie Hart, November 8 2019 —

On Oct. 24, second-year student Sam Starnuto got a flu shot in the MacHall North Courtyard expecting a normal vaccination, but something unusual happened.

“So, I was feeling kinda funky after the shot,” said Starnuto. “Obviously, my arm hurt, since they put a needle in it, but also, my vibes were just off. Honestly, I felt kind of sick. Sounds kind of ironic, right? But then after that I felt better, and I haven’t gotten sick since then.”

Starnuto’s case doesn’t appear to be isolated — many students on campus have reported not getting the flu after receiving vaccinations. This seems to be attributed to how vaccines work.

“I’m concerned about the effect it’s having on my son,” said Starnuto’s mother. “Getting sick is a healthy part of life, and robbing him of that is, quite frankly, unnatural.”

Somehow, this seems to be a common sentiment regarding vaccines. A few students reported that they believe the benefits of the flu outweigh the drawbacks.

“My prof demands sick notes for absences,” explained a third-year student, who asked to remain anonymous. “I can’t just skip for fakes, I have to be sick for reals. But as long as I have a note, I can throw up a little bit in exchange for rewatching the first three seasons of The Good Place. This next season is going to be the last one, you know.”

Starnuto says he feels ambivalent about his vaccination in hindsight.

“My friend told me he uses essential oils and crystals instead of vaccines,” Starnuto said. “That just sounds a lot more fun than getting stabbed in the arm.”

This article is part of our humour section.