Watkins hosts walk-in flu shot clinics around campus
Olivier Desbois | KUJH News
Watkins Health Services has offered flu shot clinics for KU students and staff this October at locations throughout campus. Watkins encourages all students to get a shot to limit the illness’s spread.
“It gets passed around very quickly,” Patty Quinlan, Watkins’ clinical program coordinator, said. “This is why we want our students to get vaccinated, because not only are they protecting themselves, but they’re protecting everyone around them.”
Flu season typically begins in October and can continue through May. According to the CDC, between 9 million and 41 million people caught the flu in the United States every year between 2011 and 2024, with the exception of 2019 to 2020 due to coronavirus.
According to a 2024 study from the National Center for Health Statistics, only 29.7%of 18 to 34-year-olds received a flu vaccine in the last year, the lowest amount of any age group. On KU’s campus, that number may be even smaller based on students I talked with.
“I have not gotten a flu shot this fall,” Caden Baird, a senior at KU, said. “I’ve had the flu before, it was bad, but like it wasn’t that bad, and I’m not trying to pay any money for it if I’m being honest. I’m a pretty broke college student.
Several students seemed unsure if Watkins would accept their insurance to pay for a vaccine. According to Watkins, most insurance plans will cover the $40 shot, but students who are out of network, on Medicaid, or uninsured may have to pay out of pocket.
However, Watkins received some money from Blue Cross Blue Shield to help pay for students’ shots, so anyone concerned with the price of a vaccine should ask about a discount. Other students were just indifferent toward flu shots.
“I just really have never gotten them and don’t feel like I need one,” Emily Horr, a freshman at KU, said. “I always get sick in the winter so I’m sure it’ll happen, but I’m not too stressed out about it.”
Although many students are unconcerned, according to the CDC everyone should get a flu shot this fall. Spending a few minutes to get a vaccine could end up saving students the time and stress of making up classwork.
“Most KU students would not get terribly sick when they get the flu, however, they would get sick enough to miss anywhere from three to five days of class,” Quinlan said. “In some, even very healthy people, they could miss up to 14 days because they could get pneumonia on top of it.”
Quinlan said that so far this October Watkins has given about 400 shots at their walk-in clinics around campus, and about the same number in appointments and walk-ins at Watkins health center.
If you plan to get a flu shot on campus, you’ll need to fill out a few consent forms and provide your student ID and insurance information. Watkins has three remaining walk-in clinics this fall, with the next one taking place at the Kansas Memorial Union from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. on Oct. 21.
