Don’t Throw Away Your Shot! Finlandia Fridays Talks About the Flu Shot Clinic

“I’m not throwing away my shot,” sang Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton in the hit musical “Hamilton.” While Miranda wasn’t referring to a flu shot per-say, it is important not to forgo your flu shot this year. To make it easier to obtain, Finlandia University’s Wellness Committee will have influenza vaccines available for the Finlandia community on Monday, Oct. 12 from 3-5p.m in Nikander 14A.

Talking about the Flu Shot Clinic on Finlandia Fridays this week was Assistant Professor of Nursing and member of the Finlandia Wellness Committee Irina Sergeyeva, BSN, MSN. Sergeyeva and host Olivia Myers discussed the importance of getting a flu shot annually, why it’s even more important to get one in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic and the valuable experience FinnU nursing students obtain during the clinic.

“The flu vaccine is 50-60 percent effective in healthy adults, but it’s also important to remember that if it doesn’t protect you completely, it will reduce the severity of illness if you get the flu,” said Sergeyeva. Sergeyeva pointed out that if your symptoms are less severe, you’re less likely to go to the hospital and stress an already overwhelmed health care system fighting the pandemic. 

Finlandia’s Flu Shot Clinic has been an annual fall event for years and provides nursing students with the ability to get hands-on experience as well as give back to the community.

“It’s the nursing students who are giving the flu shots and some people think ‘I don’t want anyone practicing on me,'” said Sergeyeva. “But it’s not practice for them. The students have experience practicing in the lab so this is just an opportunity for them to serve and be present in the community, answer people’s questions and provide protection for the community.”

An additional reason to get the flu vaccine at this year is that Finlandia is part of the Yooper U’s Fight the Flu competition, which pits Michigan Tech, Northern Michigan University and Lake Superior State against each other in an effort to get the highest percentage of their respective populations vaccinated. If you attend the flu clinic, or obtain a vaccine at another location, you can anonymously self-report your vaccine here and help Finlandia take the lead.

The shots are free for employees with Finlandia insurance and the clinic may accept additional forms of insurance. For those without insurance, the cost is $40. For questions, reach out to Sergeyeva at Irina.sergeyeva@finlandia.edu.

LINKS

• Irina Sergeyeva
• Finlandia Flu Shot Clinic
• Yooper U’s Fight the Flu Challenge
• Report a Flu Shot for the Fight the Flu Challenge

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