YOU love pumpkin spice lattes but hate the flu shot. I get it.
Having to walk over to the Adams Center for a poke in the arm you have to pay for sounds as if you made a bad deal. Doctors across the nation sing the shot’s praises, but many people still hesitate to receive theirs. Let’s consider the benefits of not getting the flu shot:
1. Being sick is fashionable!
As you strut down the hallway to class, show off your red nose with snot dripping down! Stare at onlookers with your watery eyes accentuated by the dark circles under them. For an added touch, throw your tissues at them–used or unused–or walk with Kleenex jutting from your nostrils that you infinitely pull out like a magic trick! #SnottiestIsTheHottest
2. You totally want to miss class and fall really far behind.
Seriously, you might feel like you don’t know what you’re learning anyway. You absolutely can teach the material to yourself without any help from your professor. You don’t even need school.
3. You hate your roommate.
Having the flu is almost a gift because nothing says you hate your roommates more than making them breathe out of one nostril for a whole month. This also applies to your professors and classmates–say thank CHOO!
4. Your boyfriend/girlfriend just loves when you sneeze in their food.
Skip the salad dressing–your runny nose makes a perfect substitute and very romantically shows how much you appreciate the person you’re out to dinner with. And the guests around you just love hearing your coughing fits.
5. Nobody will hate you if you come to class.
Do I really need to explain this one?
The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1920 infected 500 million people–about one-third of the world’s population– and killed more than 50 million individuals worldwide! During the 2017-18 season, the flu killed about 80,000 people and hospitalized 900,000.
Take the flu seriously. Make time to get vaccinated.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last week that it’s time to get the flu shot. Don’t worry–the shot can’t give you the flu, but it takes two weeks to become effective. You may have a sore arm, but that’s a lot better than being bedridden, and it won’t stop you from taking notes or playing sports; getting the flu will.
Beginning this Thursday (10/3) or Friday (10/4), you can walk into the Adams Center and get your quadrivalent flu shot. No need to schedule an appointment! AC’s insurance plan will cover the cost; others will have a $30 charge added to their WebHopper account. Hours of operation: MON-FRI, 8:45-11:30; 1:30-4pm.
Sadly, flu vaccines with pumpkin spice lattes don’t exist. But the lattes taste so much better when you’re protected from the flu, which you can enjoy with the friends and family you’re helping by going to the Adams Center today.
Get your flu shot. Get it now.
For more information about the Adams Center and flu shot, visit:
www.austincollege.edu/campus-life/health-services/clinic-hours-assistance
www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/flushot.htm
healthjournalism.org/blog/2018/09/last-years-flu-season-death-toll-and-2018-19-flu-coverage
