University Health Services, in conjunction with the Evanston Department of Health and Human Services, began providing free H1N1 vaccinations to students on Tuesday. The vaccinations, which health officials administered between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. at Patten Gymnasium and Norris Student Center, were reserved for “priority groups” on Tuesday, which includes anyone between the ages of six and 25, according to a university press release.
Some students checked their watches in line, anxious to get to their next class. Others felt uncomfortable from the side effects after receiving their vaccine. But most had no strong feelings about the vaccine or the process of receiving it, and said the whole experience was routine.
According to Dr. Donald Misch, Executive Director of University Health Services, roughly 1,750 people were vaccinated on Tuesday. The longest wait was 1 hour 50 minutes at Norris and negligible at Patten, he said.
A few students fainted, which Misch said is not an unusual side effect of the vaccine. An ambulance and fire truck pulled up outside Norris today at around 11:30, according to observers, and Vice President for University Relations Al Cubbage said that they may have been related to the vaccinations, but that he was not sure.
After standing in lines in Norris and Patten, students and others were directed to several tables where they first signed a waiver and then received a vaccine. The vaccines came in two forms: an injection of an inactivated vaccine or a live attenuated intranasal vaccine, a nasal spray that came with more health restrictions than the injection.
Students and others just vaccinated were required to sit in a chair for 15 minutes to ensure no major side effects ensued.
“I hadn’t really heard about the vaccinations,” said Medill junior Bradley Akubuiro, “I just followed a friend to Norris when she was walking here. I feel like getting the vaccine today will not deter me from getting the swine flu.”
Kara McKenzie, a McCormick senior, felt similarly about the vaccine. “I wasn’t planning on getting it, but because of the availability and the apparent high risk factors of H1N1 among young people, I decided to come.”
Despite busy schedules and the reluctance of some students, Cubbage deemed Tuesday successful. “There was a good turnout from students, and we hope that they will continue to get vaccinated until Thursday.”
Updated 11/18: The photo of the vaccination line has been taken down in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. Thanks to commenter Concerned for making us aware.