Warm mugs of apple cider, colorful leaves, crisp temperatures and pumpkin spice everything; fall is in full swing, but with the season’s cozy arrival comes the quiet creep of flu season.
Influenza, commonly known as the flu, typically sees an annual spike in cases during the fall and winter months. This is a predictable seasonal concern for medical experts, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
While it’s been a few years since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus continues to be present with new emerging variants — Stratus and Nimbus — driving a recent rise in cases, according to Stony Brook Medicine.
This year’s COVID vaccine rollout has been different than in previous years, according to Megan Jones, director of Samaritan Health Services’ Outpatient Pharmacies.
“Historically, we’ve relied a lot on the CDC and the (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) to make recommendations on who should be vaccinated. Those recommendations for flu vaccination haven’t changed,” Jones said. “There has been some changes for the COVID vaccination, and so they’ve really only recommended it to people 65 and over, and for people under 65 that have an underlying medical condition… In the past, (the) covid vaccine has been available to anyone and everybody has been encouraged to get vaccinated.”
Jones also noted that the ACIP delayed their annual meeting until September (instead of the usual July/August), which postponed recommendations. That delay, despite Food and Drug Administration approval, slowed the release of COVID-19 vaccines to pharmacies and providers because distribution depends on ACIP guidance.
The state of Oregon has taken steps to make the vaccine widely available to the general public.
“The west coast believes in science!” Oregon House District 16 Representative Sarah McDonald said in a newsletter. “Governors from Oregon, Washington, California, and Hawaii, as the West Coast Health Alliance, came together (Sept. 17) to recommend that all adults and children can receive a COVID-19 vaccine.”
According to McDonald’s newsletter, Governor Tina Kotek, Oregon licensing agencies and insurance regulators have promised to make the vaccine completely covered by insurance companies.
COVID and flu vaccines are available at multiple locations around Corvallis including Samaritan Pharmacies, Fred Meyer and OSU Student Health Services.
Samaritan pharmacies are taking walk-ins, meaning you do not have to make an appointment in advance, according to Jones. To schedule a flu and/or COVID vaccine appointment at Fred Meyer, you can visit the Fred Meyer Health Services website.
To make an appointment at Student Health Services, you can visit your patient portal or call to make an appointment.
According to SHS receptionist Crystal Cole, the student health fee allows students to be seen, but from there insurance will be billed for vaccinations.
If the insurance is in network, the vaccine should be fully covered. In network insurances include Providence, Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield, First Choice Health-Kaiser, Pacific Source SHIP and more. For a full list, visit the Student Health Services website.
OSU brought a flu shot clinic to the Memorial Union ballroom Oct. 9 for students to get flu and COVID vaccines. Another clinic will be held from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Oct. 28, also in the ballroom.
The link and instructions to sign up can be found on OSU’s Office of Human Resources website. To participate in the event, you will need to have active insurance.
For those who don’t have insurance or are underinsured, Jones recommended looking into Samaritan’s income-based financial assistance program.
According to Cole, if you are paying out of pocket at Student Health Services, the vaccines cost between $30 and $60.
The flu and COVID vaccines can be taken at the same time.
“Some people can get… an immune response, so your body recognizes that there’s something going on, and they can experience a low grade fever, or they might have some body aches that usually last for about 24 to 48 hours and goes away,” Jones said about the COVID vaccine. “The majority of patients that I have seen, they don’t. I mean, other than a little localized tenderness, they don’t have any side effects.”
In a college environment — particularly where the average student comes into contact with many different people throughout the day — being vaccinated is important to prevent sickness and slow down the transmission of disease, according to Jones.
“If it raises questions, please reach out. Reach out to your pharmacists. Reach out to your provider. Ask. We are happy to talk through your concerns. We’re happy to talk through the pros and cons of getting vaccinated,” Jones said. “It is a personal decision. You got to decide what you want for you. So we’re not here to pressure your or place any judgement, but we definitely want you to have an informed decision.”
