HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall University’s School of Pharmacy will sponsor a pair of respiratory immunization clinics this week. They aim to make shots available to those who need them.
The first event will be from 11a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, September 29th in the Shawkey Dining Room of the Marshall Memorial Student Center. The second event will be Friday, October 3rd at the Marshall School of Pharmacy in the main lobby of Stephen J. Kopp Hall. The clinics are open to students, faculty, or the general public.
Dr. Craig Kimble with the School of Pharmacy said they have an array of shots available including flu shots, RSV vaccinations, shots to guard against shingles, and Covid 19 shots. Kimble said this year’s guidance on Covid has been mixed.
“This year’s recommendations diverge. The American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Pediatrics Association have recommended it for healthy people as well. We can only administer per the ACIP and CDC guidelines so we’ll be following those,” he explained.
Under those guidelines, Covid shots are recommended for those 65 and over and others who are at risk with underlying condition. The ACIP and CDC guidelines to not recommend a covid 19 shot to those otherwise healthy children or adults.
Flu shots are typically recommended for those at highest risk, but Dr. Kimble said they are with the understanding the efficacy can be hit and miss year in and year out because of the mutation of flu strains.
“A good year for a flu shot to be effective, you’re looking at around 35 to 40 percent is considered an effective vaccine, sometimes we get it better than that, sometimes we don’t,” he explained.
The flu shots have to be based on the previous year’s strain. The reality is this year’s strain may be similar or completely different and there’s no way to predict what it will be. Despite that, flu shots are recommended for most people.
Insurance will be accepted, and vouchers are offered for anyone who needs financial assistance. The clinics are sponsored by the Marshall University School of Pharmacy and Walgreens.