UTRGV offers free flu vaccines

Brigitte Ortiz | THE RIDER

During this year’s flu season, UT Health RGV is offering free flu shots on UTRGV campuses for students, faculty and staff. 

UTRGV benefit-eligible employees can get their vaccines at UT Health RGV locations in Edinburg, Harlingen and Brownsville while students are limited to the Health Services Clinics in Brownsville and Edinburg.

Michael Dobbs, chief medical officer at UT Health RGV, said this year they acquired extra doses of flu vaccines. 

“We’re actually seeing quite a bit of demand for it already,” Dobbs said. “We’re providing the vaccine through [UT Health RGV Employee and Student Health] at many of our clinical sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley and also on the main campus of UTRGV at the polling station, so a lot of people are coming in and doing early voting and at the same time getting their flu vaccination. We’ll be offering it as long as we have doses, and as long as people want to get it. If we need to, we’ll order more doses.”  

He said the best way to protect yourself and your family from contracting the flu is the vaccine. 

“This year, more than ever, because we’re in the middle of the COVID pandemic, it’s really, really important to get a flu shot,” Dobbs said. “‘Cause it’s going to be hard to tell a difference between flu and COVID this fall and this winter for healthcare providers that are taking care of people with those symptoms.”  

He said if someone gets the flu, they might get quarantined and have to get additional testing for COVID-19 as a precaution because doctors are not sure whether it is the flu or COVID-19.  

   “So getting the flu vaccination can reduce the unnecessary COVID testing,” Dobbs said. “So, really, it comes down to anything that we can do to reduce the risk of respiratory infection this fall and winter. Getting the flu vaccine will reduce a lot of cases of flu and also continuing to do social distancing and wearing a mask may help as well. But I just do want to stress that those are still not a substitute for getting the flu shot.”

Flu signs and symptoms usually come on suddenly. People who are sick with the flu often feel some or all of these symptoms: fever or feeling feverish, chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. 

The website also confirmed flu activity is low. Everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine every season with rare exceptions. Vaccination is particularly important for people who are at high risk of serious complications from influenza.

Adriana Muñiz, a rehabilitation services senior, received her flu vaccine and said she was out in five minutes. 

“Well, the flu season is coming up and we’re already in the midst of it,” Muñiz said. “So, with COVID going on, it’s best to get the flu shot to prevent you from getting [COVID-19 and the flu] because that is possible and as long as you can take the preventatives and it’s available to you and it’s free, I mean, take it while you can.”

Asked what her thoughts were on UTRGV offering free flu vaccines, she replied, “I think it’s great. For me, personally, I don’t have insurance, so when they have free vaccines and I know that it’s going to benefit my health, I want to take advantage of it as much as I can. So the fact that it’s available for students and it’s available for staff and it’s free, I mean, you can’t really beat it, you know what I mean. It’s a really good thing ‘cause not all of us can afford health care.”