Dawn BonkerSome 800 people rolled up their sleeves and received flu shots at immunization clinics hosted by Chapman University during October, helping to improve protection against seasonal influenza in communities surrounding the university.
Pharm.D. Students Lend a Hand
The three drive-through clinics – two at Chapman’s Orange campus and one at its Rinker Health Science Campus in Irvine were operated in partnership with Ralphs pharmacies. Pharm.D. students from Chapman University’s School of Pharmacy (CUSP) administered the shots, which were also made available to the general community.
‘Influenza Will Find its Way Out West’
While COVID-19 precautions such as mask wearing and social distancing will also help slow the spread of flu, such practices may not be universal and so quick-stop clinics like Chapman’s are valuable services, says Jeff Goad, Pharm.D., professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice at Chapman University School of Pharmacy.
“In California we do pretty well with masks and social distancing, but I don’t think the same could be said for the rest of the country. Influenza will find its way out west. Masks, hand washing, physical distancing and – especially – flu shots will definitely go a long way at dramatically slowing the spread of influenza this season,” he says.
Flu Shots Protect You, Friends and Neighbors
Moreover, this year’s flu season could be particularly complicated, says Goad, the immediate Past-President of the California Immunization Coalition and a member of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) COVID-19 Vaccine Drafting Guidelines Workgroup.
“We could have flu and COVID spreading through our communities at the same time,” he says. “We really don’t know how deadly it could be when an individual is co-infected with both influenza and COVID-19.”
Learn more about what the Chapman community is doing to stay healthy during COVID-19 at the university’s CU Safely Back website.
