By Grace Lynn Keller
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With cold and flu season quickly approaching, students must decide if and where to receive flu vaccinations; with many resources both on and off campus, vaccines are accessible to students.

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention said particular vaccinations each year are dependent on surveillance data on which viruses are circulating and what viruses are predicted to circulate during flu season.

UI Student Health and Wellness is one of the resources. Lisa James, the clinic’s associate director for clinical outreach, said in an email to The Daily Iowan that Student Health has vaccines in stock, and it will have more than enough vaccines to offer immunization throughout the cold and flu season.

“We offer the quadrivalent flu shot, which protects against four strains of influenza,” James said.

The vaccine is $40 through Student Health, which covers both the cost of the shot and the administration fee. Many insurance providers will cover the cost, including SHIP and GradCare, the UI health-care plans. The vaccine can also be billed to the U-bill.

Vaccines are available at both locations of Student Health, and walk-ins are accepted.

For students whose insurance does not cover the vaccine, there are other options to get vaccinated for less money.

Costco is one of those alternatives, offering the same vaccine for $19.99 at the in-store pharmacy, according to its website.

Becky Dant, the director of professional services for Costco, said the immunization is offered on a walk-in basis at all Costco pharmacies, and all you need is a completed immunization consent form, which can be found on its website, prior to receiving the vaccine.

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“The cost covers administration and the price,” Dant said. “It’s usually free with most insurance.”

Dant also said if you’d like the vaccine billed to your insurance to make sure you bring a copy of your insurance card and make sure to check with your provider to confirm that the cost will be covered.

While this is a much cheaper alternative to the vaccines offered at Student Health, Costco is located in Coralville, so it may be difficult to get to for students without access to cars.

But no matter which resource students choose to get vaccinated this season, both James and Dant stressed it should be a priority to make sure students are healthy for major events, such as finals, and to help slow the spread of the usually a prevalent illness.

James said full immunity takes around two weeks to develop, so the sooner students get shots, the better.

UI freshman Hannah Peterson, who gets a flu shot every year, said she attributes her health throughout the season to the vaccine.

“It’s important enough to me to seek out a way to be vaccinated,” she said. “I definitely think they help prevent the flu.”

As a freshman, this will be the first year she will be without her parents to take her in for a vaccine, but she wants to still get the shot.

These resources make it easy for students such
Peterson to get vaccinated and prepared in time for this year’s cold and flu season.

Given that vaccines are in stock, students can get vaccinated today.