The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

The Daily Illini

The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

The Daily Illini

The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

The Daily Illini

The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

The Daily Illini

Be patient as H1N1 vaccines roll in slowly

On Oct. 26, the long-awaited arrival of a vaccine for H1N1, also known as swine flu, was made available to students on campus. However, at that point, the vaccine was only available to a limited group of students, including those who are pregnant, have a weakened immune system or who are enrolled in the College of Nursing. The delivery of this vaccine is a progressive development for our campus because the most effective method of preventing swine flu is to get vaccinated.

As of now, only 500 vaccination shots have been available at the McKinley Health Center. Additional vaccination shots are available at local hospitals such as Carle Foundation Hospital and Christie Clinic, although both clinics are charging $23 to be vaccinated and have yet to receive all their orders.

Doctors at McKinley still do not know when the center will receive more shots, in order to offer the vaccine to all students. This is a national problem, as the makers of the vaccine have not made nearly as many as they thought would have been finished by this point.

Despite the initial excitement of this new development on our campus, some students may be ready to panic if they do not get the vaccine soon. McKinley is still figuring out how to distribute the vaccine and, at the same time, trying to make sense of a fast-growing epidemic that has made over 900 students sick.

With such a limited supply of shots for such a huge campus, we must remember that at this time, there is just not an adequate supply of vaccinations available for everyone on campus – but it is not McKinley’s fault.

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McKinley Health Center received the H1N1 vaccine and has been doing the best job it can to make the vaccines available to the greatest number of students. Unfortunately, the vaccine is not available for all those who need it at this time, but again, this is a waiting game; McKinley will hopefully receive more shipments soon but is almost powerless in this situation.

Perhaps most importantly, we must all remain patient. It is not McKinley’s fault that there are so few vaccination shots.

While it is easy to feel frustrated at a time like this, we cannot point our fingers at those who did not have anything to do with the quantity of shots our campus received.

It is most important to remember not to panic. While the details surrounding the future of the H1N1 vaccine on our campus remain unclear, it can be inferred that eventually the situation will be rectified. Until that time comes, every member of our campus community must continue to be patient and respectful of McKinley’s staff.

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