All students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to get their flu shot this year, more than ever before. The first on-campus flu shot clinics will be held at McCamish Pavilion Sept. 21 – 22 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with more to come later this fall.

This year’s clinics will have a greater capacity than in years past. Last year, each clinic, held at Stamps Health Services, administered 200-300 shots daily; this year they are aiming for as many as 1,200 shots per day.

Students who want to get a flu shot do not need to make an appointment beforehand and can simply walk up to McCamish during the clinic’s hours of operation. Temperature and symptom checks will be administered at the door. In accordance with the University System of Georgia’s (USG) guidelines, masks will be required inside McCamish.

Flu shots are also available to faculty and staff and will be free for those enrolled in a USG healthcare plan. Employees are required to pre-register at health.gatech.edu/flu, and those enrolled in a Kaiser plan will only be able to receive shots on Sept. 22. Shots administered to faculty and staff members will be capped at 150 per day.

“While it is always important to get a flu shot, this year is particularly important,” said Dr. Benjamin Holton, senior director at Stamps Health Services. “The symptoms of flu and the symptoms of Covid-19 are very similar, and the two illnesses cannot be distinguished based on clinical criteria alone.”

This similarity in symptoms could cause a strain on Tech’s medical resources, including testing, isolation capacity, and overall medical care. Holton noted that those who have both the flu and Covid-19 tend to be sicker than those who have one or the other.

“A flu outbreak increases the risk that students and staff will attribute symptoms of illness to the flu instead of Covid-19 and choose to attend class or go to work with symptoms, increasing risk of exposure of others to Covid-19 and increasing its spread,” Holton said.
Learn more about flu symptoms and how to get your flu shot here.

More clinic dates will be scheduled later in the semester. For those who can’t attend or wish to make an appointment, call Stamps Health Services Pharmacy at  404.894.1430, extension 5. For those insured through a USG plan, flu shots will be free of charge. For those not insured by a USG plan, additional charges may apply.

Specifics for employees:

If you are insured with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield:

• Flu shots are available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at McCamish Pavilion on Sept. 21 and 22.
• Flu shots will be limited to 150 per day.
• Faculty and staff must pre-register. Sign up for Sept. 21 here, and for Sept. 22 here. Click here to sign up if you are insured with Anthem.

If you are insured with Kaiser Permanente:

• Flu shots are available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at McCamish Pavilion on Sept. 22 only.
• Faculty and staff must pre-register. Click here to sign up if you are insured with Kaiser.