Student Health Services held a pop-up event on campus Tuesday to offer free flu shots for the Long Beach community in both a drive-thru and walk-up option.
Equipped with face shields, gloves and full-body, cloth aprons, Long Beach State medical staff administered flu shots to a long line of cars in parking lot G1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. SHS staff operated out of six tents and had several bottles of hand sanitizer, boxes of gloves and medical equipment.
“This year, it is more important than ever to receive the flu shot,” Kimberly Fodran, SHS chief of medical staff, said in an email. “Flu vaccines have been shown to reduce the risk of flu illness, hospitalization and death, which means valuable healthcare resources can be directed to those with COVID-19.”
With no application process, the clinic was open to the public in addition to CSULB students, faculty and staff.
Fordran encourages students to receive the flu shot this year in particular to help the health center in differentiating between positive cases of the flu or of COVID-19.
She said she expects a challenging flu season as the community faces threats of both viruses.
“In combination with practices such as handwashing, physical distancing and wearing face coverings, getting a flu shot can help prevent illness and reserve health care resources during the pandemic,” Fodran said.
Andrea Ramos, photo editor, contributed to this article.