Those who registered for the first day of IU's online H1N1 vaccine reservation system received their doses on Monday at Assembly Hall. IU officials hope more of the injectable vaccine is on its way, but those on the priority list for vaccinations at IU were in and out of the clinic faster than many expected.
"Now, we don't go down any lower than the college students because of the nature of what's going on in the community," said Dr. Hugh Jessop, director of the IU Health Center about who is receiving the limited number of vaccines. "Local schools ares suppose to take care of local schools. We are taking care of the people in the priority groups that are part of Indiana University. That was our charge."
With nearly 1,000 people scheduled for the H1N1 flu vaccine on Day One, as officials have labeled the first set of vaccinations, many would think the lines would be out the doors. But in actuality, it was about a two minute process.
Aaron McNulty, an optometry student, thought it could not have been any smoother. "Extremely quick, very efficient
process," he said. "We signed up for a time slot. They were able to get us right in. Wait time was maybe a minute and a half."
Jessop said it was all by design. "You know students like instantanous things; faculty and staff aren't far behind them," he said. "And so we really are pretty pleased with how its going."
Jessop said IU's H1N1 treatment is part of the largest mass immunization effort in the history of the United States. And because of the increasing cases, students like Aaron McNulty get the shot for precautionary reasons.
"Personally, I'm not too worried about it," he said of the worry about the swine flu pandemic. "This is one of these better safe than sorry types of deals for me. You know, that was my attitude, just precaution and a little common sense. I would think prevention is the best polciy for us. If you're able to get a shot, a vaccination got for it.""
It's not too late to sign up for the H1N1 flu vaccine if you're an IU student, staff or faculty member. Check one of these sites for more
