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Flu vaccine now only on one side of Broadway

In an interesting note, Barnard’s Health Services reports that, due to a “national shortage” of flu vaccines, it cannot give any out to students. Columbia boasts no such shortage, though.

At the moment, the regular flu vaccine is on order at Barnard. However, at Columbia, there seems to be quite a few vaccines to go around. Columbia is even having “flu shot fairs,” for the regular flu, in which they vaccinate any student, faculty, or administrator who comes to get one. In the cases of H1N1 flu, the New York Times reported that Columbia University was one of the “major employers” to receive H1N1 vaccine doses from the City. How does Columbia have enough to provide regular “free flu shots for students, faculty and staff interested in receiving the vaccine this fall,” yet Barnard can’t muster any?

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Posted by
Carly Silver
November 5, 2009

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  • Admin.
    You seem to be confusing the annual seasonal flu shot fairs with the H1N1 vaccines, which are not yet available.
  • enough already
    Yes, you need to correct this story. The link provided explicitly says that the fairs are not offering H1N1 shots. Although the central point is still valid. Given that students take classes on both campuses, it makes no sense to immunize part of the herd and not the rest.
  • barnardhealthservices
    The Spectator has generally done an excellent job reporting on healthcare issues affecting students. Unfortunately, the blog posting above contains inaccurate and misleading information.

    This fall, as of today’s date, Barnard Health Services has administered seasonal flu vaccination to 386 students and we will administer additional doses as soon as they arrive. We’ve also requested, from New York City health officials, H1N1 vaccine for the Barnard student body. Barnard is on the distribution list, but the schedule of shipments is still to be determined. When our allocation arrives, we will administer free vaccination to all students who wish to receive it.

    During this particularly unique flu season, we have stepped up efforts to meet the needs of our community, and will continue to do so. We take pride in the fact that Barnard Health Services is among a select group, less than 10%, of U.S. colleges, that is recognized by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care for achieving the highest quality of care.

    Barnard College Primary Care Health Service
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