Emergency Guidelines for the Campus Community

H1N1 Influenza

January 12, 2010 E-Mail to Campus Community

To: Princeton faculty, staff and students
From: University Health Services and Environmental Health and Safety
Date: January 12, 2010
Re: H1N1 flu vaccines available to ALL, Jan. 15

It's not too late to get vaccinated against H1N1 flu! University Health Services will hold a H1N1 flu vaccine clinic open to ALL faculty, staff, students and dependents age 10 and older on Friday, Jan. 8, in multipurpose rooms A, B and C of the Frist Campus Center. This is the first H1N1 vaccine clinic open to all members of the campus community.

Please read this e-mail for information about clinic times, documentation required for vaccination, vaccine costs and vaccine safety. The H1N1 flu virus is still circulating and federal health officials are concerned about another wave of the virus in January. Vaccination is the best way to prevent influenza infection and its complications.

Clinic times

The January 15 vaccine clinic will open at 9 a.m. and will remain open until all available doses have been given or until 4 p.m. No appointments are necessary, and vaccines will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Please note that lines were longest during the first hour of previous clinics. Only the injectible form of the vaccine will be available at the Jan. 15 clinic.

Cost and required documentation for vaccination

In order to be vaccinated, individuals must bring their University ID card and their insurance card to the clinic, and for individuals who are not covered by a University employee or student insurance plan, also cash or a check to cover a $15 administrative fee.

The federal government is providing doses of the H1N1 vaccine free of cost; however, there are administrative costs associated with distributing the vaccine. Individuals who have the following health insurance plans are covered for the vaccine and may receive the H1N1 vaccine at no cost: the University's Student Health Plan, Aetna insurance plans and United Healthcare insurance plans.

Individuals who are not covered by one of these insurance plans may be charged the $15 fee to cover the administrative costs of distributing the vaccine, depending on their insurance. Students and employees who are not covered by a University insurance plan may submit a receipt to private insurance companies for reimbursement, and financial assistance is available for students who are unable to pay the fee by contacting UHS.

Eligibility

Due to a recent increase in vaccine supplies, state health officials announced in late December that providers in New Jersey may open H1N1 flu vaccine clinics to everyone, lifting the restrictions that had previously limited the vaccine to persons considered at high risk.

In addition to ALL faculty, staff and students who may receive the H1N1 flu vaccine at the Jan. 8 clinic, eligible dependents ages 10 and older are spouses, domestic partners and children of students and employees. The University is not able to offer vaccines to children younger than 10 years because they require two separate doses of the vaccine for optimal protection against the virus.

Vaccine benefits and safety

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, individuals who had flu-like illness since spring of 2009 should still get vaccinated because symptoms of influenza can be caused by many other viruses. Unless specific testing proved that an individual had the 2009 H1N1 flu virus, individuals do not know if they have immunity to the virus. There is no harm in vaccinating a person with some existing immunity to the H1N1 virus.

Millions of people have safely received the H1N1 vaccine. The H1N1 flu vaccine is showing a similar safety profile to seasonal flu vaccines, which have a very good safety track record.

The CDC voluntarily recalled limited doses of unused H1N1 nasal spray vaccine because the doses had a slight decrease in potency, but the decrease is not expected to reduce the effectiveness of those vaccines. The voluntary recall was not because of safety concerns. Individuals who may have received vaccines from the recalled doses do not need to take any action and do not need to get vaccinated again.

For further questions about vaccine safety, visit the Vaccine FAQs on the University's H1N1 web page: http://web.princeton.edu/sites/emergency/swineflu/faq-health.html

For general information, visit the H1N1 web page: http://web.princeton.edu/sites/emergency/swineflu/

Last update: 13-Jan-2010 2:17 PM
Web page comments or errors: Robin Izzo.