Stay Protected With Vaccines: Flu and Updated COVID-19 Vaccines Now Available

Photo Submitted

Porkchop receiving a shot at Pat Walker Health Center

With flu season approaching and COVID-19 cases increasing nationwide over the last few months, now is a great time to get your annual flu vaccine and the updated COVID-19 vaccine. Pat Walker Health Center (PWHC) has both vaccines in supply to help protect the U of A community. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends updated COVID-19 vaccines for anyone six months and older, and you must be two months post receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. It is important to note that taking a COVID-19 vaccine is not required.

The updated COVID-19 vaccine is available for faculty, staff and students to receive at the health center. The cost for the COVID-19 vaccine is $115, along with a $35 administration fee, which most insurances cover a percentage of. Check with your insurance provider about coverage for the COVID-19 vaccine, as the vaccine will no longer be covered by any governmental entity. For U of A employees insured through UMR, the COVID-19 vaccine will be 100% covered through insurance with no out-of-pocket expense to be incurred by the employee. For more information about the updated COVID-19 vaccine, refer to the CDC, Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) or visit the health center's COVID-19 vaccine website page. 

Influenza (flu) vaccines are available to the U of A community as well as spouses and dependents (18 and older), and the PWHC offers the quadrivalent flu vaccine injection, which is designed to protect against four different flu viruses, including two influenza A viruses and two influenza B viruses. The cost for the flu vaccine is $24, along with a $35 administration fee; however, most insurances cover the cost  fully. For UA employees insured through UMR, the flu vaccine will be 100% covered through insurance with no out of pocket expense to be incurred by the employee. Per the CDC, it is recommended that anyone six months and older receive an annual flu vaccine. Getting vaccinated early is the best way to ensure you are protected throughout the entire flu season. 

Appointments are required to receive the flu vaccine and COVID-19 vaccine. To schedule an appointment for either of the vaccines, you can make an appointment on the Patient Portal or call 479-575-4451, option 1. You can receive both the flu vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccine simultaneously.  

To encourage the U of A community to receive the flu and COVID-19 vaccines, the U of A is participating in the 2023-2024 Flu and COVID Vaccination Challenge for the third consecutive year. The challenge is against other colleges and universities across the state of Arkansas to see which institution will get the most undergraduate students to self-report in an Arkansas Immunization Action Coalition (ImmunizeAR) survey. You can receive the flu vaccine or the COVID-19 vaccine from the health center or anywhere else to complete the survey, and no identifiable information is collected within the survey. 

The overall challenge is open to undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty and staff. However, the institutions enrolled in the challenge will be judged on the percentage of their undergraduate student population who self-report their vaccines in the survey. The university with the highest percentage of undergraduates vaccinated with the most flu and COVID-19 vaccines will be announced as the winner(s) and receive trophies in February 2024. The survey is open now and closes on Friday, Dec. 15. Last academic year, the U of A won the Innovation Award for the challenge, which you can read more about in this Arkansas News article.  

Be sure to follow the Pat Walker Health Center's Instagram @uofahealth to keep up with the challenge and to enter in a giveaway in the coming months.