Every year about this time, concern flares over the upcoming flu season. And with the COVID-19 pandemic lingering, it’s more important than ever to safeguard yourself from other, more common health risks such as influenza. Students are urged to get flu shots ahead of the season, say in September or October. While vaccinations may not totally protect you from getting every strain of the flu, they can help, and they certainly don’t hurt.
As with COVID-19, influenza germs are spread through coughing or sneezing (or even laughing, singing or talking), or through contact with surfaces that have the flu virus. Most common symptoms of flu are fever, cough, runny or stuffed-up nose, sore throat, achiness, chills and headache. Some people report nausea and diarrhea.
In general, the same safeguards that people are taking to avoid infection from COVID-19 should help protect them from the flu. Effective masks (to avoid spreading the infection to others), social distancing (six feet or more), frequent hand-washing, disinfecting oft-used surfaces such as doorknobs and counters, and avoiding situations where people are congregating in close quarters – all of these tactics should help protect you from infection by either the flu or coronavirus.
Where to Get Your Flu Vaccine
The Campus Care Clinic at Ohio University offers a vaccination for flu for $25. You can also get a low-cost or free vaccination from many sources nearby, including from Kroger, Shriver’s Pharmacy (West Union Street) and the Athens City-County Health Department. Call ahead to see whether you need to make an appointment. As of September, no vaccine had been developed for COVID-19, and none was seriously anticipated before the end of the year. Distribution is expected to take several months as well, so it’s probably wise to just assume COVID will be hanging around for most of the school year.
If you test positive for COVID-19, follow the instructions of your health-care provider (which at the very least likely will include a 14-day quarantine, away from others, in your Athens Ohio rental house or apartment). Go to OU’s COVID-19 Dashboard for explicit instructions on how to proceed. If you come down with the flu, on the other hand (and you’re sure it’s not COVID), take these measures to prevent spreading the sickness to others:
- Isolate yourself in your room. Do not attend classes or events until you haven’t had a fever in 24 hours (without having to take Tylenol or other fever reducers).
- See if you can get friends to bring you meals. If your roommate gets sick, help him/her get meals or make sure there is someone to deliver them during the illness.
- Drink plenty of fluids. Rest. Take Tylenol or Ibuprofen.
- Go to the campus health center if your symptoms persist or worsen.
- Continue following guidelines for avoiding the coronavirus. Believe it or not, you can get both at the same time, and that’s considered a very dangerous combination.