By Megan Osborn
The Health Center was hoping for 4,000 H1N1 vaccines. It was promised at least 1,500 from the county.
It received 180 and it has 104 left.
Those doses, however, are reserved for senior and second-semester junior nursing students who are currently participating in clinicals at local hospitals. The doses that remain may not even cover the nurses who still wish to receive the vaccine.
The shortages have caused the Health Center to cancel the three vaccine clinics for the university community.
Tim Crump, the assistant director for nursing services at the University Health Center, is beginning to worry. Up until the week before fall break, the Health Center treated between three and four flu cases per week.
"Then, the week before fall break, the cases increased fourfold, to twelve cases," Crump said. "The increase coincided with the rain and cold, but I think this is the beginning of a trend."
The rain and the cold present conditions that raise the risk of contracting H1N1, as the weather drives people indoors, where they are in closer proximity to others and more likely to be exposed to the virus.
Professor Carol Craig, associate dean of the School of Nursing, is wary about the number of cases occurring this early in the flu season.
"We already have as many cases as at the height of flu season, which is usually in February," Craig said.
The Health Center waits for a new shipment from the county which has been experiencing vaccine shortages because of manufacturing slowdowns. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the shortages nationwide are the result of the vaccine's slow growth in eggs that are used to produce the vaccine.
Hoping, but uncertain, the Health Center is in the same boat as many other clinics across the country who are waiting for vaccines. The new delivery may not come until after Thanksgiving break.
Students are apprehensive and confused about the vaccine predicament on campus, but junior nursing student Elisabeth Loren is thankful that the nurses, at least, are able to receive vaccinations as long as supplies last.
"I think it's smart," Loren said. "I think nursing students should get them first because we are at risk for bringing it back from the hospitals to campus."
Professor Joanne Warner, dean of the School of Nursing, is concerned about the safety of patients if nurses do not get vaccinated.
"We have an ethical and moral responsibility to protect our patients," Warner said. "The vaccine would be the proven one step that protects our health more."
The School of Nursing initially included the H1N1 vaccine on its list of required vaccines, but in response to some student opposition, the school decided to make the H1N1 vaccination optional.
"We changed our mind when we found out that the clinical agencies were not requiring it," Warner said.
She does, however, strongly recommend that nursing students get vaccinated.
Now that some nursing students may not be vaccinated, their clinical programs will have to find ways to deal with increasing absences. Nursing students will be encouraged to work ahead on clinical hours, working a 10-hour shift if it's available instead of just eight. Nurses will also be able to log hours working for the vaccination clinics when the new shipments arrive.
On Wednesday, nurses, RAs and others who qualified as eligible to get the Health Center's last reserves of the H1N1 vaccine lined up in the Chiles Center.
Senior nursing student Liza Poehlmann sat on the stairs with other nurses waiting for the vaccine. Poehlmann works at an elementary school as an assistant to the school nurse as part of her clinical training.
"I'm getting the vaccine because I'm going to be exposed to countless germ monster children that will be having swine flu," Poehlmann said.
Junior Brianna Hodge is an RA in Shipstad Hall. She is getting the vaccine so she can be there for her residents if they fall ill.
"There's such a stigma associated with swine flu, I'm getting vaccinated so I can be there for my residents if they get it," Hodge said.
Senior nursing student Ari Goldschmidt waited in line with his other friends. He wanted to get the vaccine before beginning his clinical practice.
"I don't want to get H1N1, and it's ethical for me to do so when I'm helping people whose immune systems are compromised," Goldschmidt said.
Some nurses did not arrive early enough to get vaccinated.
"I got in line, and they told me they already had too many people," senior nursing student Alise Dutra said.
In the face of vaccine shortages, Craig believes the campus will be directly affected.
"More of us will get sick, faculty, staff and students," Craig said.
Crump agrees that the lack of vaccinations will put more students at risk as the virus spreads.
"It's everywhere. My daughter got it last week," Crump said.
Crump recommends that students do all they can to keep themselves healthy.
"The most important thing is washing hands. Cover their cough, don't share cups and spoons," Crump said.
He also recommends a fist bump instead of a hand shake.
