UCSF to Offer Free Flu Shots as Influenza Season Nears
UC San Francisco will be holding free drop-in flu shot clinics for its employees, students and volunteers starting Monday, Sept. 19.
The free clinics, which will continue until Friday, Oct. 14, will be held at UCSF locations that include the Parnassus, Mount Zion, Mission Bay campuses as well at buildings at Mission Center Building, Laurel Heights, China Basin, Executive Park and 3360 Geary Blvd.
UCSF’s annual influenza program is intended to make it easier for members of the UCSF community to comply with the University’s flu vaccine policy. Flu vaccination protects staff, patients and the integrity of the UCSF workforce.
The UCSF flu shot policy requires that all UCSF Health employees and those who enter the hospitals and clinics be vaccinated for the seasonal flu. State law requires that anyone who declines a flu shot must sign a declination form and wear a hospital-supplied mask while in areas where patients are seen, evaluated and treated. Declination forms will be available in mid-November online.
Influenza, which is commonly called the flu, is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. The most effective way to prevent infection from an influenza virus is through annual flu vaccination, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Flu viruses circulate throughout the year, but influenza activity often begins increasing in October, according to the CDC. Flu activity most commonly peaks in the U.S. in January or February. The CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone 6 months and older by the end of October, if possible. The flu vaccine is designed to protect against the three main flu strains that research indicates will cause the most illness during the flu season.
The CDC is recommending this year that the flu shot should be used and not the nasal flu vaccine.
See the full lineup of the clinics on the UCSF Events Calendar »
For more campus news and resources, visit Pulse of UCSF.