Get your flu shot
It’s always important to get a flu shot. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s even more important this year. Flu is always a dangerous disease, but it can be even more deadly when combined with the risks associated with COVID-19.
However, to keep the campus from becoming too crowded, if you don’t live on campus, we recommend that you look for a location close to your home to get your vaccine. All MIT-sponsored insurance plans will allow you to get your flu shot anywhere Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is accepted.
The MIT Medical Flu Clinic is happening this year, but will look very different.
Who is eligible for the 2020 flu clinic?
- All enrolled students living on or off campus
- All Covid Pass participants
- All patients with a primary care provider at MIT Medical
If you are working remotely and are not an MIT Medical patient, you are not eligible to get a vaccine at MIT this year.
Where is this year’s clinic?
The 2020 MIT Medical flu clinic will be held in the Johnson Athletic Center (Building W34). This is the same facility where Covid Pass testing takes place, and the clinic will happen concurrently with COVID-19 screening. If you are not comfortable getting your immunization in the same location where COVID-19 testing is happening, you should not come to the flu clinic and should get your flu shot elsewhere.
When will the clinic take place?
Clinic dates
Wednesday, September 30–Friday, October 16 (No clinic on the Columbus Day holiday; clinic closes at noon on October 16.)
Hours
Monday–Friday from 8 a.m.–4 p.m.
If you are a Covid Pass participant:
We will send you a notification in the Covid Pass app for the week you should get your flu immunization. You can get your immunization anytime that week.
If you are an MIT Medical patient:
You can get your flu immunization any time within the three-week window.
If you are over age 65:
Come to the clinic from 8–10 a.m. We will have multiple stations administering high-dose vaccines during those hours.
If you are bringing children:
Children younger than 10 should come to the clinic from 12–4 p.m. Clinicians who can give shots to pediatric patients will be available at that time. If you arrive before noon, we cannot guarantee that we will have available staff to administer shots to children younger than 10.
Six-month old babies will receive their vaccine at their well-child visit.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Face masks are required at all times.
- Bring an MIT ID or your Covid Pass app if you have it.
- Please wear flu-shot-friendly clothing with short sleeves. If it is cold, wear an easy-to-remove outer layer, like a jacket. Taking off several layers of clothes has the potential to shed virus into the air.
- Proof of vaccination will be available through the HealthELife app. If you need paper documentation, ask a staff member when you come to the clinic.
If you can’t come to the flu clinic:
- MIT Medical patients: Get your shot at a retail pharmacy like CVS or Walgreens, go to your community’s flu clinic, or make an appointment with your MIT Medical provider to get a shot.
- Other Covid Pass participants: Call your care provider, visit a retail pharmacy like CVS or Walgreens, or go to your community’s flu clinic.
About this year’s vaccine
The 2020–21 flu vaccine offered at MIT is quadrivalent, protecting against two strains of influenza A (H1N1 and H3N2) and two strains of influenza B.
Active flu strains are different each year, so even if you got a flu shot last year, you still need to get this year’s vaccine. More information about this year’s vaccine is available from the CDC (Vaccine Information Statement) and the Commonwealth of Massachuestts (Massachusetts Immunization Information System).
Questions? Send an email to comments-fluinfo@mit.edu.
Flu clinics: Lincoln Laboratory
More information about the Lexington clinics at Lincoln Laboratory will be available in the coming weeks.
