COVID, flu vaccines available at on-campus clinics

Free COVID-19 vaccines are now available to all members of the UB community at three on-campus clinics organized by the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

The clinics, located on the North, South and Downtown campuses, are also providing flu vaccinations.

To receive either vaccination, students, faculty and staff must present a UB identification card. No appointments are necessary.

The COVID-19 vaccine is free for all, but patients with insurance should bring their insurance cards.

Flu shots are covered by insurance; no copay is required. The cost for those without insurance is $35.

The clinics will operate each week through Nov. 18. The schedules are:

• North Campus: Tuesdays, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 10 Talbert Hall.

• South Campus: Wednesdays, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 7 Diefendorf Hall.

• Downtown Campus: Thursdays, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Room 2211 Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

The effort is a collaboration between the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, UB Health Services, Tops Pharmacy and Rutowski Pharmacies. Each week, UB pharmacy school students, faculty and alumni will volunteer to provide vaccinations and assist with patient registration, education and counseling, and clinic coordination.

In addition to helping the UB community fight the spread of COVID-19 and the flu, the initiative allows students to gain valuable clinical experience by working under the supervision of community pharmacists and UB pharmacy school faculty members.

All UB students are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend classes and activities in person this fall, according to a mandate from the state. While employees are not required by the state to be vaccinated, they are strongly urged by the university to do so.

Members of the UB community also are encouraged to get a flu shot. Timothy Murphy, a UB infectious disease specialist and SUNY Distinguished Professor, says that while there was almost no influenza in the community last year due to social distancing, masking and the shutdown, "We are set up for a potentially worse season" this year, he says. And while he notes it's very difficult to predict what's going to happen with the flu this year, "It could happen earlier; it could be more severe; it could stretch longer," he says.