Free flu vaccinations are now available to the Stanford University community through October. Staff, faculty, and postdocs may receive vaccinations at drop-in clinics on the Stanford campus, Stanford Redwood City, and Hopkins Marine Station. Flu clinics are scheduled through Oct. 31. Vaccinations for students are available at Walgreens at Vaden without an appointment or at the Vaden Health Services injection clinic with an appointment.

How to get your flu vaccine

Students can make an appointment at Vaden Health Center; flu clinic hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Flu shots at Walgreens at Vaden are available during walk-in hours.

Faculty and staff can drop into flu clinics held at various campus locations through Oct. 31, see the full list of dates and locations. Please complete the online consent form before getting your vaccination and bring your Stanford ID to the clinic.

Vaccinations for spouses and domestic partners of faculty, staff, and postdocs are $45, which can be paid at the clinic.

The Occupational Health Center (SUOHC) in the Department of Environmental Health & Safety is offering free flu vaccinations to Stanford community members. Getting vaccinated reduces the likelihood of getting the flu and passing it to others. Vaccines also reduce the severity of flu symptoms for those who do get sick. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends getting a flu shot in October.

Here, Dr. Rich Wittman shares information flu vaccines and how to further reduce your risk this flu season:

  • Flu vaccines are now trivalent and provide effective protection from this year’s flu.

    Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself from catching the main seasonal flu viruses in circulation. This year’s trivalent vaccine is designed to be effective against the three influenza lineages in circulation: the two influenza A lineages (H1N1 and H3N2) and one influenza B lineage (B/Victoria). The change to trivalent from last season’s quadrivalent reflects the reduced likelihood of getting one of the influenza B lineages (B/Yamagata). This lineage has not been detected since March 2020, most likely the result of the masking and social distancing that took place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 during the pandemic.

  • Individuals 65 years and older should consider a high-dose flu vaccine.

    Wittman recommends that those 65 and older request a high-dose flu vaccine at the SUOHC flu clinics because they are at a greater risk of experiencing more severe symptoms. “Last year, flu hospitalization rates for those under age 50 were significant and higher than the COVID hospitalization rates,” Wittman said. “Flu hospitalization rates in those 65 and older were more than five times greater than for this younger group, and COVID hospitalization rates were 10 to 15 times higher.” High-dose flu vaccines trigger a more robust immune response than the standard flu vaccine and bring more protection to higher-risk age groups. Wittman also suggests that those 65 and older stay current on their COVID-19 vaccination.

  • Visit public agency dashboards to learn about flu activity in your community.

    Experts, like Wittman, use public dashboards to track flu activity levels locally as well as at state and national levels. As we approach a busy time for travel and family gatherings over the holiday season, dashboards like WastewaterSCAN and CDC dashboards can be used by anyone to help make decisions around precautions to reduce risk. “Data such as this can be useful to monitor trends and cue behavior change,” said Wittman.

For more information, and a detailed schedule and locations of the flu vaccination clinics, visit the Flu Program website.