Flu shots are available now at no cost to Georgia Perimeter College students—and to faculty and staff for $10. The GPC Student Health Center will administer the vaccines on a walk-in basis through Sept. 18 and then again in October for a couple of weeks. 

“We’re hoping to use all of them,” Suzanne Wetter, GPC Student Health Center director, says of the 700 flu vaccines Georgia Perimeter has in stock.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the flu vaccine to everyone six months of age and older, noting that it’s difficult to predict severity levels for any flu season. Still, Wetter stresses it’s best to err on the side of caution. “Not only are you protecting yourself, but you’re protecting other people around you,” she says.

This year’s flu vaccine is aimed at guarding against the most common viruses: influenza A (H1N1 and H3N2) and influenza B. The CDC estimates that manufacturers will provide between 171-179 million doses of vaccine for the U.S. market during this flu season, which peaks December through February.

Although Georgia Perimeter will administer more shots in October, Wetter says getting immunized in September is best. “Flu season starts in October and it takes two weeks for you to develop immunity,” she says. 

Visit the GPC Student Health Center website for a flu vaccine schedule, which includes health center mobile unit visits to Alpharetta, Decatur and Newton campuses and clinic times at Dunwoody and Clarkston.