Middlesex-London Health Unit is set to roll out its first H1N1 clinic on Western’s campus this Friday.

The clinic, to be located in the Althouse College gymnasium, will be running from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. according to Graham Pollett, medical officer of health for MLHU.

“We thought it would be important to maximize the use of this particular site for not only Western students, but [also] for the rest of the public,” Pollett said.

According to Gitta Kulcycki, vice-president resources and operations at Western, vaccinations will be administered by staff from MLHU rather than Western’s Student Health Services.

Despite past issues of vaccination supply, Kulcycki maintained that predicting the volume of vaccines needed remains challenging.

“It’s hard for me to imagine how many people will show up but I am very encouraged by media reports about the availability of the vaccine,” she said.

With a “significant” recent shipment of vaccines and more promised from the province for next week, Pollett was hopeful.

“The supply of the vaccine is improving […] This is one of the reasons of being able to open the clinics to the general public.”

Yet some students are reluctant to obtain the new vaccination regardless of its availability and despite being cost-free.

“I am not getting it,” Melissa Tamming, second-year psychology student at Western, said. “I never get the flu shot anyways.”

“The [flu shot] never really helps,” third-year psychology student, Brad Shantz, said.

“If it’s available, if it costs nothing and if it prevents you from getting very sick, why wouldn’t you get it?” Kulcycki questioned in regards to the reluctance surrounding the vaccination.

“There have been so many reports in the media where you have deaths of younger people and also where people have gotten really sick and so I absolutely do recommend it,” she added.

Pollett, a physician by profession, echoed these sentiments.

“With exams coming up, this can knock you off your feet anywhere from two to seven days so for that reason alone I think students should think seriously about getting the shot,” he said. “It’s a very safe vaccine […] the most common side-affect is simply a sore arm which goes away in a day or two.”

The vaccine will also be available for international students at Western according to Shelagh Bantock, clinic director of health services at Western.

“They are more than welcome to come, they just need some form of [identification] like a passport that got them here,” Bantock said.

“Students need to bring their OHIP cards and international students should bring their UHIP cards because they’re covered under UHIP,” Kulcycki added.

According to both Bantock and Kulcycki, more H1N1 clinics are being planned for the near future but there are no specific dates set.