Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Flu Shots...Fast!

The main excitement of the day for us was getting our flu shots. Mayo does a mass vaccination clinic each fall that is open to all employees. It's a practice run in case the Clinic ever needs to vaccinate a large population in a hurry (think bird flu or smallpox). They have a bunch of staff there to direct the traffic flow, and 10 or 12 actual vaccination setups with a data gatherer (to confirm you are who you say you are, and to enter you into the computer) and a nurse who gives the actual shot. 3500 people were vaccinated by the end of lunch today, and that was nowhere near capacity. It's SO fast, we were in and out in under 5 minutes! Very impressive, and nice and confidence-building in case there is ever a big epidemic. Relatively pain-free as well, since there's no time to even see the needle coming.

So, that's my public health plug for the day: get your flu shot!

2 comments:

Mark Alvarez said...

I got my flu shot today. So did your grandfather. Dr. Shealy says hello.

Love,
Dad

Beth said...

It was fabulous having our little flu shot party...it didn't last very long, though, now did it? Impresssive!