Cold and flu season is here and COVID-19 is not going away, according to Campus Health. 

Students interact on campus in their classes, dorms and extracurricular activities, creating optimal conditions for spreading illness. Campus Health offers advice and resources to help students take care of themselves during the semester. 

Dr. Courtney Hinton, associate medical director for NC State Campus Health, said decreasing COVID-19 protections also contributes to a rise in sickness. 

“The fall and winter is the time when colds and flu and illnesses in general can best spread,” Hinton said. “And as we have started to kind of decrease some COVID protections, you add that with spending more time inside in general, and it’s the perfect storm for colds and flus to infect us all.” 

Hinton also said the college environment can lead to more illness because students are coming from many different places. As they come together on campus, they bring all of the potential viruses they were exposed to previously. 

Beyond the annual flu, students are still facing COVID-19, though it is not as serious as previous years, said Hinton. 

“I think we are all understanding that we’re going to each have to find our ways to kind of coexist with COVID-19,” Hinton said. “That does not mean that it is no longer a dangerous illness. It definitely still is dangerous. But we are lucky in that we see many less people having the severe outcomes that we had when we didn’t have as many of these protections in place.” 

Hinton said remembering the basics of staying healthy is important to protect against potential illness. She encourages things like washing your hands, wearing a mask and staying home if you are not feeling well. 

“Practice being self aware of your body,” Hinton said. “It could be something as simple as having a little bit of a sore throat. It might be enough for you to pause and think: ‘Do I want to go to that social event that I planned to go to this evening, or do I want to maybe miss this one and see how this develops?’ A sore throat is a great example of a symptom that can develop in so many different ways.” 

The Campus Health Center also highly recommends COVID-19 vaccinations and flu shots to protect against viruses. Students can receive these vaccinations on campus at the Campus Health Center, and many already have, said Hinton. 

“I know there are many NC State students that have already started to get their flu shots,” Hinton said. “I have a little bit more faith in the coverage of the flu shot this year, because since we had a flu season last year, I think that the creation of this year’s flu shot is going to be more so based on what we saw last year, and more so based on what we’re seeing in other parts of the world. So I think that that will be helpful.” 

Hinton also reminded students to take advantage of the Campus Health Center’s resources, including its fully functioning pharmacy and robust over-the-counter selection. 

Kayla Bashore, a graduate student in business administration, shares some advice when it comes to making an appointment at the Campus Health Center.

“…If appointments are unavailable, check back once a day,” Bashore said. “It’s common appointment times get added on a daily basis.”

Bashore said she appreciates how much the staff at the Campus Health Center care. 

“This is one of the best student health centers I have been to in my educational career,” Bashore said. “All the staff take the time to solve issues, the pharmacy is so speedy and they can do blood or lab tests on site for quick turnaround.”

Learn more about the Campus Health Center’s resources and sign up for a flu or COVID-19 vaccine here.