Oh No, I Feel a Cough Coming On—What Do I Do?
Your roommate is taking DayQuil like there’s no tomorrow, your friends are cancelling plans, every time you walk the hallways, someone’s coughing and you’re afraid the snot-goblin is going to attack you next. What do you do? As flu season approaches, the Barnes Center at The Arch is anticipating a rise in flu cases this year.
Don’t worry—while germs travel quickly on campus, there are still plenty of things you can do to help prevent yourself from getting sick and ways to help yourself if you already are sick.
I Don’t Want to Get the Flu – What Steps Should I Take?
Get Your Flu Shot at the Flu Clinic
Staying proactive, not reactive, is the best way to stay healthy during flu season. The Barnes Center hosts Flu Shot Clinics throughout the fall semester, making it super easy to get a flu shot.
Vaccination is the best way to help prevent getting the flu and decrease your symptoms! If your roommate or someone in your residence hall, class or living area gets the flu, getting the vaccine will greatly decrease the severity of your symptoms if you catch it from them. Schedule and view flu clinic times via the Patient Portal today!
Determine if You Have the Flu
Flu symptoms can be hard to differentiate from other similar illnesses, including COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists common flu symptoms, including fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills or fatigue. However, if you are experiencing a sudden onset of symptoms, that’s a telltale sign of the flu.
If you think you have the flu, the next step is to grab an over-the-counter rapid combo test for flu and COVID-19 at the Barnes Center Pharmacy. Taking a test is an important way to determine what disease you may have contracted.
Sanitize and Clean Surfaces
When sharing spaces with others, it’s important to keep them clean. Taking the time to disinfect these surfaces frequently is key to killing germs and preventing the transmission of the flu and other illnesses. Use Environmental Protection Agency-registered disinfectants such as Clorox or Lysol for the best effect.
Don’t Share Vapes or Drinks
According to the CDC, the flu is commonly believed to be transmitted mostly through respiratory droplets produced when someone with the flu coughs, sneezes or talks. It can also spread when someone touches a surface or object contaminated with the virus and then touches their mouth, nose or eyes. To help prevent the spread of germs, avoid sharing drinks, vapes or other items that come into contact with your mouth.
I Got the Flu or Another Related Illness – What Now?
Get Medicine at the Barnes Center Pharmacy
Let me guess, you’re sick, you’re stuffy, the bed has become your bestie and you don’t want to hike across campus to get medicine. The first floor of the Barnes Center has a full-service pharmacy with over-the-counter cold and flu medications. Having a place right on campus to get medicine is super convenient.
Order a Feel Better Food Pack
The dining hall can feel so far when you’re sick, especially if you don’t have one attached to your residence hall. Did you know that if you’re feeling sick, you can have a bag of food items delivered right to your residence hall as a part of your meal plan?
Thanks to Campus Dining, you can have a Feel Better Food Pack delivered to any North Campus residence hall. The packs are the same cost as one meal swipe, or the equivalent amount will be deducted in Dining Dollars.
Cover Your Mouth and Mask Up
If you’re sick, do your part to keep the germs to yourself. Covering your mouth is crucial to making sure the disease doesn’t spread.
If you live with roommates or share a residence hall, keep your distance from others while you’re sick. Stay confined to your dorm room or apartment and if you need to leave, always mask up with a medical-grade mask.
The flu is going around, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still stay healthy! Follow these tips, get your flu shot at a flu clinic and visit the Barnes Center if you’re feeling ill. Stay healthy, Syracuse!
Written By Mirren Grimason ’29, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs