Get your flu vaccination

It’s always important to get a flu vaccine. Flu is a dangerous disease. And with COVID-19 still with us, it continues to be important to protect yourself.

Campus Clinic

This year, MIT Health will hold its campus flu clinic Monday–Thursday, October 7–10, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. in Morss Hall in Walker Memorial (Building 50). These clinics are free to everyone who is eligible to get a vaccine on campus. Come to the clinic on the day that is most convenient for you.   

Who is eligible? 

  • All MIT ID holders, including: 

  • All enrolled students living on or off campus.  

  • All non-students who live on campus, including family members and children aged six months and older.  

  • All employees and contractors with an MIT ID.  

  • All MIT Health patients older than six months.  

If you are 65 or older, high-dose vaccines will be available at all times.  

If you are bringing children, clinicians who can give vaccines to pediatric patients will be available at all times. However, if your baby has an upcoming six-month well-child visit at MIT Health, they will get their flu vaccine at that appointment. Patients younger than 18 years old MUST be accompanied to the flu clinic by a parent or guardian.  

Lincoln Laboratory Clinic

This year’s Lincoln Laboratory flu clinic will be held Monday–Thursday, October 21–24, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. This clinic is for current, badge-holding Lincoln Laboratory employees only. Other MIT Health patients who get their care in Lexington can make an appointment to get their flu vaccines at the MIT Health Lexington Care Center. High-dose vaccines will be available for individuals older than 65. 

Information for Campus and Lexington Clinics 

  • Bring your MIT ID or MIT Atlas app. We can scan the barcode in the app if you don’t have your MIT ID.  

  • If you do not have an MIT ID or Atlas app, you will need to fill out additional paperwork before receiving your vaccine. 

  • Wear flu-vaccine-friendly clothing with short sleeves. If it is cold, wear a single, easy-to-remove outer layer, like a jacket.  

  • If you need documentation of your vaccine, ask a staff member at the clinic for a paper receipt, or, if you’re an MIT Health patient, you can get documentation of your vaccination through our patient portal, HealthELife. 

Other Options for Getting Your Vaccine

All MIT-sponsored insurance plans allow you to get your flu vaccine anywhere Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is accepted: 

  • Get your flu vaccine at a retail pharmacy, like CVS or Walgreens.  

  • Attend a flu clinic in your community.  

  • Get the flu vaccine from your primary care provider at MIT Health or elsewhere.   

About this year's vaccine

The 2024–25 flu vaccine offered at MIT is trivalent, protecting against two strains of influenza A (H1N1 and H3N2) and one strain of influenza B. Learn more from the CDC announcement. The vaccine is preservative-free and does not contain thimerosal. 

The vaccine does not provide protection for COVID-19. To get a COVID-19 vaccine, visit a local pharmacy or your primary care provider. COVID-19 vaccines will not be available at these flu clinics.   

Active flu strains are different each year, so even if you got a flu vaccine last year, you still need to get this year’s vaccine. More information about this year’s vaccine is available from the CDC (CDC Vaccine Information Statement) and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (Massachusetts Immunization Information System).  

Think you have the flu? We have tips to help you get through it.

Flu tips for students and employees

Questions? Send an email to comments-fluinfo@mit.edu

 

Resources & Links

Federal government resources