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Though the H1N1 virus appears to be spreading in Multnomah County, Oregon, home of Portland State University, the county does not have H1N1 vaccines. During the first two weeks of October, the county saw 26 cases reported jumping to 124 cases by Oct. 30.

According to Mary Beth Collins, executive director of the Center for Student Health and Counseling, Portland State will not have the H1N1 vaccine available until late November. The few vaccines available have been given only to pregnant women and young children.
 
Students on campus have voiced strong concerns over the lack of H1N1 vaccine. They worry that an infection would dramatically hinder academic progress, and some worry that a drop in their grades would jeopardize their academic loans.

 “I think that when we look at the potential for a person to lose academic loans because they cannot complete a class due to swine flu, it becomes ridiculous that our campus [does not have] these clinics,” senior David Green said.

Multnomah County currently has no vaccination clinics, and of the 186,500 doses of vaccine shipped to Oregon on Oct. 28, it is still uncertain how many will be available to high-risk Portland State students.

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