Your Decision to #GetTheShot is Not Up for Debate |
|
Fear of the COVID-19 virus and each unprecedented turn of the pandemic has continuously led to misinformation being spread. Planning gatherings for the holidays may be stressful due to tensions caused by disagreements over safety recommendations and especially vaccine efficacy.
However, your personal decision to get vaccinated is not up for debate. Rather than spend the holidays fighting with those you care about, help ease their fears. HCC Network and REACH Healthcare Foundation have collaborated with Grace Advertising to create a free-to-use toolkit to help combat misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines and reassure rural residents.
The toolkit features social media graphics and captions available in English and Spanish, tailored for rural Missourians. Feel free to use the Rural Vaccines Toolkit or the Vaccine Mythbusters Fact Sheets below to stop an argument and spark a discussion. We need your help to spread the word about why it's important to #GetTheShot.
|
|
Flu Can be Deadly: What You Need to Know |
|
Understanding Risks and Complications |
|
Everyone age six months and older needs to get a flu vaccine every year. Seasonal flu vaccines are the best way to protect yourself and others from the flu. For many people, the seasonal flu is a mild illness. But sometimes, the flu can be serious or even deadly.
The flu:
- Is linked to serious infections like pneumonia.
- Can make existing health problems worse (for example, long-term heart or lung disease).
- Can lead to hospitalization or death.
Flu vaccines can help prevent people from getting sick with the flu and lower the risk of hospitalization and death caused by the flu. Although experts recommend receiving a flu vaccine by the end of October, it's not too late -- flu season lasts through May.
For some people, the flu is more likely to cause serious illness that can lead to hospitalization or even death. People at high risk for serious flu complications may include:
- Children under age 5 — and especially children under age 2.
- Women who are pregnant or have had a baby in the last 2 weeks.
- Adults age 65 and older.
- People with some long-term health conditions (like asthma, diabetes, or heart disease).
- People with a weakened immune system (like people with HIV).
- People who live in long-term care facilities (like nursing homes).
- People from certain racial and ethnic groups, including people who are African American, Hispanic or Latino, and American Indian or Alaska Native.
- People with obesity who have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher.
If you’re at high risk for serious flu complications, it’s especially important to get the vaccine before the flu starts to spread in your community. And if you care for or spend time with someone at high risk for serious flu complications, the flu vaccine can protect you both.
|
|
DID YOU KNOW?
Everyone ages five and older can receive the seasonal flu shot at the same time as a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
To find a free vaccine near you, use the Vaccine Finder and search by vaccine type.
|
|
Booster Shots Make Us Stronger, Longer |
|
Why do I need a booster shot?
Booster shots are an important way to prolong protection against COVID-19 and prevent serious illness. Research shows that immunity against COVID-19 diminishes over time, and a booster shot can help your body stay protected longer.
Additionally, if you are experiencing “long-haul” COVID-19 symptoms, a booster shot can be helpful. Long-haul symptoms include: brain fog, fatigue, headaches, dizziness and shortness of breath, among others.
Are boosters safe?
Researchers evaluated 1.1 million individuals who got a COVID-19 booster shot. After 12 days, they were almost 20 times less likely to test positive for COVID-19 and less likely to have severe symptoms compared with people who did not get a booster shot.
People who have received booster shots report experiencing mild side effects, if any. Booster doses help prevent serious complications, hospitalization, and death.
Who is eligible?
Booster shots are available for all three COVID-19 vaccines for individuals aged 18 and older. The FDA-authorized Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are the only COVID-19 vaccines currently available for the 16- and 17- year-old age group.
|
|
Masks and Vaccines May be Best Defense Against Omicron |
|
The transmissibility and disease severity caused by Omicron are still unknown, though it is expected to spread more easily than the original virus. Similar to the Delta variant, it is expected that anyone with Omicron infection can spread the virus to others, even if they are vaccinated or don’t have symptoms.
Current vaccines are expected to protect against severe illness, as is true with the Delta variant, but breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated people are likely to occur. Initial data on the first 43 cases show most have been fully vaccinated people who experienced mild symptoms, with only one hospitalization and no deaths recorded.
Missouri and surrounding states have consistently reported increasingly high transmission rates. Residents are encouraged to wear masks when gathering indoors. Although Omicron is a concern, Delta is still the predominant variant present in Missouri, and both are more easily transmissible than the original strain.
There is evidence that mask mandates can help curb transmission. Recently, Rebecca Nugent, a data scientist at Carnegie Mellon who has been tracking the impact of COVID-19 mitigation policies, looked at how the Delta variant spread through the summer and fall.
|
|
Southeast Missouri Halts COVID-19 Prevention Work as New Variant Arrives |
|
Last month, a ruling by a Cole County Circuit Court determined local authorities did not have the power to impose COVID-19 public health orders. Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt responded to the ruling by writing to local health departments and schools, ordering them to comply. Though several districts rejected the order, promising to keep existing mask mandates, many throughout Southeast Missouri said they would immediately pause COVID-19 tracking and prevention work, including quarantine policies.
While many of these agencies have expressed concern for the decision, they also reiterated that they are required to follow the Attorney General’s orders. Some have even reported that they are discussing the issue with other health departments, lawyers, and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).
Departments across southeast Missouri all released similar statements last week, notifying the public that the internal work would continue, but public reporting and policies would change until further notice with no expectations or timeline to revert.
The Lee’s Summit R-7 School District’s legal counsel responded with their own letter, stating that Schmitt’s cease and desist letters both lack legal effect and are “simply wrong.” The counsel says Schmitt does not have the authority to halt COVID-19 mitigation efforts and that DHSS authority is not needed either. The district also pointed out that school districts were not parties in the court ruling and they are therefore not bound to these requests.
Schmitt responded with a tweet stating he “set the record straight” with the school district, accompanied by another letter. In it, he cited several court cases he believes grant him the authority to issue these requests, leading many to speculate if he plans to sue should the district not comply. The Lee’s Summit R-7 School District stated that they stand by their original statement.
Schmitt, who is currently running for U.S. Senate, has been vocally opposed to COVID-19 mandates and health orders. His latest outcry comes just as new Variant of Concern, Omicron, has been confirmed in Missouri. DHSS was notified of the state’s first case of Omicron on December 3 and has since confirmed the infected person was a St. Louis resident who had recently traveled domestically.
|
|
Is It Safe for My Children to #GetTheShot? |
|
Children ages 5 to 11 are now eligible for the low-dose Pfizer vaccine to get immunized against COVID-19. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all eligible children get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible.
Clinical trials reveal vaccines for children are safe and offer strong protection against COVID-19, including against the Delta variant. Trials included thousands of children who were closely monitored by pediatricians and experts to help ensure safety.
The COVID-19 vaccine is free of charge to all people living in the United States, regardless of health insurance or residency status.
The Lafayette County Health Department offers the pediatric Pfizer vaccine for ages 5 to11 during walk-in clinics every Monday and Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Still have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine for kids? Get answers.
|
|
ICYMI: HCC Rides Bridges the Access Gap in Health Care |
|
One obstacle of existing public transportation services, including the services for Medicaid enrollees, is the lack of flexibility. While these programs are helpful for appointments scheduled in advance, they offer little wiggle room for changes or emergencies. The same is true for public buses; even if there is no cost, hours of operation and routes are limited.
Because of these challenges, HCC Rides focuses on flexibility. The program aims to promote independence, especially for those who feel like a burden relying on others or miss appointments due to inconvenience. “We’ve had people say, I would not have been able to get to and from my dialysis because my kids would have had to take off work,” said Smith. “We’re able to alleviate the burden some older patients may feel when relying on others.”
While the program primarily provides rides to and from health and wellness appointments, flexible access to care-adjacent errands prevent patients from missing or delaying necessary medication or tests. Riders can request stops to the pharmacy to drop off prescriptions or pick up medication. Patients undergoing dialysis, chemotherapy, and other treatments, or patients who feel too sick to drive, are also able to utilize HCC Rides. If a patient needs a test from an outside facility, drivers capable of and comfortable driving that distance will be available.
According to Smith, many HCC patients don’t have insurance, access to transportation, or both, and will utilize the emergency room (ER) for care. “A lot of the clients we see don’t have transportation or Medicaid and use the ER as primary care," she said. "We want to try and get as many people away from that as we can so that the ambulances and emergency rooms can be used for true emergencies.”
Establishing a reliable service for uninsured residents helps bridge the access barrier gap both financially and geographically. This also allows emergency resources and services to be retained, a critical need as rural facilities often face resource shortages, especially in emergency departments.
|
|
Before the new year begins, sign up for the health care coverage you deserve. Open marketplace enrollment ends January 15, 2022.
|
|
|
|
Aging in Place in Rural America: Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Initiatives
Jan. 18, 2022
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
