​​Navigating All the Feelings During the Holidays

We have been through a lot in recent years, and holidays can sometimes amplify feelings of grief and stress and make them even more difficult to navigate than in normal times. Acknowledging hard feelings, setting realistic expectations, reaching out, and doing things that nourish you are particularly important this time of year. Click here for some self-care ideas during the holidays.

If you're looking for a holiday relief guide, we recommend this podcast bundle: The Holiday Survival Guide from Life Kit: NPR, which is full of practical tips on reconnecting with our loved ones and celebrating the big and small joys in life during the holidays.

Reminder: Get Your Booster!

With the winter holidays and gatherings quickly approaching, now is the time to make sure you’re ready to celebrate safely! Getting a bivalent COVID-19 booster when eligible is proven to help your immune system better fight off newer variants of the COVID-19 virus and to reduce your risk of serious illness, hospitalization, and death. Bivalent boosters are available at no cost to everyone ages 5 years and up at least two months past their primary series or previous booster dose.

To schedule an appointment, visit VASE+ and search via zip code or check out our list of community clinics on BRHD’s COVID-19 Vaccination webpage. 

National Influenza Vaccination Week

This past week, we recognized the 2022 National Influenza Vaccination Week, an awareness campaign created to remind everyone that it’s not too late to get your flu vaccine!

As predicted, this influenza (flu) season is hitting our communities hard. Not only are we witnessing high rates of flu transmission across the population of Virginia, but high rates of pediatric hospitalization as well. Sadly, last week the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) notified the community of the state’s first pediatric death due to flu complications. Current case numbers are nearly triple what we experienced during this time in 2019 and years prior. We may not have even hit the peak of flu season yet, so now is the time to get vaccinated against the flu if you haven’t already!

Since flu viruses are constantly changing and protection from vaccination decreases over time, getting a flu vaccine every year is the best way to prevent flu. ​Flu vaccines are the only vaccines that protect against flu and are proven to reduce the risk of flu illness, hospitalization, and death. In addition to getting vaccinated, we encourage you to:

• Wash hands often
• Cover coughs and sneezes
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Stay home when feeling unwell

To learn more about the flu vaccine, visit the CDC’s Key Facts About Seasonal Flu Vaccine website.

Technical Updates

We’re excited to announce that BRHD has a new email address! Moving forward, you can contact us at BlueRidgeHD@vdh.virginia.gov for any health department related questions or feedback. We’re looking forward to hearing from you! 

Please be aware: due to a state-wide account migration for all VDH employees, BRHD staff will not have access to email starting tonight, December 9 through Monday, December 12, 2022.