JustCare

Tag: RSV

  • It’s once again time to get your flu shot!

    It’s once again time to get your flu shot!

    It’s important to get the flu shot every year, no matter how old you are. It’s particularly important for older adults. And, it is all the more important with Covid-19 surging. Now that it’s sweater weather, it’s time to get your flu shot!

    Talk to your doctor about getting the flu shot and about whether you should get a special vaccine available for people over 65. The good news: Medicare covers the full cost of a flu shot.

    You do not need to go to the doctor’s office for your flu shot. You can likely get the flu shot at your local pharmacy or your local supermarket. More pharmacies are offering drive-through and curbside flu shots, in addition to in-store vaccines.

    Why get the flu shot now? That’s how you best protect yourself, the people you love and your community. The flu, like Covid-19, can be lethal. It kills thousands of people each year. Because people have been taking precautions against Covid-19 though, in 2021-22, the CDC found a significant drop in hospitalizations and deaths from the flu. Ten thousand people in the US were hospitalized from the flu and 5,000 people died. Older adults are more likely to die from the flu than younger people.

    The flu vaccine takes between two and four weeks to become effective. So, even if you get it now, it might not protect you from the flu until the end of October. It will not protect you from Covid-19, though the symptoms can be quite similar–a cough, a cold, sore throat, fever. You should also talk to your doctor about getting the Covid-19 booster shot, now available; also ask whether you should get the new RSV vaccine.

    Sometimes the flu shot will not keep you from getting the flu. However, even if you get the flu, the flu shot reduces the odds that it will be a severe case. The flu shot may keep you from being hospitalized for the flu or, worse still, from being in the intensive care unit of the hospital. It also reduces your risk of death.

    You shouldn’t wait to get the flu shot. No one knows whether the flu season will begin this month or next. You want to protect yourself as soon as possible.

    You need the flu shot even if you haven’t gotten the flu before. (There is one exception: People who are allergic to the flu vaccine.)  There is only benefit from getting the flu shot. The flu shot cannot give you the flu.

    Here’s some good news: Everything you are doing to protect yourself from Covid-19–social distancing, wearing a mask and regular hand washing–should also minimize your chance of getting the flu!

    A version of this post was originally published on September 9, 2020.

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  • Coronavirus: Should you get the 2023 booster shot?

    Coronavirus: Should you get the 2023 booster shot?

    The next Covid-19 booster shot should now be available from your local pharmacy, health clinic or doctor’s office. Medicare pays for it in full, whether you are enrolled in Traditional Medicare or a Medicare Advantage plan. If you are in a Medicare Advantage plan, the booster shot should be covered in full from network pharmacies, but perhaps not if you go out of network for the booster. Should you get the booster shot?

    The Food and Drug Administration just approved the booster as safe and effective. The booster shot protects people from the current Covid 19 variants in the US. The Centers for Disease Control panel of advisors believes that everyone over six months old should get it. Some argue that if only older adults are vaccinated, it will mean 100,000 additional hospitalizations.

    Fewer than one in five Americans got the Covid-19 booster that was approved in 2022. But, the data show that people who got the booster had a much lower likelihood of getting very sick or dying.

    Many people are getting Covid-19 now and more people are being hospitalized for it than earlier in the summer. More still are expected to be hospitalized this fall and winter.

    The list price of the booster is $130. But Medicare pays for it under Part B. Medicaid also covers it. And, so does commercial insurance. If you are uninsured, the federal government’s Bridge Access Program covers the vaccine at Federally Qualified Health Centers and at Walgreens, CVS and some other pharmacies.

    While the booster shot might only keep people from getting Covid for a few months, it still reduces the likelihood of being hospitalized and dying for a much longer period of time.

    The booster was tested on monkeys and mice, not people. But, around the world, billions of people have gotten the booster safely.

    Should you get the booster shot? You probably should not get the booster shot if you’ve had Covid in the last two months. Otherwise, many recommend you get the booster shot soon. If you are planning to travel over the winter holidays, you might wait until early November to get the booster. You then increase the likelihood that the vaccine protects you from infection during your travels.

    Some doctors question the value of the booster for people who have had Covid-19 and have been vaccinated one or more times. They believe that this alone should keep them from getting seriously ill from Covid-19, even if they get Covid.

    Should you get the Covid booster, the RSV vaccine and the flu shot at the same time? It might be smart to space them out.

    Free Covid tests: The federal government is once again offering free Covid tests beginning September 25. Click here to get four free tests sent to your home.

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  • This Fall, talk to your doctor about getting an RSV vaccine

    This Fall, talk to your doctor about getting an RSV vaccine

    It’s just about that time of year again, when flu season hits. This year, there’s a new vaccine, covered in full under Medicare Part D, which helps prevent coughs and shortness of breath resulting from an RSV respiratory infection. But, the New York Times reports that some pharmacies are charging people with Medicare more than $300 for the vaccine.

    RSV or respiratory syncytial virus kills as many as 10,000 people in the US every year and leads to as many as 160,000 hospitalizations. Two new FDA-approved vaccines have a very high likelihood of preventing hospitalizations and death from respiratory tract disease. But some commercial insurers are not covering it.

    According to the CDC, RSV is a common respiratory virus. Symptoms tend to be mild and cold-like, a runny nose, coughing, sneezing, fever or wheezing. But, sometimes people become short of breath or face lower oxygen levels. You can catch RSV from other people, usually through coughs or sneezes coming in contact with your nose or mouth or eyes. You can also catch it from touching a surface that has the virus on it.

    The CDC recommends that adults 60 years and older get a single dose of RSV vaccine, if your primary care doctor agrees. Older adults and people with weakened immune systems are at the highest risk of hospitalization from RSV. Older adults living in nursing homes or long-term care facilities are also at high risk. You can get the vaccine at the same time that you get your flu shot or other vaccines.

    Blue Cross, Blue Shield won’t cover the vaccine because it is not yet on the centers for Disease Control’s vaccine schedule for older adults.

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