How Does The Covid
The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, approved in December, use messenger RNA which delivers a small genetic message that causes your own cells to make a protein that resembles the spike on the outer shell of the tiny COVID-19 virus. Your immune system then recognizes this protein as foreign, and produces specific antibodies and specialized immune cells that quickly spring into action if the virus itself shows up in the future.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine does the same thing, but instead uses an inactivated cold virus to deliver the information that the immune system uses to create protection. Unlike the mRNA vaccines, the J& J vaccine does not need special freezers. Instead, it can be stored in a normal fridge, allowing for much easier access to the vaccine across a variety of locations.
Should I Get A Flu Shot
Yes! At One Medical, we encourage all our patients who are eligible to get vaccinated against the flu. Its the single best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from getting the flu. In fact, the flu shot not only reduces your risk of getting the flu and lessens symptoms if you do get sick, it also helps prevent the flu from spreading. If you are in close contact with young children, anyone elderly or with a serious illness, getting vaccinated can reduce their chances of coming down with the flu and developing complications like pneumonia. Moreover, the flu shot is especially important for infants and children, anyone pregnant , those over the age of 50, those with a chronic medical condition, and those caring for someone who is at risk for complications of the flu. These special groups are at high risk of serious complications of flu, like hospitalization, pneumonia and even death.
How Effective Is The Seasonal Flu Shot
Influenza vaccine effectiveness can vary. The protection provided by a flu vaccine varies from season to season and depends in part on the age and health status of the person getting the vaccine and the similarity or match between the viruses in the vaccine and those in circulation. During years when the flu vaccine match is good, it is possible to measure substantial benefits from flu vaccination in terms of preventing flu illness and complications. However, the benefits of flu vaccination will still vary, depending on characteristics of the person being vaccinated , what flu viruses are circulating that season and, potentially, which type of flu vaccine was used. More information is available at Vaccine Effectiveness How well does the Flu Vaccine Work.
There are many reasons to get an influenza vaccine each year.
Below is a summary of the benefits of flu vaccination and selected scientific studies that support these benefits.
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Who Needs A Flu Vaccine
Prevention and Control of Seasonal Influenza with Vaccines: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices United States, 2022-2023 Influenza Season has been published. Related updates to this page are forthcoming. CDC recommends everyone 6 months and older in the United States should get a flu vaccine every season with rare exception. More information about the 2022-2023 flu season is also available.
Is There More Than One Type Of Flu Shot Available
Yes. There are different flu vaccine manufacturers and multiple flu vaccines that are licensed and recommended for use in the United States.
For people younger than 65 years, CDC does not preferentially recommend any licensed, age-appropriate influenza vaccine over another during the 2022-2023 flu season. Options for this age group include inactivated influenza vaccine , recombinant influenza vaccine , or live attenuated influenza vaccine , with no preference for any flu vaccine over another.
New for this season: For people 65 years and older, there are three flu vaccines that are preferentially recommended overstandard-dose, unadjuvanted flu vaccines. These are Fluzone High-DoseQuadrivalent vaccine, Flublok Quadrivalent recombinantflu vaccine and Fluad Quadrivalent adjuvanted flu vaccine. More information is available at Flu & People 65 Years and Older.
All flu vaccines for the 2022-2023 season are quadrivalent vaccines, designed to protect against four different flu viruses, including two influenza A viruses and two influenza B viruses. Different vaccines are licensed for use in different age groups, and some vaccines are not recommended for some groups of people.
Available flu vaccines include:
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Seasonal Flu And Covid
COVID-19 and the flu will likely both be spreading this season, according to the CDC. Protecting yourself from the flu with a flu shot helps reduce your risk of serious illness and hospitalization.3 It may be hard to know if you have COVID-19 or if it may be the flu or a cold, since symptoms are similar. Getting the COVID-19 vaccine and the flu vaccine will give you the best protection. You can even get them at the same time.3 Ask your doctor if you have more questions about how these vaccines can help protect you.
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Choose a provider you can connect with. Our physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners are all primary care providers with one goal: getting to know what makes you unique and guiding you on your journey towards achieving and maintaining optimal health.
General
Virtual appointments allow our patients to see their providers in the comfort of their own homes. Our providers are also able to offer more flexible hours beyond what in-person doctorâs offices provide.
If any in-person care is needed, such as bloodwork, vaccinations, or other testing, our providers are able to send the appropriate request to a nearby lab. Results will be integrated with our HIPAA-compliant mobile app so that patients have access to all of their medical records in one secure place.
For those with insurance, cost will depend on the specific type of care you receive and the coverage of your insurance plan. We provide a cost estimate based on each patientâs insurance plan when they book an appointment.For those without insurance, we provide the self-pay costs of each appointment when a patient is booking their appointment.
To see our list of currently available states, begin booking an appointment.You must be currently residing in the state of treatment as well as have your primary pharmacy be in that same state in order to be a patient at our practice.
Behavioral Health
Billing
Insurance
The first intake appointment is 30 minutes. Follow-up appointments are 20 minutes each.
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The Flu Vaccine Helps Protect You And Your Family From The Flu
Millions of people get influenza every year. While it may be common, seasonal flu is a potentially serious disease. It can lead to hospitalization and even death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .1 Thats why its recommended to get a flu vaccine every year to help protect yourself and your family.2 The flu vaccine can help:
- Weaken or prevent the flu
- Reduce the risk of having to go to the doctor with flu by 40 percent to 60 percent during seasons when the flu vaccine viruses are similar to circulating flu viruses1
Do I Need To Wear A Mask While Im Sick
No, not if you stay home and can remain at least six feet away from other people. However, if you simply must be in close contact with others , then consider wearing a surgical mask. This is especially important if you will be in contact with people at risk for complications of influenza . For example, sick mothers who are nursing infants should strongly consider wearing a mask for the duration of the illness.
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We Want To Make Covid19 Vaccination Easy And Accessible To Everyone
COVIDâ19 vaccines are free and available to anyone who wants one. We work with partners such as clinics, pharmacies and health departments to provide accurate and up-to-date information about vaccination services in your area.
This page is brought to you by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , and VaccineFinder from Boston Childrenâs Hospital.
We can do this.
So What Should I Do If I Get Sick
Whether youve got H3N2 or seasonal flu, theres really no substitute for old-school, common-sense treatments. Get lots of rest and drink plenty of fluids. Avoid alcohol and tobacco. Take acetaminophen and/or ibuprofen for fever and body aches, but avoid aspirin if youre under the age of 19. You should start feeling better within a few days. If you are at risk for complications of influenza , or if your symptoms are clearly getting worse, call our office and ask to speak with someone on our medical staff for more advice.
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How Much Is A Flu Shot
Flu immunizations are free with most insurance. There is no co-payment unless required by your insurance plan.
*Free flu shots with most insurance. No co-payment unless required by your plan.
**10% off a grocery purchase up to $200 with any immunization. Restrictions apply. Visit pharmacy for details.
+Offer not valid for beneficiaries of state and federal healthcare programs, residents of AR, OR, IA, IL, IN, NJ, or NY, or if otherwise prohibited by law. Additional restrictions apply. Visit pharmacy for details.
Should My Child Get A Flu Shot
Yes! At One Medical, we encourage all our patients who are eligible, including infants age 6 months and older and children and teens, to get vaccinated against the flu. Its the single best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from getting the flu. In fact, the flu shot not only reduces your childs risk of getting the flu and lessens symptoms if they do get sick, it also helps prevent the flu from spreading. Moreover, the flu shot is especially important for infants and children, anyone pregnant , those over the age of 50, those with a chronic medical condition, and those caring for someone who is at risk for complications of the flu. These special groups are at high risk of serious complications of flu, like hospitalization, pneumonia and even death.The best way to protect your child is for the entire family to get vaccinated against the flu.
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How Will I Know How Much I Owe
One Medical will email your statement as soon as your claim has been processed by your insurance carrier. You can also always check your billing on the One Medical app under the My Health tab, then hit Insurance & Billing to see your Online Bills.
Note: While you may receive an EOB from your insurance carrier prior to your statement, please wait for your statement from One Medical before reaching out to us with any questions you may have on your bill.
Is The Flu Shot A Vaccine
Yes, flu vaccinations, also known as flu shots, cause antibodies to develop in the body that provide protection against infection from the influenza viruses that are used to make the vaccine. Most seasonal flu vaccines protect against four different flu viruses: an influenza A virus, an influenza A virus, and two influenza B viruses.
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The Flu Shot Wont Make You Sick
The flu vaccine itself will not make you sick. It is medically impossible to catch the flu from the vaccine. While a tiny amount of the virus is used to make the shot, it cannot generate an active infection within your body. You will probably be sore where you get the shot, but that is simply your immune system making protective antibodies to fight off the real influenza virus.
In the fall, when the newest flu vaccine becomes available, lots of other viruses begin circulating. If you feel sick after getting the shot, it is likely that you were already going to get ill before you received the vaccination.
Do I Need An Antiviral Medication
Usually not. Most people with influenza will recover completely without medication. Drugs like Tamiflu can help shorten the duration of symptoms and help lessen the severity of symptoms by a day or so, but they wont cure and wont reliably prevent influenza. In fact, overzealous use of these drugs has the potential to contribute to the emergence of resistant super-viruses. However, if you have influenza and you are at risk for complications , you should receive antiviral medication. In that case, please call our office to speak with someone on our medical staff as soon as possible, since antiviral the drugs work best if taken within two days of becoming ill.
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Protect You And Your Loved Ones By Getting A Flu Shot
encourages residents six months and older to get an annual influenza vaccination by the end of October to reduce the chance of getting the flu and spreading it to others.
According to the Centers for Disease Control , COVID-19 will likely continue into the fall and winter and may overlap with the flu season.
Catching the flu and COVID-19 at the same time can make you very ill, said Dr. Ankoor Shah, Medical Officer overseeing Influenza and COVID-19 Vaccine initiatives at DC Health. This means getting a flu vaccine now is more important than ever, he added.
The best way to protect yourself and your loved ones against flu is to get a flu vaccine each year. The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness. Serious outcomes of flu infection can result in hospitalization or death.
No two flu seasons are alike, and influenza infection can affect people differently, but millions of people get the flu every year, hundreds of thousands of people are hospitalized and thousands to tens of thousands of people die from flu-related causes every year.
In the District of Columbia, typically 30-35 percent of its residents get an annual flu shot and during 2015-2018, the number of annual District resident deaths due to Influenza, or Pneumonia, ranged between 78 and 104 deaths annually.
Flu vaccines are very safe and the vaccine is available now at many private health care providers, free clinics and pharmacies.
What Would My Prenatal Visit Schedule Look Like
You will schedule appointments with your prenatal provider throughout your pregnancy, and can expect to come in more frequently as you get closer to your delivery date.
Months 2 through 7: Appointments every 4-6 weeksMonths 7 through 8: Appointments every 2-3 weeksMonth 9 through birth: Weekly appointmentsPostpartum Appointment: 4-6 weeks after birth
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How Do I Know If Im At Risk For Complications Of Influenza
You are at increased risk for complications if:
- You are pregnant
- You have a chronic medical condition, such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, asthma, emphysema, cancer, HIV, etc.
- You are age 65 or older
- You are younger than age 5
- You are younger than age 19 and are receiving long-term aspirin therapy
If you fall into any of these categories and are feeling sick, or have been exposed to someone with a confirmed case of influenza, please call our office and ask to speak to a medical staff member for further guidance.
Are Flu Vaccines Safe
Yes, very! Flu vaccines have been studied carefully and are very safe. Even though some people get sick despite getting a flu shot, the flu shot itself can’t give you the flu. Some people report symptoms such as body aches and low-grade fevers after getting a flu shot. This is due to your bodys developing a healthy immune response to the vaccine. These symptoms usually resolve within 24-48 hours. There has been an association between the flu shot and a serious complication called Guillain-Barre Syndrome , but this is extremely rare – fewer than 1 or 2 people per million who receive the vaccine will develop this syndrome, and the vaccine has been shown over and over to be safe and effective. If you have concerns about the vaccines safety, you can read more from the CDC here. Talk to your provider if youve had a bad reaction to a vaccine in the past before receiving your next flu shot.
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Where Can I Get A No
To locate a VA medical facility, in-network urgent care or retail pharmacy near you, use the VA locator,
- Enter the city, state, or postal ZIP code for your location.
- Choose a Facility Type from the drop down:
- Select VA health for VA medical center locations
- Select Urgent Care, for All in-network urgent care
- Select Community pharmacies
What Is A Pa
Physician Assistants are extensively trained in the practical knowledge and skills required for effective clinical care. At One Medical, and in many other settings, PAs practice similarly to physicians, often acting as PCPs for their patients. They make diagnoses, prescribe treatments, and can handle all the basic primary care issues and procedures, consulting their MD or DO colleagues as needed.
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