Quick, can you answer these questions correctly? Click each question to be directed to the answer if you’re stumped.
True or False: You should get a flu shot every year.
Does MMR stand for Measles, Mumps, and Rubella or Measles, Mumps and Rabies?
Do I need a Shingles vaccine?
Am I up to date on my COVID-19 vaccines?
Odds are you might have had to look up one of those answers. The importance of immunization never gets old and a reminder can help. Check out this list for immunizations required at every age. Learn more about these recommended vaccines for 18 deadly diseases and how you can avoid it.
All preventive vaccines and administration are covered at 100% and require no claim forms if received at a network pharmacy or physician’s office when showing your member ID card at the time of service.
Every flu season is different and can affect each individual differently. From a few lost days of work and feeling miserable to serious complications of the flu that can worsen existing health conditions, influenza (the flu) can wreak havoc on your household. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend an annual seasonal flu vaccine as the best way to reduce the risk of getting the flu and reducing the severity of the illness.
It takes up to two weeks for your immunity to build up after getting a flu shot. The CDC recommends that individuals make plans to get vaccinated early in the fall, before the flu season begins, and ideally by the end of October.
More than 76% of the U.S. population live within a five-mile radius of a local pharmacy, making access to vaccination readily available, allowing you to protect yourself against the flu at your convenience.
Both CVS and Walgreens pharmacies offer walk-in appointments to receive the influenza immunization, and some employers offer flu shot clinics onsite making it a convenient, safe option for you to get your flu shot.
If visiting a pharmacy, please show your insurance card. Most pharmacies will bill Christian Brothers Services directly. If you receive a vaccination at a local pharmacy and are charged, the Trust will fully reimburse the cost. Download the reimbursement form here.
According to the Mayo Clinic, COVID-19 and the flu are both contagious respiratory diseases and can cause similar symptoms, either mild or severe. Because of the similarities, it can be hard to diagnose which condition you have based on symptoms alone. Testing may be done to see if you have COVID-19 or the flu. You can also have both diseases at the same time.
About 80% of the US population lives within a 10-minute drive of an Increasing Community Access to Testing (ICATT) COVID-19 testing site, which provides testing for those who are symptomatic, have been exposed, or are at high risk of severe outcomes. Learn more about the ICATT program.
The CDC reports annual flu vaccination is recommended for everyone six months and older, with few exceptions as has been the case since 2010. New this season, however, is a preferential recommendation for the use of higher dose and adjuvanted flu vaccines in people 65 and older over standard dose, unadjuvanted flu vaccines. More information on this new recommendation can be found here.
In addition, as of Sept. 1, the CDC is recommending the use of updated COVID-19 boosters from Pfizer-BioNTech for people ages 12 years and older and from Moderna for people ages 18 years and older.
