As we head into the winter months and spend more time indoors, it’s vital to get up to date on the seasonal flu vaccine, as well as COVID-19 vaccines and boosters. We’ve pulled together the latest information from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC), so you know where, when, and how to get the protection you need to stay healthy.
Before COVID-19, seasonal flu vaccination was the most important annual vaccination for most of us to get. According to the U.S. CDC, flu vaccination prevents millions of illnesses and flu-related provider visits each year. The CDC estimates that from 2019-2020, the flu vaccination prevented 7.5 million influenza illnesses, 3.7 million influenza-associated medical visits, 105,000 influenza-associated hospitalizations, and 6,300 influenza-associated deaths.
The U.S. and Maine CDCs recommend that people six months and older get an annual flu vaccine as early in the fall as possible. If you haven’t already done so, call your primary care provider (PCP) or your local pharmacy to schedule your flu vaccination today. The good news is that Health Options makes the flu vaccine available at $0 cost-share to Members, and you can receive a flu shot at the same time as a COVID-19 shot if you still need one.
Also, COVID-19 boosters are available to everyone aged 18 and older – just in time for holiday gatherings. The latest (CDC) booster recommendations are:
You can get your booster shot anywhere that provides the COVID-19 vaccine. You may hear directly from your healthcare provider about getting a booster, or you may contact the locations linked below for an appointment. Many locations also offer drop-in vaccinations with no appointment necessary.
For a final piece of vaccination news, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is now widely available for individuals aged 5 and older throughout Maine. As the Delta variant continues to be a prominent strain, vaccination is the safest way to protect against severe illness in children and adults.
It’s also important to continue protecting unvaccinated children ages two and older, who should wear a mask in public spaces and around people with whom they do not live.
If you need help scheduling an appointment, or want to know if a site near you offers vaccinations without an appointment, call the Maine COVID-19 Community Vaccination Line at (888) 445-4111. You may also search for COVID-19 vaccine availability here: Maine vaccination sites.
Your health, well-being, and safety are our priorities. Please call our Member Services at (855) 624-6463 for more information about vaccines and other preventive care benefits.
Many of us are waiting weeks or months to book medical appointments. Or taking a long drive to get to the only provider taking new patients—often more than an hour away. And once in the office, chances are we’re spending more time in waiting rooms just for a routine appointment.
The national shortage of healthcare workers has been well-documented, and Maine is feeling it, too, with access to providers emerging as one of the greatest barriers to treatment. By the end of 2022, Maine had just 580 doctors practicing family medicine, an 18% decline from 2019, according to The Portland Press Herald, leaving fewer doctors for a growing population.
During the pandemic, patients discovered the convenience of telehealth and began meeting with their providers through a phone call or video chat from the comfort of their own homes. The concept certainly wasn’t new—Community Health Options Members had access to Amwell® behavioral telehealth well before Covid-19 struck.
That concept has expanded to virtual primary care, giving people the option through an online care team, expanding access to care. Alongside its traditional provider network, Community Health Options now offers Members 18 and older the option to choose a virtual-first primary care team through Firefly Health.
When it comes to health outcomes, many studies have shown patients miss fewer virtual appointments, helping them to stay on track with their health needs. And in a recent pilot program, Walmart employees with diabetes who used virtual care saw a 24% average reduction in glucose levels and patients with hypertension had a 14% reduction in blood pressure, the company said in 2023 when it expanded its program to Maine, among other states.
