Central California Alliance for Health | Living Healthy | December 2020

HEALTHY 4 You may be wondering about going to the doctor during COVID-19. Doctors’ offices have taken extra steps to make sure your visit is safe, like: ● Scheduling well-visits at a different time or location from sick visits. ● Limiting the number of people in waiting rooms. Vaccines and checkups are important for people of all ages, even during COVID-19. Babies, kids and teens need vaccines to stay protected against 16 serious diseases. During well- child visits, the doctor will check your child’s overall health too. Adults also need vaccines and well-check visits. It is very important to see your doctor if you have a chronic condition (like diabetes or high blood pressure), need ongoing treatments or are pregnant. Remember, flu season is here! Now is the time to get your flu shot if you have not already done so. A yearly flu vaccine is recommended for anyone over 6 months of age to reduce the chances of illness caused by the flu. Getting the flu vaccine will avoid confusion with symptoms caused by COVID-19. Immunity to the flu declines over time and may be too low to provide protection after one year, so a flu shot is needed every year. Health issues may happen at any time, so it is important to keep your well-check and preventive care doctor appointments. Call your doctor’s office and ask whether you need to come in. Stay healthy during COVID-19. Check in with your doctor and make sure you are up to date with vaccines and checkups! Check in and check up with your doctor REMEMBER, FLU SEASON IS HERE! Now is the time to get your flu shot if you have not already done so. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a dangerous drop in routine childhood vaccinations. Now more than ever, it is very important for parents to keep their children up to date with vaccines and regular checkups to maintain good health. When more people are vaccinated, more people are protected against diseases. This helps prevent the spread of infection in our community. An unvaccinated child is more likely to need to go to a clinic or hospital, which can increase the risk of being exposed to COVID-19. As a parent, you may have questions or concerns about your Are you unsure about vaccinating your child? child’s vaccinations. This is normal. What can you do to inform yourself? 1. Seek trustworthy sources: ■ Health care providers. ■ Government health agency websites: ❱ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( cdc.gov ). ❱ National Institutes of Health ( nih.gov ). 2. Think about the risks of opting out of vaccination: ■ Your child getting dangerous infections. ■ Missing school, playtime and everyday activities. ■ Lost work time for parents. 3. Know the facts: ■ Avoid medical advice from social media or blogs unless you can verify the information. ■ Vaccines are safe. ■ Vaccines work. ■ Adverse events from vaccines are rare. ■ It is safe for your child to see their doctor for vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Call your child’s doctor to check if your child is due for any vaccinations or a well-child visit. If so, schedule that appointment. If your child hasn’t had a flu shot this year, now is the time to schedule that too.