COVID Vaccine

COVID-19 is a virus that usually presents with fever, cough, and shortness of breath. People who are older or may have underlying medical conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease have a higher risk of severe COVID-19. The virus spreads mainly from person to person. This includes people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet) and through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. 

These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby and inhaled into the lungs. 

A person can also get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has SARS-CoV-2 on it and then touching his or her own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. 

People are thought to be most contagious when they are most symptomatic (i.e., experiencing fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath).  Spread might also be possible before people even show symptoms.

If there is an indication that you or a household member are at risk for having been exposed to COVID-19, develop signs or symptoms of COVID- 19, or if have an underlying medical condition that increases your vulnerability to the effects of COVID-19, you should contact your medical provider immediately for further guidance regarding taking quarantining and monitoring your temperature. You should also notify your insurance provider, as well as your home care agency.

You should wear a facemask when in the company of others outside your household, practice social distancing, and do frequent and thorough hand washing. If soap and running water are not immediately available, then use alcohol-based hand rubs. If you are sick, you should constantly practice respiratory etiquette, including covering coughs & sneezes. 

You should also travel as minimally as possible and especially avoid “at risk areas.” 

You can visit https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/ to determine the “at risk areas.”

You should call your regular healthcare provider if you are experiencing any of the following signs or symptoms:

Severe cough, difficulty breathing, nasal fluid/ congestion, aches and pains, tiredness, diarrhea or sore throat.

If your illness is worsening (e.g., develop difficulty breathing), you should seek medical attention promptly.

Hamaspik HomeCare encourages self-observation. This means that clients should constantly remain alert for subjective fever, cough, or difficulty breathing. If they feel feverish or develop cough or difficulty breathing, they should take their temperature, limit contact with others, and seek health advice by telephone from a healthcare provider or their local health department to determine if there is a need for medical evaluation. 

The flu vaccine does not protect you from getting COVID-19. However, it is especially important to get the flu vaccine this season because the flu and COVID-19 cause similar symptoms. The flu vaccination could reduce symptoms that might be confused with those caused by COVID-19. Preventing the flu and reducing the severity of flu illness could also lessen the number of people needing to stay in the hospital.

The Agency is closely following the guidance issued by the Department of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other state and local authorities.

References:

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/risk-assessment.html