Winning Health | Gold Coast Health Plan | Issue 2 | Fall 2021

WINNING Compassionate care, accessible to all, for a healthy community. ISSUE 2, FALL 2021 Standard U.S. Postage PAID Long Beach, CA Permit No. 2041 Last year, the safety measures we took to fight COVID-19 may also have protected us from the flu. And that was good news in a difficult time! But now that things are getting back to normal, many people are meeting up again. It is important for you and your family to get your flu shots this year. The flu and you The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends flu shots for most people 6 months of age and older. Flu shots are important for people at high risk of getting very sick, such as: ● People 65 years of age and older. ● People with chronic health problems, such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease. Make a plan to prevent flu and COVID-19 ● Young children, especially those under 2 years of age. ● Pregnant women. ● People from racial and ethnic minority groups. ● People with disabilities, mostly those that affect muscle or lung function or that make it hard to cough or swallow. You should get the flu shot in September or October, CDC says. This is before the flu starts spreading in most places and may last through the worst of the flu season. Get your COVID-19 vaccine too If you have yet to get a COVID-19 vaccine, there are good reasons to have it in your plans. The vaccines are safe and very good at protecting people from COVID-19. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted full approval of the Pfizer vaccine for those 16 years of age and older. Kids 12 to 15 can still get the vaccine under the previous emergency use authorization. Once you’re fully vaccinated, you can start doing more, like getting together with friends. It is now OK to get other shots at the same time. ASK YOUR DOCTOR about getting up-to- date on all the shots your family needs. If you still have questions about whether the COVID-19 vaccine is safe, call your doctor or visit goldcoasthealthplan.org .