Article Summary
Respiratory virus season is here, and healthcare workers play a crucial role in preventing the spread of viral respiratory infections, including flu and COVID-19. Vaccination is a critical tool in infection control, protecting healthcare workers and those around them. This article emphasizes the importance of getting updated vaccines and proactive measures to stay informed about recommended vaccines and local respiratory virus activity.
What This Means for You
- Schedule your updated vaccines, including the COVID-19 and RSV vaccines, to protect yourself and others from viral respiratory infections.
- Stay updated on recommended vaccines by utilizing resources from your facility’s Occupational Health Department, healthcare providers, and local pharmacies.
- Keep informed about local respiratory virus activity by following updates from your facility or local health department and using the CDC resources provided.
- Encourage employer-sponsored vaccination programs to facilitate access to recommended vaccines for all staff members.
- Be aware of the enhanced safety measures in place for vaccines and help address concerns by sharing factual information, if needed.
Original Post
Respiratory virus season is here. As a healthcare worker, you play a critical role in slowing and preventing the spread of viral respiratory infections, including flu and COVID-19. Like hand hygiene, personal protective equipment (PPE), and environmental cleaning and disinfection, vaccination is a critical tool in our infection control toolbox. Getting vaccinated in combination with implementing standard infection control practices can help protect you and others in your healthcare facility.
You can learn more about the vital role vaccines play in protecting you and your patients and residents in this blog from Janet Glowicz, PhD, RN, a nurse infection preventionist with CDC’s Project Firstline.
Vaccination plays an important role in your personal safety.
Getting your updated vaccines protects you whether you are at work or at home. How? Vaccines can help reduce your risk of getting sick and help stop the spread of viruses to others. If you do get flu or COVID-19, vaccines can make the illness shorter and less severe, reduce the amount of time you may need to be away from work to recover, and help you avoid hospitalization.
The virus that causes COVID-19 is always changing, and protection from vaccines decreases over time. Getting an updated COVID-19 vaccine for 2024-2025 helps protect you against the currently circulating variants causing most infections and hospitalizations in the U.S. COVID-19 vaccination also reduces your chance of Long COVID, which can develop during or after infection and can last for a long time.
All healthcare workers should consider the recommended vaccines for respiratory viruses.
Options are available for free and low-cost access to vaccinations.
Most people can still get the COVID-19 vaccine for free. If you have health insurance, most plans will cover the COVID-19 vaccine at no cost to you. Check with your insurance provider on what they cover. If you don’t have health insurance or have a health plan that doesn’t cover the full cost, you may still be able to get a
%0A<!--%20RSS%20Ads%201%20-->
%0A<ins%20class=" adsbygoogle style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-4072306711313981" data-ad-slot="8316424938" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true">
ORIGINAL SOURCE:
Source link
