We will now offer Moderna boosters to all OHC members, regardless of age or conditions, who are at least six months past their primary immunization. Please sign up on the schedule.
We continue to offer Covid-19 vaccine clinics with Moderna boosters. The next one available for signup is Monday, November 15.
If you are on Medicare and pay directly for outpatient mental health services to a psychiatrist or psychologist or social worker who does not accept Medicare, you may be surprised to know that you should be eligible for substantial reimbursement of those expenses because a Massachusetts law requires Medicare supplemental plans to cover such services from nonparticipating providers.
We have received a supply of frozen Moderna vaccine sufficient to give booster shots to all OHC members over the next 6 weeks or so. We plan clinics ever Monday and Friday with signup on our website. Moderna can be used as booster regardless of your initial vaccine series. We will follow CDC eligibility guidelines as we start these clinics next Monday 11/8. We will also offer open standby appointments to cover no-shows.
New antiviral medicine and effective long-acting antibody injections will dramatically improve our tools to fight Covid-19 around New Year’s. It’s time to look up!
KN95 masks provide the best protection for you and your contacts. Cloth masks were a make-do because real masks were not available last year. Surgical masks protect others better than the wearer. KN95 masks are readily available and inexpensive. Buy them and retire your cloth mask.
The Covid-19 pandemic continues. Immunization remains critical to individual health and suppressing the epidemic. A third dose of Pfizer vaccine suggested for those over 65 or younger people at higher risk. Moderna vaccine maintains its effectiveness. Breakthrough infections occur but hospitalizations and death largely occur in unvaccinated. OHC plans flu clinics beginning Wednesday October 13 and hopes to offer Pfizer boosters.
I have a lot of ground to cover since my last post in February. At that optimistic point it appeared we might get everyone immunized by summer and beat the pandemic if we could move quickly enough. That has not happened nor is it likely to happen. Let me summarize accurately for you in three major sections what I consider…
Covid-19 vaccines began last week for everyone over 75 in Massachusetts. The state distribution program includes websites to sign up, outreach calls from major health care organizations and pharmacies, and a new 211 call center. Most all elders should be started on vaccination this month and finish by late March. The over-65 population and younger people with several comorbidities will follow. When younger, healthy populations get vaccine late Q2 will depend on vaccine supply. While there remains lots of uncertainly, the roll-out seems to be working and even improving. Stay calm.
Covid-19 infections are peaking, with far too many infections in our practice. People are NOT being careful with non-immediate family or at work. We are set to vaccinate each of you, but do not yet have vaccine allocation from DPH. We believe (but don’t know) that the start of vaccination will be second week in February.