Prevention is key—protect yourself with vaccines

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This post was originally published on this site. Reprinted with permission.

More than 79% of people 65 and over are fully vaccinated for COVID-19—but are you defending yourself from other life-threatening illnesses, like pneumonia and the flu? Getting vaccinated is a simple, safe, and effective way to protect yourself.

According to the CDC, “vaccines greatly reduce the risk of infection by working with the body’s natural defenses to safely develop immunity to disease.” They strengthen your immune system and train it to create antibodies, like it does when it’s exposed to a disease.

Medicare covers a variety of vaccinations, including:

  • COVID-19 vaccine—helps protect against Coronavirus disease 2019
  • Flu shot—helps prevent the influenza virus
  • Hepatitis B shots—helps protects against the Hepatitis B Virus
  • Pneumococcal shots —helps protect against pneumococcal disease and its potentially serious complications, including infections like pneumonia and meningitis
  • Shingles shot—helps protect against reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), the same virus that causes varicella (chickenpox)
  • Tdap shots—helps protect against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (“whooping cough”)

Also, you no longer need to wait 14 days between different vaccines. According to the CDC, you can get a COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines, including flu and shingles, at the same visit.

Adults need to keep their vaccinations up to date because immunity from childhood vaccines can wear off over time. Talk to your doctor to help you decide which vaccines are right for you.