Category: Community Wellness

Are You Eligible for a COVID-19 Booster Shot?

Recently, the FDA and CDC have approved COVID-19 booster shots (a third dose) for certain patients who received either the Pfizer BioNTech or Moderna vaccines for COVID-19.

Are You Eligible for a COVID-19 Booster Shot?

Recently, the FDA and CDC have approved COVID-19 booster shots (a third dose) for certain patients who received either the Pfizer BioNTech or Moderna vaccines for COVID-19.
eligiblility-for-booster-shot-strip1
eligiblility-for-booster-shot-strip2

Why Get a Booster Shot for a Vaccine?

Booster shots for vaccines are recommended to maintain long-term protection from a virus and reduce a patient’s risk of severe disease and hospitalization.
After receiving any vaccination, a person’s immunity can diminish over time. For example, rebuilding our immunity is the reason why we need a Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) booster every 10 years.
Additionally, in patients whose immune systems might be weaker or compromised due to any number of reasons (i.e. steroid medications, cancer, and other diseases that cause immune deficiency), vaccinations aren’t always as effective. Immunocompromised patients’ immune systems cannot generate as many antibodies as an individual of average health with an average immune system.

Who Is Eligible for a COVID-19 Booster Shot?

At this time, booster shots are not recommended for everyone. Eligibility depends on your age, medical history, living situation, and potential exposure risk.
You might consider scheduling an appointment for a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine if you fall into the following categories:
  • You received your second dose of either the Pfizer BioNTech or Moderna vaccine at least six months ago.
  • You are 65 years of age or older.
  • You are 18 years of age or older and live in a long-term care facility.
  • You are 18 years of age or older and have a qualifying underlying medical condition.
  • You are 18 years of age or older and are at an increased risk of exposure and transmission as a result of your occupation (healthcare workers, essential workers, etc.)
At this time, booster shots have only been approved for Moderna and Pfizer BioNTech and have not yet been approved for the Johnson & Johnson vaccination or any other COVID-19 vaccine.
eligiblility-for-booster-shot-strip

Should I Get a COVID-19 Booster Shot?

At this time, the CDC recommends a booster shot for individuals in the above-listed categories. Of course, the decision to receive a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccination is a personal choice that should be based on your individual risk and medical history and a decision that should be made in conjunction with your doctor.
If you’d like to speak with a doctor about your eligibility for a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and your potential disease risk, we welcome you to contact Gulf Coast Health Center to schedule an appointment at a location near you.

What You Need to Know About the COVID-19 Delta Variant

COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations are, unfortunately, on the rise again.

What You Need to Know About the COVID-19 Delta Variant

COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations are, unfortunately, on the rise again.
The much-more contagious delta variant of COVID-19 is estimated to be about 60% more contagious than the alpha variant which was twice as contagious as the original novel coronavirus.
Additionally, studies have shown that antibodies in the vaccinated are about four times less effective at combating the delta variant, making breakthrough infections more likely.
covid-19-delta-variant-strip2

How Concerned Should Fully Vaccinated People Be About the Delta Variant?

According to information from Mayo Clinic, however, breakthrough cases should not all be lumped together because they’re not all the same.
covid-19-delta-variant-strip1
They separate them into three categories:
  • The first group of breakthrough infections includes fully vaccinated people who contract COVID-19 and have no symptoms. As the article explains, these types of infections are a sign of the vaccines working. because they weren't necessarily supposed to prevent 100% of infection; they're intended to prevent severe illness and hospitalization.
  • The second group includes individuals who contract COVID and develop mild to moderate symtpoms. Since all of the COVID vaccines were expected to be about 90% effective, we should expect to see about 10% of people contract COVID and have symptoms.
  • The third group of breakthrough infections includes fully vaccinated people who become severely ill, and the majority of these cases are, as one would predict, in individuals who are immunocompromised. These individuals' immune systems could not generate as strong of a response to vaccination as those with normally functioning immune systems. As a result, the protection they gain from vaccination isn't as strong or long-lasting.
Despite breakthrough cases, vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself and those around you from COVID-19, serious illness, and hospitalization.

Do Vaccinated People Need to Wear a Mask and Social Distance?

Continuing to wear a mask and social distance will still protect you from contracting a breakthrough case of COVID-19. Additionally, it will help prevent you from unknowingly spreading an asymptomatic infection that you could potentially have to anyone near you who is vaccinated or unvaccinated.
So, although you are at a lower risk of developing a serious illness, wearing a mask and social distancing continues to protect those around you.
covid-19-delta-variant-strip3
covid-19-delta-variant-strip4

Ask a Doctor About COVID, Get Vaccinated, or Schedule a COVID Test

To learn more about the COVID-19 delta variant, to get a vaccine, or to find out how to get tested for COVID-19 if you’ve been having symptoms, we encourage you to contact the Gulf Coast Health Center location nearest you today.

Benefits of Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine

COVID-19 vaccines have been a contentious issue in the news with people wondering whether or not they’re safe, effective, and worth getting. The scientific data is in, and it has revealed that there are lots of reasons why you should get vaccinated for COVID-19.

Benefits of Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine

COVID-19 vaccines have been a contentious issue in the news with people wondering whether or not they’re safe, effective, and worth getting. The scientific data is in, and it has revealed that there are lots of reasons why you should get vaccinated for COVID-19.
benefits-of-vaccine_strip1

The Benefits of Getting Vaccinated for COVID-19

  • They are safe. They were developed using science and research that has been around for decades. Plus, they've gone through extensive testing and are undergoing the most stringent safety monitoring in our history.
  • They are effective. COVID vaccines can prevent you from contracting and transmitting the virus.
  • If you do still contract COVID-19, the vaccine can prevent you from developing severe symptoms.
  • Getting vaccinated protects the people around, especially those who are at high risk for severe symptoms.
  • Once you're fully vaccinated, you can resume your normal activities. Additionally, you will no longer have to wear a mask or practice social distancing.

Protecting Everyone: Herd Immunity and Novel Coronavirus

Herd immunity is a point at which enough of a population is immune to a vaccine that it is eventually eradicated.
The point at which we reach herd immunity differs depending on how transmissible or contagious a particular disease is. For example, with highly contagious measles and polio, herd immunity is reached when a respective 80% and 95% of the population is immune.
Additionally, viruses that mutate over time, like COVID-19, require a higher level of immunity before herd immunity can be achieved. So, although initial estimates figured that 60% to 70% of the population would need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, the estimate has increased to somewhere closer to 85% due to the increased invariants.

What's the COVID-19 Situation Like in Texas?

As of the writing of this article, there are an estimated 22,652 active cases of COVID-19 in Texas and, according to the Mayo Clinic’s COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker, 41.2% of Texas residents have been fully vaccinated.
Everyone in Texas who is 12 years of age or older is now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Additionally, the Federal government has made COVID-19 vaccinations free for everyone in the United States. So, regardless of where you receive yours, you won’t have to pay.
If you have yet to receive yours, we strongly encourage you to talk with a healthcare provider at Gulf Coast Health Center about whether the vaccine is right for you. To learn more, we welcome you to contact one of our locations today.

Keeping Our Community Safe With COVID Vaccines

Did you know that when you get vaccinated for COVID-19, you’re not only protecting yourself from the virus, but you’re also helping to make the people around you and our communities safer?

Keeping Our Community Safe With COVID Vaccines

Did you know that when you get vaccinated for COVID-19, you’re not only protecting yourself from the virus, but you’re also helping to make the people around you and our communities safer?
That’s right – choosing to get vaccinated for novel coronavirus (or any contagious disease for that matter) actually protects the entire community in which you live – even those who are not yet vaccinated or cannot yet be vaccinated like young children. Plus, the more people who choose to get vaccinated, the safer our communities will be.
keeping-community-safe-covid-vaccines-strip1

How Does Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine Protect the Community?

The more people who are vaccinated in a community, the less easily a contagious disease, like the novel coronavirus, can spread because fewer people can contract and transmit the disease. When fewer people are walking around susceptible to COVID-19, it won’t spread as rapidly.
The threshold of vaccinated individuals needed to stop the spread altogether is called herd immunity or community immunity. The percentage of the population needed to achieve community immunity varies based on how contagious a disease is to begin with. For example, with highly contagious measles, 94% of the population needs to be vaccinated to achieve community immunity to entirely stop the spread of measles.
The exact threshold percentage needed to stop the spread of the highly contagious novel coronavirus is not yet known, but it is certain that the more people who receive the vaccine, the safer our communities will be.

How Many People Are Vaccinated in Texas?

As of the writing of this article about 33% of Texans have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
keeping-community-safe-covid-vaccines-strip3

Who's Eligible to Get Vaccinated for COVID-19 in Texas?

In Texas, anyone who is currently 18 or older is eligible to receive all vaccines. Individuals who are 12 years or older are authorized to receive the Pfizer vaccine.

Schedule Your COVID-19 Vaccination With Gulf Coast Health Center

If you have not yet scheduled an appointment to get your COVID-19 vaccination, we welcome you to contact any of our Gulf Coast Health Center locations in Texas to schedule your first and/or second round of COVID-19 vaccines.
Our clinics have a supply of both the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations. Both of these vaccines require two doses to achieve an immune response that will provide adequate protection against the novel coronavirus.
To learn more about getting your COVID-19 vaccine and how doing so will help protect you and the health of your community, we invite you to contact Gulf Coast Health Center today.
keeping-community-safe-covid-vaccines-strip5