By Barbara Augsdorfer, Editor for the Effingham Herald

Sorry, but yes, COVID is still a thing; and the Department of Public Health Coastal Health District is urging people to get their updated COVID vaccines as soon as possible.

“With the ending of the public health emergency, private providers are no longer required to offer free COVID vaccine. For people with health insurance, it’s likely the vaccine is covered by their insurance policy,” said Ginger Heidel of the DPH Coastal Health District.

“For individuals without insurance, or whose insurance will not pay for the vaccine, there is temporary funding available through the federal Bridge Program. Information about the Bridge Program is available on the CDC website at www.cdc.gov. 

“Our recommendation is that individuals with insurance go to a provider that accepts their insurance to get a no-cost COVID vaccine. The Effingham County Health Department does accept many insurance policies,” Heidel continued. “If you do not have insurance, you can still get a no-cost vaccine through public health under the Bridge Program, but some private healthcare providers may charge for the vaccine.”

Heidel also cautioned against waiting “until later” to get a COVID vaccine.

“We recommend getting vaccinated as soon as you’re able because COVID is already circulating in our communities, Heidel said. “Effingham and surrounding counties are currently categorized as ‘medium’ when it comes to the rate of new COVID-19 hospital admissions. It’s much harder to track actual case trends now that so many people test themselves at home and those cases are never reported. Waiting until later in the season only delays your chance for better protection against severe illness, hospitalization, and even death.

Heidel added that flu season is starting earlier than in the past. In 2022, the DPH began to see higher incidents of flu-like symptoms in August.

“On a scale of 1-13, our flu activity is currently at a 4. While we’re likely far from the peak of flu season, we’re definitely getting reports of flu-like illness already,” Heidel added.

The CDC says it’s safe to get the flu shot and COVID shot at the same time.

“Some people prefer to spread them out across multiple visits, but for other people it’s more convenient to take care of both at once,” Heidel said. “As for getting them both in one arm or separate arms – that’s a personal preference. There’s no risk of the two vaccines interfering with one another if given in the same arm.”