Hi, thank you for coming back for the latest edition of Beyond Primary Cares blog; Coronavirus Vaccine. In Beyond Primary Care blogs I highlight healthy and fun recipes, healthcare news, advice for medical conditions, as well as how membership for care works! Dr. Jeff O’Boyle is the owner of Beyond Primary Care, which is an insurance free, membership based family medicine and addiction medicine clinic. Beyond Primary Care is the only Direct Care clinic serving patients in Ann Arbor and throughout Washtenaw, Livingston, and Wayne County giving families and employers peace of mind with healthcare costs by providing affordable, accessible, and authentic primary care services.

The primary purpose of the blog is to introduce healthy lifestyle concepts and answer common questions I receive from patients that I believe are important. I want to start discussions that will help educate, benefit, and improve your well-being. 

In this blog post, I wanted to update my patients and any prospective patients on the…

Coronavirus Vaccine

I have been receiving many questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, how it will be distributed and how to get it. The first shipments of the Pfizer vaccine will be going to hospitals and centers able to facilitate the challenging -100 degree storage requirements of this vaccine.

A few weeks back I called all x5 of my medical suppliers and not one had any knowledge of Covid-vaccines being able to purchase for individual clinics. The State of Michigan and NOT individual medical practices will be distributing and determining prioritization for vaccine administration.
Further, the State of Michigan has a multiple stage distribution plan prioritizing nursing home residents (who make up a sizable portion of the Covid mortality) and frontline healthcare workers (EMS, ER and ICU nurses and doctors, etc.). If you are one of these, please discuss with your hospital employer or place of residence how they plan to distribute/administer the vaccine

Stages of Coronavirus Vaccine Distribution

Once the State of Michigan moves beyond the first stages, CVS and Walmart have agreed to participate in the administration of the vaccine to the remainder of the population starting with high-risk people. It is hard to say with certainty when this will occur as it will be dependent on the speed with which the vaccine can be manufactured and distributed. It will likely be several weeks to several months before we reach that point.

Once clarity is provided as to how to get the vaccine and the process needed, I will share that with all of you so that those who want the vaccine and for whom the vaccine is appropriate can get it. 

Please be aware that I- nor any other doctor- does not have control or influence over this process. It is being determined at a State and Federal level. But, I will do our best to assist all of you in navigating this process as it starts to unfold.

Please see the specific State of Michigan vaccine distribution plan here.

Reasons to NOT get the Covid vaccine?

Truthfully the only individuals who should not get the Covid shot are children less than 16 years of age or people who experience a severe (life threatening) allergy to with other vaccines.

People with a cough or cold can still get the Covid shot. 

Covid shots given may cause injection site soreness and pain, redness, swelling, fever, malaise and muscle aches- all of which are usually mild and go away on their own.

Thank you for reading.

• Dr. Jeff O’Boyle with Beyond Primary Care

Hi, thank you for coming back for the latest edition of Beyond Primary Cares blog; Where to Get the Flu Shot in Ann Arbor. In Beyond Primary Care blogs I highlight healthy and fun recipes, healthcare news, advice for medical conditions, as well as how membership for care works! Dr. Jeff O’Boyle is the owner of Beyond Primary Care, which is an insurance free, membership based family medicine and addiction medicine clinic. Beyond Primary Care is the only Direct Care clinic serving patients in Ann Arbor and throughout Washtenaw, Livingston, and Wayne County giving families and employers peace of mind with healthcare costs by providing affordable, accessible, and authentic primary care services.

The primary purpose of the blog is to introduce healthy lifestyle concepts and answer common questions I receive from patients that I believe are important. I want to start discussions that will help educate, benefit, and improve your well-being. 

In this blog post, I wanted to update my patients and any prospective patients…

Where To Get The Flu Shot In Ann Arbor

Flu season is just around the corner and according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for the 2019-2020 cycle there have been upwards of 56 million Americans affected by flu-like illnesses resulting in nearly 25 million medical visits, a half million hospitalizations, and nearly 50,000 influenza deaths. 

This is why we advocate for getting a Flu shot before the start of the Flu season- we want to prevent people from going to the hospital and potential serious consequences, i.e- death from the Influenza virus.

The flu shot is a little bit of a booster to remind your immune system what may be coming ahead. A similar process is going on with the coronavirus vaccine trials. The vaccine reminds people’s immune system what that virus looks like, so that when they are exposed they either 1) don’t get the virus or 2) get a very mild case.

Flu and Covid-19

Now more than ever, it is important to get your Flu shot. We do not want to see a Flu season with a Covid season together. Flu and Covid-19 are both respiratory illnesses, but are caused by different viruses. The Flu is caused by infection with influenza viruses, and Covid-19 is caused by a new coronavirus (called SARS-CoV-2).

It is possible to have the Flu and Covid-19 at the same time. At Beyond Primary Care we can test for both the influenza virus and Covid-19 at the same time. 

How can the Flu shot help me?

There are many reasons to get the Flu vaccine each year. Here is a summary of the benefits of the Flu vaccine.

• Flu vaccine protects yourself from getting the flu
• Flu vaccine can reduce the risk of flu-associated hospitalization for children, working age adults, and older adults
• Flu vaccine helps prevent serious medical events associated with some chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and chronic lung disease.
• Flu vaccine helps protect women during and after pregnancy
• Flu vaccine can be life saving in children
• Flu vaccine has been shown in several studies to reduce severity of illness in people who get vaccinated but still get sick

If you’re on the fence about a flu shot, here are five arguments to see if I can change your mind.

Getting vaccinated yourself may also protect people around you, including those who are more vulnerable to serious Flu illness, like babies and young children, older people, and people with certain chronic health conditions.

What are Flu Symptoms? What Should I lookout for?

Symptoms of the Flu and Covid-19 are similar, which makes it extremely difficult to tell the difference based on symptoms alone. Common symptoms that the Flu and Covid-19 share include:

• Fever or feeling feverish/chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue (tiredness)
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle pain or body aches
• Headache
• Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults

Different than the Flu, Covid-19 may include a loss of taste or smell. While a person typically develops symptoms one to four days after an infection, with Covid-19 typically develops symptoms 5 days after being infected, although time range can vary.

Is it too early to get the Flu Vaccine?

Once the flu vaccine is administered, it takes your body about two weeks to develop antibodies to the virus. The vaccine should confer about 6 months of immunity. So, the earlier the better in terms of administration. We do see the flu start peaking in October with another peak in March every year. 

Reasons to NOT to get the influenza vaccine?

Truthfully the only individuals who should not get the Flu shot are infants younger than 6 months of age or people who experience a severe (life threatening) allergy to a prior dose of a seasonal Flu vaccine.

People with egg allergies just need to be monitored for the influenza vaccine, as an egg allergy is not an absolute contraindication.  A 2012 review of published data, including 4,172 egg-allergic patients (513 reporting a history of severe allergic reaction) noted no occurrences of anaphylaxis following administration of the Flu vaccine. 

This suggests that severe allergic reactions to egg-based influenza vaccines are unlikely. On this basis, some guidance recommends that no additional measures are needed when administering influenza vaccine to egg-allergic persons 

People with a cough or cold can still get the flu shot. 

The Flu shot is an inactivated virus and cannot cause influenza, Flu shots given may cause injection site soreness and pain, redness, swelling, fever, malaise and muscle aches- all of which are usually mild and go away on their own.

Where To Get The Flu Shot In Ann Arbor

Protect yourself and your family (and friends and co-workers) from the Flu this year! To make an appointment with Dr. Jeff, head over to our scheduling link to view our availability. Just as a reminder, we will be offering our patients opportunities to get their vaccines on select Saturday mornings, in which case an email will be separately sent to all Beyond Primary Care members.

Thank you for reading.

• Dr. Jeff O’Boyle with Beyond Primary Care