It’s a question I hear all the time – and it’s one I always appreciate: “What’s the best thing I can do to help Copley at Stoughton prevent the spread of COVID-19?”
First, there are obvious safety measures. Stay at home if you have COVID-like symptoms (even if symptoms are mild) and do all the things health professionals recommend including regular hand washing, physical distancing, and wearing a mask.
The next best thing you can do is get your flu shot. A flu shot will not protect you directly against COVID, but it helps your loved ones in other ways.
People are hospitalized every year with regular flu. As you know, the elderly are, particularly at risk. This year, our hospitals are already dealing with an overload due to COVID. That means reducing hospital admissions for regular flu is very important.
Another thing to remember is that you or your loved ones can get COVID and the flu at the same time. That’s why some are calling this flu season a “twindemic.” Not only would having both increase the likelihood of hospitalization, but there is also an even greater risk of serious side effects such as pneumonia and other life-threatening conditions.
Copley is proactively ensuring staff and residents get their flu shots for the protection of all. We pre-ordered doses, and we’ve already had one clinic with a great turnout. Our residents are lining up for flu shots, for their protection as well as the protection of everyone at Copley. And, as always, I’m proud of the commitment of all of our frontline workers at Copley to ensure the safety of our residents.
Arranging flu shots is one more COVID measure we’ve put into place over the last several months. It has since become a Massachusetts DPH requirement. Others include cleaning touched surfaces multiple times per day, monitoring physical distancing, and screening all residents, workers, and visitors for symptoms. As I’ve mentioned previously, our staff are also working tirelessly to ensure your loved ones feel engaged and supported during this difficult time.
COVID hasn’t been any fun for anyone. Now that we are entering the regular flu season, we need to be extra vigilant. From the start, our commitment has been to the health and safety of our residents and staff. I’m appreciative of all the support you’ve shown so far. Getting your flu shot is another way you can help keep all of us safe.