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As more and more Americans get vaccinated against COVID-19, one medical expert is advising that we don’t abandon many of the precautions that have helped stave off the virus including maintaining social distancing, wearing masks and repeatedly washing your hands throughout the day. Michael Tehrani, M.D., a board-certified internal medicine and geriatric specialist for Brand New Day, says that though vaccinations are rising and infection rates are dropping, more than 65,000 people each day in the U.S. are still contracting COVID-19.
“While there is room for optimism, we’re not out of the woods yet,” warns Tehrani. “Even those who are vaccinated should continue to remain vigilant though there are some newfound freedoms that they can enjoy. I like to tell my vaccinated patients that when deciding what you can and can’t do, you should think less about your own vaccination status and more about whether your friends and family and others you come in contact with are still vulnerable to the virus.”
Among the freedoms the CDC says those fully vaccinated can start enjoying are: visiting with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or social distancing; and visiting with unvaccinated people from a single household indoors without masks or social distancing as long as they are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease. The nation’s health protection agency also says it is not known whether “not-sick-but-still-infected” vaccinated people can spread the virus to others, which could get them sick.
“There’s so much we don’t know about the vaccines,” says Tehrani. “How long does immunity last from the vaccines we have at hand right now? How durable is their immune response over time? What is the length of time for which they’re protected against disease? We need those answers before we can fully enjoy vaccinated status.”
Brand New Day, a Medicare Advantage prescription health plan available in 16 California counties, offers a number of specialty plans in addition to its standard Medicare plan. They include the Embrace Plan for members with heart disease, hypertension and/or diabetes; Bridges Plan for members with dementia and Alzheimer’s; SelectCare Plan for members residing in community living, assisted living, long-term care and nursing homes; and Harmony Plan for members with mental illness including major depression, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder and paranoid disorder.
For qualifying members, the plans cover transportation to and from medical appointments; vision, dental and hearing aids; 24-hour/day nurse and physician line; and health nurses and life coaches. In addition, members with chronic illnesses are not only treated medically, but in a variety of other ways including education about the member’s chronic or ongoing medical conditions and avoidable risks, nutrition, exercise, self-testing and monitoring, medication adherence to doctor orders, preventive care planning and linkage to community support programs.
Brand New Day’s personalized approach is designed to keep its members healthy and independent and its team of caring healthcare professionals share one common goal — to improve the overall well-being of each member by offering members “healthcare you can feel good about.”
For more information about Brand New Day, visit BNDHMO.com or call 866-255-4795.
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Release ID: 89003971