Plum Health Blog
How to get a Flu Shot in Detroit
Protect Yourself and Your Community with a Flu Shot at Plum Health DPC in Detroit
As the winter season approaches, it's important to take steps to protect yourself and your loved ones from the flu. The flu, or influenza, is a highly contagious respiratory illness that can cause severe symptoms and complications, including pneumonia, bronchitis, and sinus infections.
One of the most effective ways to prevent the flu is by getting a flu shot. At our Plum Health DPC office in Detroit, we carry two types of flu vaccines: Afluria and Fluzone. Both vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective in preventing influenza.
It's important to get a flu shot each year, as the flu virus can change from year to year and the vaccine is reformulated to protect against the most common strains. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older get a flu shot.
In addition to protecting yourself, getting a flu shot can also help protect your community by reducing the spread of the flu. This is especially important for people who are at high risk of developing serious complications from the flu, such as young children, older adults, and people with certain medical conditions.
Don't wait until it's too late – make an appointment to get your flu shot at Plum Health DPC in Detroit today! Protect yourself and your loved ones from the flu this season.
Flu Shots Available in Detroit
I made this video in October with spooky music, but Flu Shots are still available at our Plum Health DPC office in Detroit.
This season, it is especially important to get your Flu Shot as it is difficult to distinguish between the flu (influenza viral infection), the common cold (rhinovirus infection), and Covid 19 Omicron Variant (Coronavirus infection).
If you need the shot from our office, it’s $23.50 at our office with fast and convenient scheduling and administration.
Our office is at 1620 Michigan Ave, Suite 125 Detroit MI 48216.
Thanks for reading and watching,
-Dr. Paul Thomas with Plum Health DPC
The Influenza Vaccine for the 2021 to 2022 season is available at Plum Health DPC
The Influenza Vaccine for the 2021 to 2022 season is available at Plum Health DPC
This year, we have the Flulavel Influenza vaccine available at Plum Health DPC. This is the vaccine that should be taken for this year’s flu season. We have the flu vaccine for everyone age 6 months and older. The major contraindications to the vaccine are previous reactions to the flu vaccine or a current fever. So if you’re currently sick, or if you’ve had an anaphylactic reaction to previous flu vaccines, then you can skip this one. Otherwise, everyone should get the flu vaccine.
The big issue is that Coronavirus/COVIC 19 illness can look very similar to the influenza illness, so being vaccinated against both COVID and Influenza will be a big benefit going forward.
Do I have the Cold? Flu? or Strep Throat? Answers for People in Detroit Michigan
Do I Have the Cold, the Flu, or Strep Throat?
Dr. Paul Thomas and Dr. Raquel Orlich are family medicine physicians in Detroit Michigan. Their office is called Plum Health DPC and it’s located on Michigan Avenue in the beautiful Corktown Neighborhood of Detroit, MI.
Many people want to know if their sore throat, body aches, chills, fever, stuffiness, runny nose, or other symptoms are related to the cold, the flu, or strep throat. So, in this blog post and associated YouTube video, we’ll explore the differences between these clinical entities.
How Do I Know if I Have The Common Cold?
People with the common cold have a runny nose, a stuffy nose, congestion, sneezing, and a sore throat. Common cold viruses prefer to affect the back of the throat - these viruses have a predilection for the posterior pharyngeal tissues. This causes your mucus membranes to swell up, which causes fluid to leak out or what you experience as a runny nose or congestion, post-nasal drainage, etc… These symptoms tend to come on gradually.
For this viral pharyngitis or viral upper respiratory system or common cold, antibiotics are not indicated. Antibiotics do not work for the common cold, because the common cold is caused by a virus that mutates rapidly and is difficult to treat. Antibiotics are indicated for bacterial infections, like strep throat and pneumonia.
How Do I Know if I Have Influenza?
Influenza usually presents with extreme fatigue, muscle aches, and a fever. Sometimes we say that there’s an associated “pajama sign” - sometimes people are so weak and so tired that they can’t even change their clothes before coming to the doctor’s office, thus they come to the office in their pajamas. There can also be chest discomfort, chills, and a headache. There is often an abrupt onset to these symptoms. The symptoms of the flu are often more severe, and sometimes fatal unfortunately. This is why we worry more about the flu and why we recommend that everyone gets the flu shot.
If you are positive for an influenza infection, treatment with oseltamivir (Tamiflu) should be started within 24 to 48 hours of your symptoms. It must be started within this timeframe to be effective in shortening the duration of flu symptoms and decreasing the severity of the flu virus.
It’s the Middle of February - Will the Flu Shot Still be Effective?
Yes. We’re still in the influenza season, and the flu shot has been shown to be 40 to 50% effective in preventing the influenza virus from taking hold. So, we strongly recommend getting the flu shot if you haven’t done so already. The flu shot costs $20 at our office and about that price at most pharmacies ($15 - $30). And it’s very important to get the flu shot, not only to protect yourself, but also to protect your loved ones. If you get the flu shot, you’ll be less likely to transmit the flu to a more vulnerable person in your life, like a newborn in your family or circle of friends, or an elderly relative or elderly neighbor. Getting the flu shot helps to protect these more vulnerable people with less strong immune systems from getting the flu.
How Do I Know if I Have Strep Throat?
When people come to our office concerned about a sore throat, it’s hard to tell if it’s a viral pharyngitis or if it’s strep throat (a type of throat infection caused by a bacteria). Strep throat is an infection of the tonsils in the back of the throat by a bacteria, Group A Streptococcus. The “strep” in strep throat comes from a shortening of the bacteria name, Streptococcus. The strep bacteria infects the tonsils and causes localized pain and swelling as well as purulent discharge, ie a discharge of pus from the tonsils.
There’s also a diagnostic criteria for Strep Throat called the Centor Criteria. You get a point for having each of the following symptoms:
fever
tonsillar exudate (pus coming from the tonsils)
absence of a cough (no cough)
anterior cervical lymphadenopathy (swollen and often tender lymph nodes in the front part of the neck)
age younger than 14 years
Kids with a sore throat are more likely to have Strep Throat because they have larger tonsillar tissue when they’re younger. As people age, the lymphatic tissue, like tonsils, shrink in size. This makes it less likely for adults to get strep throat. Of note, the tonsils are like a sponge and they take up large amounts of bacteria and viruses and show it to the rest of our body to make sure that our immune system can respond appropriately to these foreign invaders.
Because Strep Throat is caused by a bacteria, it is appropriate to use antibiotics for this condition. We often use Amoxicillin 500 mg for adults and Amoxicillin with weight-based dosing for children. Fortunately, we carry this inexpensive medication in our office, which is convenient for our patients with Strep Throat.
I live in Detroit, Am I more likely to get the flu or the coronavirus?
You are much more likely to get the flu than the coronavirus if you’re living in the United States.
As of 02/21/2020, there have been 34 documented cases of the Coronavirus in the United States.
Now compare that to the flu or the influenza virus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been:
29,000,000 to 41,000,000 flu illnesses
13,000,000 to 19,000,000 flu medical visits
280,000 to 500,000 flu hospitalizations
16,000 to 41,000 flu deaths
We know that the Coronavirus is scary because it’s new and different, and coming from a foreign country. However, the best thing that you can do to prevent getting sick this year is to wash your hands, cover your cough, don’t share drinks or eating utensils, stay home from work when you’re sick so you don’t infect other people, and get your darn flu shot.
Thanks for reading and thanks for watching
-Drs. Paul Thomas MD and Raquel Orlich DO of Plum Health DPC
How to Get a Flu Shot in Detroit
How to Get a Flu Shot in Detroit
Flu season is just around the corner and according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “During the 2017–2018 influenza season there was an estimated 959,000 hospitalizations and 79,400 deaths due to complications of influenza infection.
So nearly 1 million hospitalizations and close to eighty thousand deaths due to a vaccine preventable illness! 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 potentially dying from the flu aka influenza.
How Effective is the Flu Shot aka Influenza Vaccine?
The CDC conducts studies each year to determine how well the influenza (flu) vaccine protects against flu illness. While vaccine effectiveness can vary, recent studies show that flu vaccination reduces the risk of flu illness by between 40% and 60% among the overall population during seasons when most circulating flu viruses are well-matched to the flu vaccine.
So, if you get the flu shot, and the vaccine is well-matched to the circulating virus, you can reduce your risk of getting the Flu by about half - that’s great!
Influenza Vaccine for the 2019 - 2020 season given to one of our patients at Plum Health DPC in Detroit, MI.
How Can the Flu Shot Help Me?
There are many reasons to get a flu vaccine each year. Below is a summary of the benefits of flu vaccination:
Flu vaccination can keep you from getting sick with flu.
Flu vaccination can reduce the risk of flu-associated hospitalization for children, working age adults, and older adults.
Flu vaccination helps prevent serious medical events associated with some chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and chronic lung disease.
Vaccination helps protect women during and after pregnancy.
Flu vaccine can be life-saving in children.
Flu vaccination has been shown in several studies to reduce severity of illness in people who get vaccinated but still get sick.
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.
So, if you’re a parent with young children, by getting the Flu Shot, you can help protect your kids. If you’re someone with many chronic diseases like diabetes or heart failure, getting the flu shot can reduce your risk of these diseases worsening if you were to be infected with the flu.
What are Flu Symptoms? What Should I Look Out For?
Flu Symptoms have a broad range, but typically people come to the doctor with the following concerns:
Fever* or feeling feverish/chills
Cough
Sore throat
Runny or stuffy nose
Muscle or body aches
Headaches
Fatigue (tiredness)
Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults.
As a doctor treating folks with the flu, there’s something called the pajama sign - if you don’t have the energy to shower and get dressed into regular clothes, and you have some of the above symptoms, it’s more likely that you have the flu. Seriously - I’ve had people compare getting the flu to being hit by a truck - getting an illness as severe as the flu can feel like all of your energy has been taken away.
How Is the Flu Virus Spread?
Most experts believe that flu viruses spread mainly by tiny droplets made when people with flu cough, sneeze or talk. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby. Less often, a person might get the flu by touching a surface or object that has flu virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose or possibly their eyes.
To rephrase, someone might cough and they might have tiny droplets fly out of their mouth and land on things that you touch, like door handles, shopping cart handles, tables at a restaurant, etc… That’s why it’s so important that you wash your hands before touching your own nose and mouth and before eating. If you are sick, it’s also very important to wash your hands after coughing and sneezing. You can help lessen the spread of the flu virus by washing your hands often during cold and flu season.
For more information, visit the CDC for the most up-to-date information on the flu.
How to Get the Flu Shot in Detroit
Protect yourself and your family (and friends and co-workers) from the flu this year! To make an appointment with Dr. Raquel, head over to our scheduling link and select her as your doctor. After you submit the information, Dr. Raquel will reach out and offer appointment times.
Thank you for reading and have a great day,
-Dr. Paul Thomas and Dr. Raquel Orlich with Plum Health DPC
Influenza Vaccine instructions for the 2019 - 2020 Vaccine Season including ingredients in the vaccine.
Vaccine Finder
Recently, I wrote a blog post about getting your flu shot! #GetYourFluShot And when I was reading articles on the CDC website, I came across Vaccine Finder. Vaccine Finder is a nifty online resource that allows you to enter your zip code to find the nearest clinic or pharmacy that dispenses vaccines.
It lists the basics like the address, phone, hours of operation and website. In addition, as the clinic or pharmacy owner, you can enter in the price of the vaccines that you dispense. As a Direct Primary Care clinic with transparent pricing, we did just that! You can see that our Influenza Vaccine costs $10.53, our Hepatitis A vaccine costs $68.42, and our TDaP vaccine costs $47.47.
Another cool feature is that you can use the website to hail an Uber to get you to the vaccine dispensing location!
FYI, we're in Corktown/Southwest Detroit, and if you enter in our zip code (48216), we will be the #1 result!
Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful day, and #GetYourFluShot,
- Paul Thomas, MD
Flu Cases Increasing
You need a flu shot. I will say it again, you need a flu shot. Flu cases are on the rise currently, see this article from the CDC. Yes, the flu most commonly affects the very young and the very old, but each year young adults are hospitalized and die because of the influenza virus. I'm writing today to dispel some myths and tell you that you can be a part of the solution.
As a part of routine care at Plum Health, I offer a flu shot to all of my members. It costs $10.53 because I buy it at wholesale and I don't mark up the cost. Inevitably, objections are raised by my patients. The most common being "I've never had the flu, so I don't see the point in getting the vaccine" or "I seem to get the flu after I get the flu shot".
First of all, the vaccine strain produced this year is a particularly good one. The composition of U.S. flu vaccines is reviewed annually and updated to match circulating flu viruses. Flu vaccines protect against the three or four viruses that research suggests will be most common. For 2016-2017, three-component vaccines are recommended to contain:
- A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus,
- A/Hong Kong/4801/2014 (H3N2)-like virus and a
- B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus (B/Victoria lineage).
Second, you can't get the flu from getting the influenza vaccine. When you get a flu shot (influenza vaccine), I inject inactivated viral particles, not the virus itself. By giving you inactive viral particles or proteins from the virus, your body's immune system is able to recognize these as foreign and mount an immune response. During that immune response, you may have a slight temperature and you may feel tired and your body shifts it's energy to meet your immune system's needs, but you will not get "the flu" because you don't have the whole virus.
Because you get the flu shot, your body will recognize the actual virus should you get it. When your body sees the proteins that make up the virus, it will mount an even stronger immune response, killing the virus more quickly and keeping you out of the hospital.
Common places to pick up the flu virus include door knobs, the treadmill at the gym, the grocery store key pad, the gas pump, etc... You can't possibly disinfect all of these surfaces, so just do yourself a favor, be proactive and get the flu shot.
Importantly, influenza activity most commonly peaks in the United States between December and March. Additionally, the flu season can last until May.
I say that you can be a part of the solution because you can prevent the spread of the flu. One, get the flu shot. If you happen to get the virus, it will be easier for your immune system to fight it and you will be less likely to pass it on to your loved ones. Even if you're "fine" without it, your grand parents, parents, children, nieces, and nephews may not. So, by protecting yourself, you can protect them.
Finally, wash your hands well! This is probably one of the best things that you can do to prevent the spread of germs, viruses, and bacteria.
Thanks for reading and have a great day,
- Paul Thomas, MD
Our Influenza Vaccine stock at Plum Health DPC, a Family Medicine Practice at 1759 West 21st Street, Detroit, MI 48216.