ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The fall and winter seasons will be approaching soon, which means more people will be at risk for respiratory illnesses and viruses.
To help with just that, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched a new national campaign last week to help inform the public about common respiratory viruses and available vaccines. The campaign, Risk Less. Do More., aims to increase awareness of vaccines that reduce serious illness from influenza (flu), COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in high-risk populations and to limit the spread of these viruses among all Americans, according to an HHS release.
“Vaccines for COVID-19, flu, and RSV have helped to save millions of lives, keep countless people out of the hospital, and provided peace of mind for the country. As fall approaches and people spend more time indoors, I encourage everyone to protect themselves and their loved ones by getting vaccinated,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra noted in the release. “We are committed to providing accessible and actionable health information for all U.S. residents, across age, geography, and race/ethnicity. We will continue working every day to ensure the tools are available, and I hope everyone takes this opportunity to stay healthy. The Flu, COVID-19, and RSV continue to take a heavy toll across the United States. During a 6-month period last fall and winter, these infections caused 800,000 hospitalizations. Without immunization, the risk of serious illness remains highest in certain populations, including adults ages 65 and older, residents of long-term care facilities, pregnant people, and those living in rural areas. Some racial and ethnic groups, including Black and Hispanic populations in the United States, are also at higher risk.”
“Respiratory illness from flu, COVID-19, and RSV viruses usually surge during colder weather and can cause severe disease, hospitalization, and even death,” HHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Jeffery Nesbit noted in the HHS release. “The goal of the Risk Less. Do More. campaign is to increase confidence in vaccines that play an important role in preventing severe illness from these viruses and to provide the information that the American people need to make the decision to get vaccinated this fall and winter. Risk Less. Do More. will deliver research-based messages through paid advertising and media coverage on TV, radio, print, social, digital, and out-of-home platforms. The campaign will reach all audiences, with a particular focus on those at highest risk, including older Americans and people who may have less access to health care information and support, with facts about life-saving vaccines that can help them avoid severe illness.”
HHS will also partner with state and local health departments and national, state, and community organizations to ensure all audiences have access to information from sources they trust, the HHS release noted.
“Risk Less. Do More. will be a crucial element of a multi-layered response to encourage people to get vaccinated so they can keep doing more of what they love,” May Malik, Senior Advisor for Public Education Campaigns at HHS, noted in the HHS release. “The campaign is working closely with federal agencies, as well as national and local partners, to amplify and extend the reach of the campaign. HHS previously spearheaded the COVID-19 vaccination campaign We Can Do This, one of the largest public education campaigns in U.S. history, which saved tens of thousands of lives and billions of dollars in costs related to COVID-19 infections. The Campaign encouraged 22.3 million people to complete their primary COVID-19 vaccination series between April 2021 and March 2022.”
For more information on the Risk Less. Do More. campaign, please visit RiskLessDoMore.hhs.gov. For more information about respiratory illnesses, please visit cdc.gov/RiskLessDoMore
This announcement comes after last week’s announcement of the federal government restarting its free at-home COVID-19 tests program in September.
"As families start to move indoors this fall and begin spending time with their loved ones, both very old and very young, they will once again have the opportunity to order up to four new COVID-19 tests free of charge and have them sent directly to their homes," Dawn O'Connell, assistant secretary for preparedness and response at HHS, noted during a media briefing last week. “These tests will help keep families and their loved ones safe this fall and winter season. Distributing at-home tests and securing access to treatments is an essential part of our efforts to ensure that we are as prepared as possible for the upcoming fall and winter respiratory season.”
For COVID-19 and flu, the CDC recommends everyone ages 6 months and older receive a COVID-19 and flu vaccine, including pregnant women. For RSV, the CDC recommends all infants younger than 8 months old and infants between 8 months and 18 months who are high risk should get vaccinated. The CDC also noted RSV vaccination is recommended for pregnant women between 32 weeks and 36 weeks gestation as well as all adults ages 75 and older and adults between ages 60 and 74 who are at higher risk of illness.
