It’s flu season and we’re right in the thick of it. So, if it feels like a lot of folks look a bit washed out, it might just be because they’re fighting more than the common cold.
Flu season generally peaks around this time of year and reports show increases across the country, especially in Maine. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported 2,208 new cases the week of Feb. 10, and 8,965 confirmed cases so far for the 2024-2025 flu season. So far, Penobscot, York, Cumberland, Androscoggin and Kennebec counties have the highest reports of the flu.
If you don’t have the flu
Take a few steps to protect yourself because Benjamin Franklin was right back in 1736: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
If you think you have the flu
If you feel sick and have symptoms like a fever, cough, sore throat, body aches or fatigue it’s best to get tested for the flu. You can even ask your doctor to give you a combined test for flu and COVID or pick up a test at your local pharmacy.
If you have the flu, you can call your primary care provider or visit an urgent care and ask for a prescription for an antiviral medication to ease your symptoms. Those drugs work best if taken within the first 48 hours of symptoms, so it’s best to act quickly.
If you are a Community Health Options Member, you have access to virtual urgent care through Amwell’s® online platform. You can sign up for 24/7 access in your Member Portal through the Health & Wellness tab.
If you’ve been around people with the flu
If you’ve been in close contact with someone who has the flu, antiviral meds could help prevent you from catching it, too, or may reduce the severity of the virus if you get sick. This is especially true if you are among those at risk of complications, like young children, people with immune conditions and the elderly. Even without those risks, antivirals can help someone with a confirmed exposure within 48 hours. It’s best to check with a healthcare provider.
You can find out more information about how to take care of you and your loved ones on the CDC’s flu website.
Have a question about Community Health Options or your benefits? Call our Maine-based Member Services team at (855) 624-6463 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.
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Many of us are waiting weeks or months to book medical appointments. Or taking a long drive to get to the only provider taking new patients—often more than an hour away. And once in the office, chances are we’re spending more time in waiting rooms just for a routine appointment.
The national shortage of healthcare workers has been well-documented, and Maine is feeling it, too, with access to providers emerging as one of the greatest barriers to treatment. By the end of 2022, Maine had just 580 doctors practicing family medicine, an 18% decline from 2019, according to The Portland Press Herald, leaving fewer doctors for a growing population.
During the pandemic, patients discovered the convenience of telehealth and began meeting with their providers through a phone call or video chat from the comfort of their own homes. The concept certainly wasn’t new—Community Health Options Members had access to Amwell® behavioral telehealth well before Covid-19 struck.
That concept has expanded to virtual primary care, giving people the option through an online care team, expanding access to care. Alongside its traditional provider network, Community Health Options now offers Members 18 and older the option to choose a virtual-first primary care team through Firefly Health.
When it comes to health outcomes, many studies have shown patients miss fewer virtual appointments, helping them to stay on track with their health needs. And in a recent pilot program, Walmart employees with diabetes who used virtual care saw a 24% average reduction in glucose levels and patients with hypertension had a 14% reduction in blood pressure, the company said in 2023 when it expanded its program to Maine, among other states.
