Stay Healthy This Holiday Season
Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones
The holiday season is just around the corner—filled with gatherings, travel, and celebrations. While it’s a time for joy, it also overlaps with the start of respiratory virus season, making it important to take proactive steps to protect your health and the health of those around you.
Why Now is the Time for Vaccines and Wellness Visits
Recent data from October 2025 shows that hospital and ICU bed occupancy in Louisiana is relatively high, and COVID-19 viral activity in wastewater is at a high level—an early signal of increasing virus circulation. While overall acute respiratory illness is currently low, public health experts recommend preparing early, especially for adults at higher risk.
Getting your flu shot, updated COVID-19 booster, and annual wellness visit now ensures that you are fully protected before attending holiday gatherings. Annual wellness visits are essential for preventive care and can include:
- Routine measurements like height, weight, blood pressure, and BMI
- Review of medical and family history, as well as current prescriptions
- Age and risk-appropriate screenings, such as diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure, and mental health checks
Completing your wellness visit now helps you stay on top of your health and any preventive screenings you may need before the end of the year.
Layered Protection for Holiday Gatherings
Public health officials recommend a layered approach to staying healthy during holiday gatherings:
- Get Vaccinated: Make sure all eligible adults are up-to-date on flu, COVID-19, and RSV vaccines before attending events.
- Limit Pre-Exposure: Consider reducing contact with large crowds and public places in the week leading up to gatherings, especially if you are hosting or visiting high-risk relatives.
- Stay Home if Sick: Even mild symptoms like a sore throat, runny nose, or low-grade fever are a sign to skip the event and possibly get tested for COVID-19.
- Improve Indoor Airflow: Open windows or use air purifiers to increase ventilation. Outdoor gatherings remain lower risk.
- Consider Testing: Rapid antigen tests before large or multi-generational gatherings can provide extra peace of mind.
We’re Here to Help
At Southeast Community Health Systems, we make it easy to stay protected this season. We accept most major insurances, including Medicaid, and offer a sliding scale fee for those without insurance. Each of our clinics has extended hours, and we also welcome walk-ins.
Don’t wait—request your appointment today and make your health a priority before the holidays.