Coronavirus Alert

Last Updated: April 12, 2022 at 8:22 am

BCBSAZ Health Choice Pathway (HMO D-SNP) is keeping up with the latest developments about the COVID-19 illness. Below are some tips to protect your health.


How to get at-home COVID-19 tests at NO COST

  1. Every home in the U.S. can order up to 4 at-home COVID-19 tests at no cost. For more information or to register and have them mailed to your home, visit covidtests.gov.
  2. Beginning April 4, 2022, Medicare will cover up to eight at-home, over-the-counter COVID-19 tests per month at no cost. For more information, visit Medicare Covers Over-the-Counter COVID-19 Tests | CMS.
  3. Medicaid (AHCCCS as a secondary benefit) – AHCCCS will cover one at-home COVID-19 test kit (two tests) per month with a prescription by a provider or a pharmacist when filled at a pharmacy at no cost.
  4. Over-the-counter (OTC) Benefit – BCBSAZ Health Choice Pathway members can use their over-the-counter (OTC) benefit to get up to 12 at-home COVID-19 tests every quarter by placing an order online at cvs.com/otchs/healthchoice com or visiting a participating OTCHS-enabled store. For more information, call 1-844-457-8938, TTY: 711, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday – Friday.


For COVID-19 Vaccine Information and Updates

As Arizona rolls out the COVID-19 vaccine, we want to make sure you are updated. These vaccines are important to slowing the spread of the disease and protecting our communities. Vaccine distribution is handled by each county and in a phased approach. It can be different from county to county. Find vaccination sites in your county at azhealth.gov/findvaccine. You can also find information on which phase your county is currently in and learn about the vaccine. You will not be charged for the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Please refer to these websites:
Information on the COVID-19 Vaccine from AZDHS
Find a COVID-19 Vaccine by County

How to protect yourself

  1. Most important: Stay home when you are sick.
  2. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
  3. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  4. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  5. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
  6. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
  7. Know the signs and symptoms of COVID-19: fever, cough and shortness of breath.
  8. See more tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Concerned about symptoms?

Call your doctor: If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms, such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your healthcare provider for medical advice.

We are here to help.

If you have questions, please call us at 1-800-656-8991, TTY 711, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a week.

 

 

 

COVID-19 Vaccine Update

What we know. The COVID-19 vaccination is an important tool to help us stay safe and healthy. All vaccines currently available are highly effective at preventing COVID-19. The vaccines are safe and important to slowing the spread of the virus.

You will not be charged for the COVID-19 vaccine. Check your eligibility for the vaccine, and find vaccination sites in your county at azhealth.gov/findvaccine. You can also call the Arizona COVID-19 Hotline at 1-844-542-8201.

Protect your health now. It is important to keep following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations to protect yourself and others.

  1. Get a COVID-19 vaccine when it is available to you
  2. Wear a mask
  3. Wash your hands frequently
  4. Stay six feet away from others and avoid crowds

Need transportation to get vaccinated? Contact us 72 hours before your scheduled appointment at 1-888-418-0903 (TTY 711), 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Health Choice covers transportation to your vaccination appointment.

Now that there are COVID-19 vaccines available, accurate vaccine information is critical. Here are answers to a few questions you may have about these vaccines.

A. There are many benefits to getting the vaccine.

  • COVID-19 vaccines will help keep you from getting COVID-19
  • COVID-19 vaccinations is a safer way to help build protection
  • Vaccinations are an important tool to help safely build immunity in the community and stop the pandemic
A. Nothing. You will not be charged for the COVID-19 vaccine. If you are asked to pay for the vaccine, do not pay and call Member Services at 1-800-656-8991, TTY 711, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a week.
A. COVID-19 vaccines help our bodies develop immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19 without us having to get the illness. The vaccines do not contain the real coronavirus. So getting the vaccine cannot give you COVID-19.
A. Yes. COVID-19 vaccinations will protect you by creating an antibody (immune system) response without experiencing sickness. Protection from the vaccine is not immediate. It will take one-two weeks after receiving either the two-dose or one-dose vaccination to be fully protected.
A. The most common side effects among those who get a vaccine were similar to other vaccines and typically went away in a few days. Some common side effects are:

  • Fatigue
  • Headache
  • Muscle pain
  • Chills
  • Injection site pain

These side effects are normal and a sign that your immune system is learning how to fight the virus that causes COVID-19.

A. No. Vaccines do not change your DNA in any way.
A. No. People who want to get pregnant in the future may receive the COVID-19 vaccine. If you are pregnant, you may want to consult with your OBGYN before getting a vaccine.
A. Yes, as long as you do not have a history of a severe allergic reaction to the specific vaccine components.
A. Yes, you should be vaccinated. Experts do not yet know how long you are protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. If you were treated for COVID-19 with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma, you should wait 90 days before getting a vaccine.
A. Yes. It is important to continue wearing a mask, wash your hands often, social distance, and avoid large gatherings until experts learn more about the protection COVID-19 vaccines provide.

The CDC recently released new guidance for fully vaccinated people. The CDC defines fully vaccinated people as those who are two weeks past their second dose of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines or two weeks past a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The CDC guidance says fully vaccinated people can:

  • Visit other vaccinated people indoors without masks or physical distancing
  • Visit indoors with unvaccinated people from a single household without masks or physical distancing, if the unvaccinated people are at low risk for severe disease

However, people who are fully vaccinated still need to take precautions. The guidelines say fully vaccinated people must:

  • Wear a mask and keep good physical distance in public and around unvaccinated people who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19, or if the unvaccinated person has a household member who is at higher risk
  • Wear masks and physically distance when visiting unvaccinated people who are from multiple households
  • You should still avoid medium or large-sized gatherings

Source: CDC.gov, AZDHS.gov

The information provided is subject to change according to new guidance released from the CDC.


Community Health Resources

COVID-19 Resources – NACHW

COVID-19 Vaccination Toolkits (CDC)

COVID-19 Vaccination Toolkits | CDC
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) – Africa CDC

Communication Tips for Covid19 Vaccines

COVIDTipSheet_Final.pdf (nih.gov)

Provider Education Resources

SARS-COV-2 Antibody Testing Options
(Updated - 09/01/2021 11:54 AM)

Seasonal Respiratory Viruses and COVID-19
(Updated - 09/01/2021 11:59 AM)

HHS COVID-19 Care and Vaccine Access – Provider Fact Sheet
The Arizona Partnership for Immunization
Resources for Patients Impacted by COVID-19 Loss of Health Insurance Coverage
(Updated - 05/11/2020 10:53 AM)

HealthCurrent COVID-19: Executive Order – Elective Surgeries
(Updated - 05/01/2020 12:51 PM)

COVID-19: Medicare Provider Enrollment Relief Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
COVID-19 Telehealth Practices as of 3/25/2020
COVID-19: Emergency Declaration Health Care Providers Fact Sheet
COVID-19: Recommendations for provider preparedness
(Updated - 03/11/2020 10:56 AM)

COVID-19: Specimen Guide
(Updated - 03/11/2020 01:41 PM)

COVID-19: Specimen Collection and Shipping Instructions
(Updated - 03/11/2020 01:42 PM)

Dental Prior Authorization Changes
(Updated - 04/23/2020 09:39 AM)

BCBSAZ Health Choice Pathway 100-day Prescription Refills
(Updated - 04/23/2020 09:41 AM)

The National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants (NRC-RIM)

National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants

The National Resource Center for Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants (NRC-RIM) is funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It provides assistance and resources to state and local health departments working with refugee, immigrant, and migrant communities that have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. More than just a library, NRC-RIM empowers organizations to replicate best practices from across the country, increase their knowledge of key concepts for serving RIM communities, and ultimately serve more people than ever before. Whether you need COVID-19 translated materials (roughly 3,000 translated COVID-19 materials and resources in around 100 languages), COVID-19 vaccine toolkits or on-demand training, NRC-RIM has the resources you need right now. For more information, visit NRC-RIM Website, sign up for NRC-RIM Newsletter , and follow NRC-RIM on Twitter.

 

COVID-19 Video Resources

A message from Health Choice’s Chief Medical Officer and other Arizona health care professionals.

 

 

 

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