Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, May 2, 2020

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Mountain View News Saturday, May 2, 2020 

DO PNEUMONIA VACCINES 
PROTECT SENIORS FROM 
CORONAVIRUS?

Dear Savvy Senior:

Do currently offered vaccines against pneumonia 
provide seniors any protection against the 
coronavirus disease? I’ve always been bad about getting vaccinated, but this coronavirus pandemic is 
causing me to change my thinking. Pro-Vax Patty

Dear Patty: 

This is a great question. Because the coronavirus (COVID-19) attacks the lungs and respiratory 
system, many readers have asked whether the pneumonia vaccines, which are administered to millions 
of patients each year, might protect someone if they contract the coronavirus.

But unfortunately, the answer is no. Vaccines against pneumonia, such as pneumococcal vaccine 
and Haemophilus influenza type B vaccine, do not provide protection against the new coronavirus.

This virus is so new and different that it needs its own vaccine. Researchers are in the process of 
rapidly developing a vaccine against COVID-19, but it is expected to take at least a year before it’s 
ready.

Having said that, you should also know that there are several other important vaccines the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all seniors should get up to date on 
after the coronavirus pandemic dies down. Here’s a rundown of what they are, when you should get 
them, and how they’re covered by Medicare.

Flu vaccine: While annual flu shots are recommended each fall to everyone, they are very important 
for older adults to get because seniors have a much greater risk of developing dangerous flu 
complications. According to the CDC, last year up to 647,000 people were hospitalized and 61,200 
died because of the flu – most of whom were age 65 and older.

To improve your chances of escaping the seasonal flu, this September or October consider a vaccine 
specifically designed for people 65 and older. The Fluzone High Dose or FLUAD are the two 
options that provide extra protection beyond what a standard flu shot offers. And all flu shots are 
covered under Medicare Part B.

Pneumococcal vaccine: As previously stated, this vaccine protects against pneumonia, which hospitalizes 
around 250,000 Americans and kills about 50,000 each year. It’s recommended that all 
seniors, 65 or older, get two separate vaccines – PCV13 (Prevnar 13) and PPSV23 (Pneumovax 
23). Both vaccines, which are administered one year apart, protect against different strains of the 
bacteria to provide maximum protection. Medicare Part B covers both shots if they are taken at 
least a year apart.

Shingles vaccine: Caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox, shingles is a painful, blistering 
skin rash that affects more than 1 million Americans every year. All people over age 50 should 
get the new Shingrix vaccine, which is given in two doses, two to six months apart. Even if you’ve 
already had shingles, you should still get this vaccination because reoccurring cases are possible. 
The CDC also recommends that anyone previously vaccinated with Zostavax be revaccinated with 
Shingrix because it’s significantly more effective.

All Medicare Part D prescription drug plans cover shingles vaccinations, but coverage amounts, 
and reimbursement rules vary depending on where the shot is given. Check your plan.

Tdap vaccine: A one-time dose of the Tdap vaccine, which covers tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis 
(whooping cough) is recommended to all adults. If you’ve already had a Tdap shot, you should get 
a tetanus-diphtheria (Td) booster shot every 10 years. All Medicare Part D prescription drug plans 
cover these vaccinations.

Other Vaccinations

Depending on your health conditions, preferences, age and future travel schedule, the CDC offers 
a “What Vaccines Do You Need?” quiz at www2.CDC.gov/nip/adultimmsched to help you determine 
what additional vaccines may be appropriate for you. You should also talk to your doctor 
during your next visit about which vaccinations you should get.

To locate a site that offers any of these vaccines, visit VaccineFinder.org and type in your location.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.
org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” 
book.


SENIOR HAPPENINGS

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …May Birthdays*

Beth Copti, Marilyn Diaz, Anne Schryver, Jo Ann Williams, Paul Hagan, Lenore 
Crilly Joann Serrato-Chi, Harriett Lyle, Jean Coleman, Birgitta Gerlinger, Donna 
Mathieson, Luciana Rosenzweig, Linda Wochnik, Marian Woodford, Debbie 
Sheridan, Joanne Anthony, Carole Axline, Kika Downey, Shirley Hall, Annie Scalzo, 
Janet Ten Eyck, Jane Thomas, Ray Burley.

 * To add your name to this distinguished list, please call the paper at 
626.355.2737. YEAR of birth not required 


FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett

OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder


SHOULD YOU (OR YOUR PARENTS) BE IN 
THE STOCK MARKET NOW? 

If you or your parents have a retirement account, (or any 
investment accounts for that matter) now is a perfect time to get 
connected to how those accounts are invested. While you may 
have outsourced all of this to a broker, which is fine, I don’t believe 
you should ever allow your investments to be made without your 
clear understanding of exactly what you are investing in as well 
as how and whether your investments align with your plans for 
the future. 

Some brokers and advisors believe this, too. Unfortunately, 
because it takes more time to ensure you understand your investments, many brokers and advisors 
would rather keep you in the dark. Now is not the time (or ever, really) for you to be okay with 
being in the dark about your investments. 

Educate Yourself

If you or your parents have a retirement account, and you are not intimately 
connected to how those assets are being invested, it’s time to get more involved. 
Log in to your retirement account or pull your last statement and look. Many brokerages select 
investment funds for their clients’ portfolios based on rates of growth. They’ll offer investment 
options based on a few tiers of growth and risk, and very often you have no idea what your assets 
are actually invested in.

Labels like “slow-growth” or “conservative” or “high-growth” or “income” aren’t enough to tell 
you exactly where your money is invested. So, what you want to do now is look at your statement, 
which should contain the names of the funds chosen for you, and you can go from there to do 
your research. Look up each of the funds on sites like Yahoo Finance to see what you are investing 
in, and whether you understand these companies, believe in their future growth, and want to stay 
invested there. 

Go through this process with your parents, too. The money they have invested in the stock market 
is part of your overall family wealth. If it’s not there to support them through their senior years, 
that financial responsibility will eventually fall to you. Having these conversations with them now 
can be difficult, but it’s important. 

If you have a broker you work with, call them now, and ask to get on a video conference. Then, 
have them help you review each investment, why it’s been chosen, and whether there may be 
better or other options for you or your parents. 

Here’s the key: make sure you understand it, and don’t hang up the phone until you do. If your 
broker is using words you don’t understand, keep asking questions until you do understand. If 
you need a referral to an advisor give us a call. 

With everything that is happening in the world—and with the volatility of the stock market and 
our current reality —knowing your options is vital to preserving the full legacy you and your 
parents have worked hard to build. 

Dedicated to empowering your family, building your wealth and defining your legacy,

A local attorney and father, Marc Garlett is on a mission to help parents protect what they love

most. His office is located at 55 Auburn Avenue, Sierra Madre, CA 91024. Schedule an

appointment to sit down and talk about ensuring a legacy of love and financial security for your

family by calling 626.355.4000 or visit www.CaliLaw.com for more information.


CASUAL IS NOT ALWAYS 
APPROPRIATE

If confession is good for the soul, 
I would like to give my soul a little 
treat.

During this "stay-at-home" phenomenon, the Gracious 
Mistress of the Par-sonage and Yours Truly, have been 
enjoying our time alone. We certainly have taken advantage 
of it.

Not too long ago, my wife came up with something to 
make our time a little more memorable. She called it, 
casual pajama time.

After breakfast, we would wear our morning casual 
pajamas. After lunch, it would be our afternoon casual 
pajamas. And, after supper, it would be our evening casual 
pajamas.

I never heard of this before, but I joined in with the fun. 
I knew what time of the day it was by the pajamas I was 
wearing at that time. There is al-ways something good 
in everything.

It was early in the afternoon, and my wife took a nap. 
It was at that time I remembered something she said 
earlier that morning. For some reason, she forgot to get 
milk and eggs at the grocery store yesterday. Thinking 
about that, I had a thought. You would think of all the 
times I have had thoughts, I would realize that they 
never come out with anything good.

However, I thought this would be an opportunity to 
get one over on her. I would sneak out, go to the grocery 
store, get some milk and eggs, sneak back into the 
house and put them in the refrigerator. Then, when she 
woke up, I would say, "Honey, I thought you said we 
didn't have milk or eggs?"

That would be something I could live with forever and 
a day.

Being as quiet as I possibly could, I went out to my vehicle 
and headed for the grocery store. I was chuckling 
all the way to the store. I could not wait to pull this one 
over on her.

I got at the store, parked, and began walking towards 
the entrance. There seem to be quite a few people in the 
parking lot, and for some reason, everybody was looking 
at me and smiling or even laughing.

I thought something was happening making people 
happy. Maybe I just forgot how happy people really are 
in real life. I joined them in smiling and laughing.

Going into the store, I walked to where the milk and 
eggs were, and as I was walking, people stopped, looked 
at me and some smiled, some pointed a finger, and 
some even laughed. I thought to myself, what a wonderful 
world we live in when people are always happy 
and laughing.

I even wore one of those masks that my wife made. 
Someone was looking at me and smiling I said, “My 
wife made this mask. Doesn’t it look wonder-ful?” To 
which they laughed almost hysterically. I could not 
keep from laughing either.

Whatever this thing happening in our world today is, 
at least some people are taking it on the lighter side. It 
is wonderful when people are not all bent out of shape, 
sad, and discouraged. I love to see people smile and 
laugh.

I knew I did not have much time in the store and had 
to get home before my wife woke up so I could pull this 
trick on her. Every time I thought of this, I was smiling 
on both the inside and the outside. I cannot believe I 
am actually going to get one over on her.

Walking up to the cashier, I noticed people were still 
smiling and laughing, and some were even pointing at 
me. I knew it had to be the mask because it was a great 
mask that my wife had made.

The cashier greeted me with a very hesitant smile and 
rang up my items, and I was to pay with my credit card. 
I made conversation with the cashier and then stuck my 
hand in my pocket to pull out my wallet.

The problem was, I could not find my pocket. This has 
never happened be-fore because I always know where 
my pockets in my pants are. I chuckled a little bit and 
then happened to look down and discovered I was 
wearing my casual afternoon pajamas.

Having no pockets in my pajamas, I had no wallet on 
me and therefore had no way to pay for those items. At 
this point, I was not laughing, but the people behind me 
seemed to be laughing even louder.

I begin to understand why people were smiling and 
laughing and pointing at me. It was not that they were 
happy so much as it was I looked ridiculous in my afternoon 
casual pajamas. I have never worn pajamas out 
in public before, and I promised myself I would never 
do it again.

I did not know how to pay for those two items. Trying 
to figure out what to do, someone came up behind me 
and told the cashier, “Put his items on my card because 
the entertainment has been worth it.”

Everybody behind me was laughing, and I did not 
know exactly what to do. I looked at the lady and said, 
"Thank you for this."

“No,” she said, “thank you for the entertainment.”

Driving out of the parking lot, I could not help but 
think of a verse of Scrip-ture, “And as ye would that 
men should do to you, do ye also to them like-wise” 
(Luke 6:31).

Being generous sometimes is a little act of kindness.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com