CDC issues new guidance for adult immunization during pandemic
Recognizing that clinicians need to provide clinical services in safe environments, CDC has issued new pandemic guidance for adult immunization in areas with community transmission of SARS-CoV-2. CDC recommends that needed immunizations be postponed, except when:
- The adult is present for some other purpose and the immunization can be delivered during that visit with no additional risk, or
- The adult and their clinician find a compelling need to receive the immunization after concluding that potential benefits outweigh risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2.
The CDC guidance for adult preventive services, titled "Delivery of Adult Clinical Preventive Services, Including Immunizations,” can be found on CDC's Resources for Hospitals and Healthcare Professionals Preparing for Patients with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 web page.
Guidance from CDC, AAP, and AAFP for childhood immunization is discussed in the following article.
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AAFP joins CDC, AAP in releasing guidance on maintaining childhood immunization during COVID-19 pandemic
CDC, AAP, and AAFP have each released guidance on maintaining childhood immunization during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The CDC guidance has moved. See CDC's
Information for Pediatric Healthcare Providers: Maintaining Childhood Immunizations during COVID-19 Pandemic web page:
Ensuring the delivery of newborn and well-child care, including childhood immunization, requires different strategies [during the COVID-10 pandemic]
. Healthcare providers in communities affected by COVID-19 are using strategies [such as these from AAP] to separate well visits from sick visits. Examples include:
- Scheduling well visits in the morning and sick visits in the afternoon
- Separating patients spatially, such as by placing patients with sick visits in different areas of the clinic or another location from patients with well visits
- Collaborating with providers in the community to identify separate locations for holding well visits for children
Because of personal, practice, or community circumstances related to COVID-19, some providers may not be able to provide well-child visits, including provision of immunizations, for all patients in their practice. If a practice can provide only limited well-child visits, healthcare providers are encouraged to prioritize newborn care and vaccination of infants and young children (through 24 months of age) when possible. CDC is monitoring the situation and will continue to provide guidance.
AAFP posted the following guidance, titled COVID-19: Guidance for Family Physicians on Preventive and Non-urgent Care.
The AAFP supports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) mitigation strategy as a framework for family physicians to protect patients, families, and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. ...
Family physicians should consider working expeditiously to provide routine, chronic, and preventive visits by telehealth, virtual, or e-visit as much as possible until after the COVID-19 threat has subsided, as defined by the CDC and as appropriate. ...
As the COVID-19 situation is rapidly changing and varies geographically, affected communities are developing strategies to ensure that the delivery of newborns and well-child care is maintained. This includes childhood immunizations. Practices have separated well visits from sick visits temporarily (e.g., well visits in the morning, sick visits in the afternoon) or spatially (e.g., well visits in a specified clinic or other location, separated from sick visits). Follow the CDC and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidance for cleaning exam rooms and areas between patients and sessions.
Due to personal, practice, or community circumstances related to COVID-19, some family physicians may be unable to provide preventive health care visits, including the provision of immunizations. If only limited well-child visits can be provided, family physicians are encouraged to prioritize newborn care and vaccination of infants and young children (through 24 months of age), when possible.
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CDC releases updated VISs for DTaP, Td, Tdap, multi-vaccine, and yellow fever
On April 1, CDC released interim versions of the Vaccine Information Statements (VISs) for DTaP, Td, Tdap, and multi-vaccine, and a final version of the yellow fever VIS.
Access these VISs on their respective IAC web pages by clicking on the links below.
For both interim and final VISs, CDC encourages providers to begin using them immediately, but stocks of the previous editions may be used until exhausted.
CDC states that translations of interim VISs that are out of date may continue to be used, because there have not been significant content changes. However, the corresponding up-to-date English-language VIS must also be provided when providing an out-of-date translation.
Unfortunately, IAC is not able to obtain translations as soon as English updates are issued.
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National Infant Immunization Week is April 25–May 2; prepare using CDC's
new 2020 digital media toolkit
National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW), April 25–May 2, is an annual observance to highlight the importance of protecting infants from vaccine-preventable diseases and to celebrate the achievements of immunization partners. The 2020 observance will be challenging for many, considering pandemic circumstances. Consider using this week for your community to restate the importance of immunization.
Since 1994, hundreds of U.S. communities have joined together during NIIW to celebrate the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our children, communities, and public health. Giving babies and toddlers the recommended vaccinations by age two is the best way to protect them from 14 serious childhood diseases.
Save time by using CDC's newly launched 2020 NIIW Digital Media Toolkit to plan and implement your organization's NIIW activities. The toolkit includes updated logos, sample social media content, social graphics, and key messages. Please share them as you are able using the hashtag #ivax2protect.
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IAC Spotlight! IAC's Clinic Tools gateway page provides a wealth of practical educational materials from authoritative sources
IAC's Clinic Tools gateway page on immunize.org is a one-stop source of practical information for immunization providers. Clicking on "Clinic Tools" in the blue bar at the top of the immunize.org website will bring you to this page, where you will find a wealth of resources and tools from IAC and its partner organizations. These resources address a wide range of topics:
Visit the Clinic Tools gateway page today to see how easy it is to find what you need!
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Not-to-miss immunization articles in the news
These recent articles convey the potential risks of vaccine-preventable diseases and the importance of vaccination.
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Stay up to date on the latest coronavirus information
CDC, NIH, WHO, and Johns Hopkins are closely monitoring the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Be sure to check the resources below for the latest information. Stay in touch with your local and state health departments.
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IAC HANDOUTS
IAC updates its staff education materials: "Dates of Current Vaccine Information Statements" and "You Must Provide Patients with Vaccine Information Statements (VISs)—It’s Federal Law!"
IAC recently revised Dates of Current Vaccine Information Statements as well as You Must Provide Patients with Vaccine Information Statements (VISs)—It’s Federal Law! to reflect the April 1, 2020, date of the recently updated DTaP, Td, Tdap, and yellow fever, and the multi-vaccine VISs.
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IAC updates “Before You Vaccinate Adults, Consider Their “H-A-L-O”!
IAC recently updated its resource for healthcare professionals titled Before You Vaccinate Adults, Consider Their “H-A-L-O”! H-A-L-O stands for four factors: health condition, age, lifestyle, and occupation. The following changes were made:
- to incorporate the updated ACIP recommendation to administer either Tdap or Td (now interchangeable) to adults as part of their primary series or as booster doses
- to add the high-risk criteria of immunosuppression and homelessness for HepA
- to change cigarette smoking to tobacco smoking as a risk factor for PPSV23 (CDC advises that smoking of cigars and pipes should be considered as risk factors, but not chewable tobacco or vaping)
- to indicate the vaccines that can be given to adults not in a specified risk group after a discussion with their healthcare provider (i.e., HPV, MenB, PCV13)
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IAC posts updated “Give Birth to the End of Hep B” promotional handout for its Hepatitis B: What Hospitals Need to Do to Protect Newborns guide
IAC updated Give Birth to the End of Hep B, the promotional handout for its comprehensive guide titled What Hospitals Need to Do to Protect Newborns. The handout was updated to include information about the ACIP recommendations to give the hepatitis B vaccine birth dose within 24 hours of birth.
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WORLD NEWS
WHO reports on control of epidemic meningitis in African meningitis belt in 2019 in Weekly Epidemiological Record
The World Health Organization published Control of Epidemic Meningitis in Countries in the African Meningitis Belt, 2019 in the April 3 issue of the Weekly Epidemiological Record. Portions of the conclusion appear below.
Since 2010, 24 countries in the African meningitis belt have conducted MACV [meningococcal A conjugate vaccine] campaigns, and 10 have included this vaccine in their routine childhood immunization programmes. The decrease in the incidence of N. meningitidis A in the region has been confirmed and sustained so far: no outbreaks have been detected since 2014 and no cases since 2017. To ensure continued success of this vaccination strategy, the 14 remaining countries must urgently introduce the vaccine into their routine programmes.
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FEATURED RESOURCES
IAC's laminated versions of the
2020 U.S. child/adolescent immunization schedule and the
2020 U.S. adult immunization schedule are available now.
These schedules are ideal for use in any busy healthcare setting where vaccinations are given. Their tough coating can be wiped down, and they’re durable enough to stand up to a year's worth of use.
The child/adolescent schedule is eight pages (i.e., four double-sided pages) and the adult schedule is six pages (i.e., three double-sided pages), but both schedules fold down to a convenient 8.5" x 11" size.
With color coding for easy reading, our laminated schedules replicate the original CDC formatting, including the essential tables and notes.
PRICING
1–4 copies: $7.50 each
5–19 copies: $5.50 each
20–99 copies: $4.50 each
100–499 copies: $4.00 each
500–999 copies: $3.50 each
For quotes on customizing or placing orders of 1,000 copies or more, call 651-647-9009 or email
admininfo@immunize.org.
Visit the
Shop IAC: Laminated Schedules web page for more information on the schedules, to view images of all the pages, to download the
PDF order form, or to order online.
Please Note:
Due to the Minnesota Governor's order regarding essential services, the IAC office will not be shipping orders of our shop items until the week of April 13 at the earliest. Our online shopping cart will continue to take orders and they will be fulfilled as soon as possible. Updates will be posted on the
Shop IAC section of immunize.org. If your need for the item is critical, please email us at
admininfo@immunize.org.
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