Issue 1493: May 6, 2020
TOP STORIES
IAC HANDOUTS
FEATURED RESOURCES
JOURNAL ARTICLES AND NEWSLETTERS
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
TOP STORIES
IAC Commentary: Society wants a COVID-19 vaccine—it’s not just a
matter of when, but also how much and for whom (part 1)
by John D. Grabenstein, RPh, PhD, IAC Express associate editor
News channels are full of stories about this or that SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) vaccine candidate advancing to this or that stage of clinical development.
Some people are confident a vaccine will be available within X months, while others counsel that it could be Y months or longer.
IAC Express is not bringing stories of this slow-motion horse race to you, because it’s not information you can act on. Whichever vaccine
candidate is first over the finish line, there won’t be enough of it at first, not for a country with 325+ million people, nor a planet with 7.8+ billion
people.
Let’s be clear about that “finish line.” It is not a day when some big box arrives with enough vaccine for everybody served by your
site. It will be the day when there is just enough evidence for efficacy and just enough evidence for safety to vaccinate somewhat more broadly.
On April 30, the New York Times ran an excellent article,
How Long Will a Vaccine Really Take?, by Stuart
Thompson, that graphically explains how typical vaccine-development timelines are being compressed to deliver one or more SARS-CoV-2 vaccines as
soon as feasible. As can be seen on the graphic (click the graphic’s buttons to see which modifications yield time gains of what size), compressing
the timeline largely comes from conducting various steps simultaneously. The pharmaceutical industry refers to this as doing things “at risk,”
meaning at risk of waste or futility. Some dollars will be wasted, with an understanding that paying for several simultaneous efforts may help to get to at
least one successful vaccine sooner, even if inefficiently.
Next week, in IAC Express issue #1494, we’ll consider “for whom” and how to get ready.
Related Links
Back to top
Immunize Colorado executive director discusses the urgent need for maintaining
routine immunizations during the COVID-19 pandemic
Immunize Colorado published Maintaining Routine Immunizations during the Pandemic: An Urgent Growing Need,
by the executive director, Stephanie Wasserman, on April 27.
Ms. Wasserman notes that shelter-in-place orders due to COVID-19 are keeping families in their homes, which have led to cancellations of well-care visits
and an adverse effect on routine immunization rates. She writes:
Maintaining routine immunization during the pandemic is critical especially for children age 24 months or younger, pregnant women, seniors and
people with chronic diseases. Many major health professional organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of
Family Physicians and World Health Organization have issued interim guidelines for maintaining immunizations…
Related Links
Back to top
FDA licenses MenQuadfi (Sanofi Pasteur) for prevention of invasive meningococcal
disease caused by serogroups A, C, W, and Y in individuals 2 years of age and older
On April 23, the FDA issued an approval letter for MenQuadfi (Sanofi Pasteur), a vaccine for individuals 2 years of age and older to help prevent invasive
meningococcal disease (including meningitis) caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroups A, C, W, and Y. MenQuadfi does not prevent serogroup B
disease. MenQuadfi is expected to be available to providers and pharmacies in the U.S. in 2021.
Related Links
Back to top
IAC Spotlight! These IAC patient and staff educational materials were updated in
March and April
IAC Express regularly provides readers with information about IAC’s new and updated educational materials for healthcare
professionals and handouts for patients. All materials are free to download, print, and distribute.
In case you missed them during recent weeks, these helpful materials were announced:
Staff Education Materials
Handouts for Your Patients
Related Links
Back to top
Not-to-miss immunization articles in the news
These recent articles convey the potential risks of vaccine-preventable diseases and the importance of vaccination.
Back to top
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.
Related Links
Back to top
IAC HANDOUTS
New! IAC handout titled “Adult Immunization: Importance of Staying Up to
Date with Vaccines”
IAC posted a new handout titled
Adult Immunization: Importance of Staying Up to Date with Vaccines. This one-page handout was created to give an overview of the
importance of adult vaccinations.
Related Links
Back
to top
IAC updates three patient sheets on
vaccines needed by adults with high-risk conditions: heart disease, lung disease, and those without a spleen
IAC recently revised three of its one-page handouts describing vaccines needed by adults with high-risk conditions.
  
Related Links
Back to top
IAC posts update to popular handout “Which Vaccines Do I Need Today?”
IAC recently revised Which Vaccines Do I Need Today? Multiple changes were made to conform to revised ACIP recommendations for HPV, MenB, PPSV23,
and Tdap.
Related Links
Back to top
IAC revises handout “Vaccinations for Men Who Have Sex with
Men”
IAC recently revised Vaccinations for Men Who Have Sex with Men. Changes were made to MenACWY information and to incorporate recently updated ACIP
recommendations for MenB, PCV13, and Tdap.
Related Links
Back to top
FEATURED
RESOURCES
“Shop IAC” on immunize.org offers many resources for your
practice. Order laminated 2020 U.S. immunization schedules for your exam rooms today!
On the Shop IAC web
page you will find many resources such as laminated vaccination schedules, personal immunization record cards, pins for your lapel, and more! Your
purchases will help IAC keep delivering free, educational materials to healthcare professionals and to the public.
IAC's laminated versions of the 2020 U.S. child/adolescent immunization schedule and the
2020 U.S. adult immunization schedule
are ideal for use in any busy healthcare setting where vaccinations are given.
 
The schedules' coating can be wiped down, and they’re durable enough to stand up to a year's worth of use. Visit the Shop
IAC: Laminated Schedules web page for more information on the schedules.
IAC’s three personal immunization record cards—child & teen, adult, and lifetime—are printed on durable rip-, smudge-, and water-
proof paper. Sized to fit in a wallet when folded, the cards are brightly colored to stand out. Give these nearly indestructible personal record cards to your
patients. They're sold in boxes of 250.
You too can show your support for vaccination with IAC’s elegantly designed “Vaccines Save Lives” pin on your lapel. The pin makes a refined
statement in hard black enamel with gold lettering and edges, measuring 1.125" x 0.75”. Order yours today to show how much you value
immunizations!
NOTE: Our online shopping cart will continue to operate during Minnesota's reduction to essential services. The IAC office will make
shipments once per week. If your need for an item is urgent, please email us at admininfo@immunize.org.
Related Links:
Back to top
JOURNAL ARTICLES AND
NEWSLETTERS
CDC publishes April issue of Immunization Works
newsletter
CDC recently released the
April issue of its monthly newsletter Immunization Works. The newsletter offers the immunization
community information about current topics. The information is in the public domain and can be reproduced and circulated widely.
Related Links
Back to top
“State Policies on Access to Vaccination Services for Low-
Income Adults” published in JAMA
In its April 27, 2020, issue, JAMA published State Policies on Access to Vaccination Services for Low-Income
Adults, by Charleigh J. Granade, et al. The conclusions appear below.
CONCLUSIONS: ...In many jurisdictions, adult Medicaid beneficiaries lack access to the full slate of ACIP-
recommended vaccines. Even in programs providing complete vaccination coverage benefits, reimbursement amounts to health care professionals for
vaccine purchase and administration may not fully cover costs to provide vaccination, disincentivizing health care professionals to vaccinate low-income
adults. Increased vaccination coverage benefits parity across Medicaid programs and between traditionally eligible and expansion adult populations could
decrease income-based health disparities and reduce the proportion of limited program funds expended to treat vaccine-preventable diseases.
Related Link
Back to top
“Use of Standing Orders for Vaccination among
Pediatricians” published in Pediatrics
In the May 2020 issue, Pediatrics published
Use of Standing Orders for Vaccination among Pediatricians, by Jessica Cataldi, et al. The conclusions appear
below.
CONCLUSIONS: Among pediatricians, use of standing orders for vaccination is far from universal. Interventions to increase
use of standing orders should address physicians’ attitudinal barriers as well as organizational factors.
Back to top
“Improving Birth Dose Hepatitis B Vaccination Rates: A
Quality Improvement Intervention” published in Hospital Pediatrics
In its May 2020 issue, Hospital Pediatrics published
Improving Birth Dose Hepatitis B Vaccination
Rates: A Quality Improvement Intervention by Jessica Cataldi, et al. The conclusions appear below.
CONCLUSIONS: Multidisciplinary collaboration, scripting, and provider and staff education regarding the risks of hepatitis B
virus, benefits of HepB vaccine, and strategies to discuss HepB vaccination with parents significantly increased vaccination rates. Further efforts to
improve vaccination rates to within 12 hours are preferable.
Back to top
“Effect of State Immunization Information System
Centralized Reminder and Recall on HPV Vaccination Rates” published in Pediatrics
In its May 2020 issue, Pediatrics published Effect of State Immunization Information System Centralized Reminder and Recall on HPV Vaccination Rates, by Peter Szilagyi, et
al. The background and conclusions appear below.
BACKGROUND: Although autodialer centralized reminder and recall (C-R/R) from state immunization information systems (IISs)
has been shown to raise childhood vaccination rates, its impact on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates is unclear.
CONCLUSIONS: IIS-based C-R/R for HPV vaccination did not improve HPV vaccination rates in New York and
increased vaccination rates slightly in Colorado.
Related Link
Back to top
“Vaccines Are Integral Part of Chronic Disease
Management” published in Becker’s Hospital Review
In its April 30, 2020, issue, Becker's Hospital Review, in collaboration with Immunization Action Coalition, published
Vaccines Are Integral Part of Chronic Disease Management. The call to action appears below.
Multiple resources are available to assist healthcare professionals with implementing CDC’s immunization recommendations, including a CDC
immunization app and CDC patient and provider communications, tools at www.immunize.org and the National Adult and Influenza Immunization (www.izsummitpartners.org),
and through each state's immunization program (www.immunizationmanagers.org/page/mempage.) Additionally, previous Becker publications exist
to support the implementation of adult immunization programs within healthcare systems….
Back to top
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
This week's "Video of the Week" explains the updated
pneumococcal vaccine recommendations for older adults
Dr. Miwako Kobayashi, medical epidemiologist at CDC, reviews revised recommendations for PCV13 and PPSV23. Medscape login is required.
Visit the VOTW
archive.
Back to top
CDC and Public Health Foundation will host webinar on vaccinating adults with
chronic conditions on May 28
The Public Health Foundation is hosting a CDC webinar, Vaccinating Adults with Chronic Conditions: Recommendations and
Lessons Learned, on May 28 at 3:00 p.m. (ET). Three physicians will discuss vaccine recommendations and strategies for increasing immunization
among adults with heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes. Speakers will include Sarah Coles, MD, Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, MD, MACP, FRCP, and
Lt. Cmdr. Tara Jatlaoui, MD, MPH (USPHS).
Register for the webinar.
Back to top
ON THE LIGHTER
SIDE
Animated music video, “The Vaccine
Song,” promotes childhood vaccination with wit
The Vaccine
Song, a witty, animated video from 2010, part of a collection curated by vaccine expert William Atkinson, MD, MPH, offers a look at
childhood vaccine advocacy.
Back to top
|
|
