|
Issue 1,568: May
26, 2021
|
 |
 |
|
|
| Top Stories |
|
Featured Resources
Journal Articles and Newsletters
Education and Training
Conferences and Meetings
Immunization PSAs from the Archive
Top Stories
FDA authorizes up to 31 days
refrigerator storage of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine before dilution
On May 19, the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
announced that it has authorized undiluted, thawed Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine vials to be stored in the refrigerator at 2°C to 8°C
(35°F to 46°F) for up to 1 month (31 days). The first paragraph of the press release appears below.
Making COVID-19 vaccines widely available is key to getting people vaccinated and bringing the pandemic to an end. Pfizer Inc. submitted data to
the FDA to support storage of undiluted, thawed vials of its COVID-19 vaccine for up to one month at refrigerator temperatures. This change should make
this vaccine more widely available to the American public by facilitating the ability of vaccine providers, such as community doctors’ offices, to
receive, store and administer the vaccine.
Related Links
Back to top
CDC calls for VAERS reporting of cases of myocarditis or pericarditis after mRNA
COVID-19 vaccination
One of the elements of the Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for COVID-19 vaccines is a requirement for clinicians to report serious adverse events after vaccination to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).
In recent weeks, cases of myocarditis occurring after COVID-19 vaccination have been reported. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) recently requested data from Pfizer-BioNTech
and Moderna on reports of myocarditis and pericarditis after vaccination. CDC and FDA are aware of these reports, which are rare given the number
of vaccine doses administered. CDC, FDA, and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) continue to monitor available data.
Myocarditis is the inflammation of the heart muscle and pericarditis is the inflammation of the lining outside the heart. In both cases, the body experiences
inflammation in response to an infection or some other trigger. While myocarditis can be serious, it is frequently mild and self-limited. Symptoms can
include abnormal heart rhythms, shortness of breath, or chest pain.
As part of COVID-19 vaccine safety efforts, CDC and FDA are closely monitoring myocarditis/pericarditis in multiple safety systems, including the VAERS and the
Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD).
To date,
there has not been any indication that these conditions are occurring more often than at background rates,
neither in VAERS nor in VSD. CDC and FDA will continue to evaluate reports of myocarditis/pericarditis occurring after COVID-19 vaccination and will
share more information as it becomes available. Healthcare providers should consider myocarditis in an evaluation of chest pain after vaccination and report all such cases to
VAERS.
CDC continues to recommend COVID-19 vaccination for people 12 years and older.
Related Links
Back to top
CDC releases Pediatric Healthcare Professionals COVID-19 Vaccination
Toolkit
CDC released materials to help healthcare providers give parents clear information about COVID-19 vaccines for adolescents. CDC’s
Pediatric Healthcare Professionals COVID-19 Vaccination Toolkit includes:
- Posters to download, print, and hang in your health facility
- Fact sheets in multiple languages
- Web pages with answers to common questions
- Printable stickers for patients to wear once they’ve gotten their vaccine
CDC has also recently updated these resources with information about COVID-19 vaccines for adolescents:
Check out the variety of resources in CDC’s
Pediatric Healthcare Professionals COVID-19 Vaccination
Toolkit today!
Back to top
CDC publishes "Disparities in COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage between
Urban and Rural Counties—United States, December 14, 2020–April 10, 2021" in
MMWR
CDC published Disparities in COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage between Urban and Rural Counties—United States,
December 14, 2020–April 10, 2021 in the May 21 issue of MMWR. The summary appears
below.
...Residents of rural communities are at increased risk for severe COVID-19–associated morbidity and mortality. In September 2020,
COVID-19 incidence (cases per 100,000 population) in rural counties surpassed that in urban counties.
...COVID-19 vaccination coverage was lower in rural counties (38.9%) than in urban counties (45.7%); disparities persisted among age groups and by
sex.
...Disparities in COVID-19 vaccination access and coverage between urban and rural communities can hinder progress toward ending the pandemic.
Public health practitioners should collaborate with health care providers, pharmacies, employers, faith leaders, and other community partners to identify
and address barriers to COVID-19 vaccination in rural areas.
Access the MMWR article in HTML format or in PDF format.
Related Link
- MMWR's gateway page provides access to MMWR Weekly, MMWR
Recommendations and Reports, MMWR Surveillance Summaries, and MMWR Supplements
Back to top
Center for Strategic and International Studies and London School of Hygiene and
Tropical Medicine publish “Why Vaccine Confidence Matters to National Security”
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Global Health Policy Center and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine’s Vaccine Confidence Project™ published Why Vaccine Confidence Matters to National Security on
May 7. A portion of the news release appears below.
The panel argues that vaccine confidence is essential to mitigating the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuring national security, and
recommends bolstering confidence-building efforts in five critical areas:
- Innovations in reaching diverse and underserved populations with vaccines delivered in the context of health and social
services;
- Pledges and actions by mainstream and digital media platforms to stop the spread of misinformation and to collaborate with health
providers and the scientific community to increase the availability of accurate content;
- Increased engagement by key social and economic sectors to empower people to make informed choices about Covid-19
vaccines;
- Greater executive branch coordination and action beyond the emergency; and
- Increased U.S. support for global immunization partners.
Access Why Vaccine Confidence Matters to National Security in
HTML format and
PDF format.
Back to top
Vaccinate Your Family launches “Don’t Skip” campaign
featuring Gabrielle Union-Wade
Vaccinate Your
Family, in collaboration with Merck,
launched a new public health campaign called Don’t Skip. Featuring actress, activist, and author
Gabrielle Union-Wade, the campaign encourages families to schedule their well-child visits and stay up to date on all recommended vaccines.
A portion of the press release announcing the campaign appears below.
As part of the campaign, a series of new public service announcements feature Union-Wade and her family during moments that reflect some of the
realities of life during the pandemic, along with an important message: it’s okay to skip some things right now, but a visit to the doctor isn’t
one of them. These visits are important for people of all ages to stay on schedule with their recommended vaccinations, especially for young children and
preteens who may have missed some vaccines.
For more information and to view the videos, visit DontSkipVaccines.com.
Back to top
CDC updates "Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated
People"
CDC updated its
Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People which apply to non-healthcare settings. A portion of
the Key Points appear below.
Fully vaccinated people can:
- Resume activities without wearing masks or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial
laws, rules and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance
- Resume domestic travel and refrain from testing before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel
- Refrain from testing before leaving the United States for international travel (unless required by the destination) and refrain from self-
quarantine after arriving back in the United States
- Refrain from testing following a known exposure, if asymptomatic, with some exceptions for specific settings
- Refrain from quarantine following a known exposure if asymptomatic
- Refrain from routine screening testing if feasible
CDC has developed a printable infographic explaining the activities in which fully vaccinated individuals are now
safe to engage.
Access CDC's Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People.
For related information for healthcare settings, access Updated Healthcare Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations
in Response to COVID-19 Vaccination.
Back to top
Expanding your COVID-19 vaccination efforts to 12–15-year-olds?
Purchase IAC's brightly colored COVID-19 vaccine stickers and buttons to give out in offices, schools, and vaccination
sites
IAC now offers “I Got My COVID-19 Vaccine” buttons and stickers for purchase. Vaccinated adolescents will enjoy adding these
stickers and buttons to their uniforms, jackets, lanyards, or backpacks!
 
Buttons: Wear them in the clinic to demonstrate your support for COVID-19 vaccination and to remind those around you to
protect themselves from COVID-19.
Stickers: Give away to COVID-19 vaccine recipients or vaccinated clinic staff!
- Description: Bright yellow stickers on a roll with an easy-peel-off back and perforations between stickers to make them easy to tear off and
share
- Packaging: Roll of 200 stickers
- Dimension: 1.5" across
- To order: See Shop IAC: COVID-19 Vaccine Buttons and Stickers for quantity and pricing options
Please note: Through a separate program supported by CDC, public health departments, and CDC’s
nonprofit Vaccinate with Confidence campaign, partners are able to receive supplies of these buttons and stickers free of
charge. For questions about this program, email admininfo@immunize.org or call 651-647-9009.
Related Links
Back to top
IAC Spotlight! Looking for the most frequently visited web pages on
immunize.org? IAC's "Favorites" tab atop each web page brings you to 18 of the most popular gateway pages on IAC's
website
When you click on the “Favorites” tab at IAC’s immunize.org, you’ll find links to 18 of the most highly visited
gateway pages on IAC's content-rich website, including training materials and clinic tools. The “Favorites” tab is easy to
find—it’s the first of the six blue tabs that run across the top of each immunize.org web page. When you hover over this blue tab with
your mouse or select it, the Favorites gateway page will appear.
The following sections are offered as choices on the Favorites gateway page:
Let IAC help you during these challenging times. Tap into the wealth of materials available from IAC. Use the Favorites gateway
page to jump to the most used content on
immunize.org.
Back to top
MMWR Recap: CDC publishes ACIP recommendations for
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in 12–15-year-olds and estimates on vaccine effectiveness on May 19; previously issued as MMWR
Early Releases
CDC recently published two articles about COVID-19 recommendations and vaccine effectiveness estimates. Here is a
recap:
- The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ Interim Recommendation for Use of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine in
Adolescents Aged 12–15 years—United States, May 2021 (MMWR, May 21,
HTML format or PDF format)
- Interim Estimates of Vaccine Effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines among Health Care Personnel—33
U.S. Sites, January–March 2021 (MMWR, May 21,
HTML format or PDF format)
Related Link
- MMWR gateway page provides access to MMWR Weekly, MMWR
Recommendations and Reports, MMWR Surveillance Summaries, and MMWR Supplement
Back to top
IAC’s Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll now includes 535 hospitals, including three new
birthing institutions; three previously honored institutions qualify for additional years' honors
The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) is pleased to announce that three new institutions have been accepted into its Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll, for a total of 535 honorees. The birthing institutions are listed below with their
reported hepatitis B birth dose coverage rates in parentheses.
- Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, TX (93%)
- Day Kimball Healthcare, Putnam, CT (92%)
- Shannon Medical Center South, San Angelo, TX (94%)
Two institutions are being recognized for a sixth year:
- Griffin Hospital, Derby, CT (91%)
- Shannon Medical Center, San Angelo, TX (96%)
Finally, one institution is being recognized for a seventh year:
- Oswego Health, Oswego, NY (99%)
The Honor Roll now includes 535 birthing institutions from 44 states, Puerto Rico, Guam, and an overseas U.S. military base. One hundred twenty-one
institutions have qualified twice, 73 institutions have qualified three times, 42 institutions have qualified four times, 23 institutions have qualified five times,
22 institutions have qualified six times, eight institutions have qualified seven times, two institutions have qualified eight times and one institution has
qualified nine times.
The Honor Roll is a key part of IAC’s major initiative urging the nation’s hospitals to Give Birth to the End of Hep B. Hospitals
and birthing centers are recognized for attaining high coverage rates for administering hepatitis B vaccine at birth and meeting specific additional criteria.
The initiative urges qualifying healthcare organizations to apply for the Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll online.
To be included in the Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll, a birthing institution must have: (1) reported a coverage rate of 90% or greater, over a 12-month
period, for administering hepatitis B vaccine before hospital discharge to all newborns, including those whose parents refuse vaccination, and (2)
implemented specific written policies, procedures, and protocols to protect all newborns from hepatitis B virus infection prior to hospital discharge.
Honorees are also awarded an 8.5" x 11" color certificate suitable for framing and their acceptance is announced to IAC
Express’s approximately 52,000 readers.
Please visit the Hepatitis B Birth Dose Honor Roll web page that lists these institutions and their exceptional efforts to protect infants
from perinatal hepatitis B transmission.
Related IAC Resources
Back to top
IAC experts called on by news
media
With vaccines in the news so much lately, journalists have sought out IAC experts to communicate the intricacies of running a quality vaccination
program. Our insights have helped explain vaccines to the public and policy makers. We want to help them understand the complex work vaccinators do.
We've reached mass markets and local stations, across the U.S. and overseas, via print, radio, television, blogs, and more. Here is a selection of
our recent citations:
Related Link
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
Featured Resources
After 12 years, IAC’s “Video of the Week” series is wrapping up. Watch IAC’s final pick, “Protect
Tomorrow,” from AAP. Hear elders’ poignant remembrances about how vaccine-preventable diseases affected their lives
This week, IAC announces the series finale of its “Video of the Week” feature.
“Video of the Week” offerings spanned the years 2009 through 2021, including more than 600 videos selected by IAC staff, and will remain archived online. Clicking through them will
provide many of our readers with a “walk down memory lane” of events during these years.
IAC’s final offering is this powerful video from the American Academy of Pediatrics' Protect Tomorrow program, where several grandparents
tell what it was like before vaccines were available to protect against deadly diseases. They want to protect grandchildren by convincing their parents to
get them vaccinated. Pediatric vaccinations have been delayed by the pandemic, and parents need to get their children caught up on vaccines so the
diseases do not come back.
IAC’s heartfelt thanks for their contributions to “Video of the Week” go to production team members Pat Vranesich, Jane Myers,
Sheila Franey, and Dr. Deborah Wexler. The full VOTW archive will remain available at https://immunize.org/votw/. Fear not, IAC’s resourceful staff will continue to
write articles about noteworthy videos within the Featured Resources section of IAC Express.
Visit the whole collection at
the VOTW archive.
Back to top
CDC offers COVID-19 Science Update
weekly report series to help staff stay up to date on the latest COVID-19 research
To help inform CDC’s COVID-19 Response Team, as well as to help CDC staff stay up to date on the latest COVID-19 research, the Response
Team’s Office of the Chief Medical Officer has collaborated with the CDC Office of Library Science to create a series of PDF reports
called COVID-19 Science Update.
This week’s update includes information on detection, burden, and impact; natural history of SARS-CoV-2 infection; prevention, mitigation, and
intervention strategies; and social, behavioral, and communication science.
Access the entire series online at www.cdc.gov/library/covid19 and sign up to receive weekly email updates.
Back to top
Going Fast! Order IAC's
laminated version of CDC's 2021 U.S. child/adolescent immunization schedule today! Adult schedules sold out.
IAC's laminated version of the 2021 U.S. child/adolescent immunization schedule is available for order. The 2021 U.S. adult immunization schedule has sold out, but you can print paper versions from the CDC
website.
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), but folds 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, and to download
the order form today!
Related Links
Back to top
IAC's "I Got My COVID-19
Vaccine" Facebook profile photo frame is available in English and Spanish
Share your excitement about COVID-19 vaccination and inspire your friends! When you have received your COVID-19 vaccine, add IAC's new
"I Got My COVID-19 Vaccine" Facebook photo frame to liven up your profile picture!
You can obtain the frame in three ways:
Together we can end the COVID-19 pandemic!
Back to top
Journal Articles and Newsletters
Article in JAMA Internal Medicine reports no association detected for facial paralysis and mRNA COVID-19 vaccines
In the April 27 issue, JAMA Internal Medicine published Association of Facial Paralysis With mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines. A
portion of the discussion section appears below.
...When compared with other viral vaccines, mRNA COVID-19 vaccines did not display a signal of facial paralysis. As of March 9, 2021, more than
320 million COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered worldwide. Therefore, despite selective reporting and a potential delay in reporting and
transferring cases among pharmacovigilance databases, the reporting rate of facial paralysis after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination found in the present
study is not higher than that observed with other viral vaccines. Although we adjusted for sex and age, residual confounding and reporting bias may
influence the results. To conclude, if an association between facial paralysis and mRNA COVID-19 vaccines exists, the risk is likely very low, as with other
viral vaccines.
Back to top
Education and Training
CDC posts on-demand webinar recording for clinicians titled "What Clinicians Need to Know About Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19
Vaccination of Adolescents"
CDC is offering a 1-hour recording of its Clinical Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) webinar which originally aired on May 14, 2021.
Titled What Clinicians Need to Know About Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccination of Adolescents, CDC has provided the
following description of this session:
This COCA Call will give clinicians an overview of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination in adolescents who are 12-to-15 years of age.
Clinicians will learn about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, vaccine recommendations, and clinical guidance for using the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-
19 vaccine in adolescents in this age group.
Access more information about this webinar: What Clinicians Need to Know About Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccination of
Adolescents.
Related Link
Back to top
National HPV Vaccination Roundtable hosts virtual 2021 National Meeting on June 9–10; register today!
The National HPV Vaccination
Roundtable will host its
2021 National Meeting: Reaching New Heights, virtually, from 1:00 to 3:20 p.m. (ET) on June 9 and from 12:00 to 2:50 p.m. (ET) on
June 10.
The goals of the event are to:
- Explore the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on HPV vaccination and implications for progress towards Healthy People 2030
- Chart a path towards equity in HPV vaccination among diverse communities and understand the effect of socio-economic determinants on
adolescent vaccination rates
- Learn valuable lessons from experts in overcoming challenges to increase adolescent vaccination
You must pre-register separately for each public session.
Back to top
Immunization PSAs from the Archive
In this 2001 PSA from the Chicago Department of Public Health, parents are urged to “Check the Facts” to
address misconceptions about vaccination
In this 2001 public
service announcement (PSA) from the Chicago Department of Public Health, parents are urged to "Check the Facts" to address
common misconceptions about childhood vaccination. This PSA is part of a collection curated by vaccine expert William L. Atkinson, MD, MPH, that
spans a period of more than 50 years.
|
|
