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Issue 1,610:
December 22, 2021
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| Top Stories |
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Immunize.org Pages and Handouts
Featured Resources
Notable Publications
Upcoming Events
Top Stories
Happy holidays! IAC will begin 2022 with a new name and new logo. On January 12, IAC Express returns as IZ Express.
Clearly, 2021 has been the year of the vaccinator. The ACIP met 24 days of 2021 to establish, review, and revise vaccination recommendations. In the United States, 490 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered and 204 million people have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. As detailed in the Commonwealth Fund report in Notable Publications below, COVID-19 vaccination efforts have already saved more than 1 million lives. It has been the privilege of our entire team to support you through it all.
IAC cherishes our 53,000 IAC Express subscribers and the 35,000+ people who visit our flagship website, www.immunize.org every day. IAC began its mission to serve frontline vaccinators through advocacy and education 31 years ago. Many of you have relied on us for decades. However, there are newer frontline vaccinators, especially in the private sector, who are not aware of IAC and our mission to help all vaccinators deliver quality immunization services to people of all ages. In 2022, we are redoubling our efforts to increase our visibility and extend our reach.
In 2022, IAC will rebrand as Immunize.org. By sharing our name with that of our flagship website, we hope to make it easier for more vaccinators to find us and our resources. In coming months, we will unveil a new website platform with a sleeker look and improved searchability and navigation. All of these changes are being designed with you and your needs in mind: thank you to those who have already completed our 3-minute user feedback survey to inform this important work. If you have not, you still have time to make your voice heard.
To align with our new name, IAC Express will return to your inbox after the holidays as IZ Express, subtitled Weekly News from Immunize.org. It will come from the same email address; only the title will change.
Thank you for your loyal readership and for your tireless efforts to protect your communities from vaccine-preventable diseases. The whole IAC/Immunize.org team wishes you and your loved ones a happy holiday season and a safe, healthy, fully vaccinated, and boosted 2022!
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IAC summarizes December 16 ACIP meeting recommending preference for mRNA vaccines over Janssen vaccine to prevent COVID-19
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met on December 16, 2021, to review the FDA’s December 14 revision of the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 Vaccine. As outlined in the Janssen EUA Fact Sheets for Healthcare Providers Administering Vaccine and Recipients and Caregivers, FDA added a contraindication against administration of the Janssen vaccine to individuals with a history of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) following receipt of Janssen or any adenovirus-vectored vaccine (e.g., AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine, which is not authorized for use in the United States).
Fifteen cases of TTS following administration of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine were first reported in April 2021, largely in females younger than 50 years of age. Following a brief pause in vaccine use while additional data was gathered, ACIP at that time reaffirmed its recommendation for use of the Janssen vaccine with updated warnings about the potential for TTS, particularly in younger women.
Since April, CDC has continued to carefully monitor VAERS and other surveillance systems and has confirmed 54 cases of TTS reported following receipt of Janssen vaccine through August 2021. This larger number of cases includes both males and females in a wide range of ages, with the highest reported rate (~1/100,000 doses administered) in females 30–49 years of age. Approximately 15% of these TTS cases were fatal.
Updated risk-benefit calculations presented to ACIP demonstrated that the risk of the Janssen vaccine given to an authorized recipient remained much lower than the risk of going without vaccination against COVID-19. However, when compared to widely available mRNA vaccines, one dose of the Janssen vaccine prevented fewer hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and deaths and resulted in more severe health impacts from TTS and Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). Therefore, ACIP unanimously voted to recommend a preference for using mRNA vaccines over the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 for all individuals 18 years of age or older. Janssen vaccine may continue to be used in certain situations, such as when an individual understands the risks and benefits and chooses the Janssen vaccine over mRNA vaccines, when the individual has a contraindication to an mRNA vaccine, or when access to mRNA vaccine is not possible. Considerations for Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine within CDC’s “Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines Currently Approved or Authorized in the United States” contains detailed guidance on the new recommendation.
At the meeting, ACIP also heard an update on vaccine safety in children 5–11 years of age. As of December 9, more than 7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in this age group. Most reported adverse events occurred on the day of vaccination and were mild and transient in nature. There have been 14 reports of myocarditis to VAERS; of those, 8 reports (2 after dose 1, 6 after dose 2) have been confirmed to meet the case definition for mRNA vaccine-related myocarditis. CDC and FDA will continue to monitor for myocarditis and follow up on reports.
ACIP also reviewed the current status of the Omicron variant in the United States. CDC is closely monitoring transmission of this variant and its impact on the effectiveness of currently available COVID-19 vaccines. CDC will provide frequent updates to ACIP members as additional information becomes available.
The next scheduled ACIP meeting will be held February 23–24, 2022. Information about past and future ACIP meetings can be found on the ACIP website.
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“Dengue Vaccine: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, United States, 2021” published in MMWR
CDC published Dengue Vaccine: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, United States, 2021 on December 17 in MMWR. A summary appears below.
In early 2022, the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia will be available for children 9–16 years old with laboratory-confirmed evidence of a previous dengue infection and living in areas where dengue is endemic in the United States. Dengvaxia is the first dengue vaccine approved by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for use in areas where dengue transmission is frequent and continuous (endemic). Dengue-endemic areas include the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), and freely associated states, including the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. … Dengvaxia, produced by Sanofi Pasteur, has an efficacy of about 80% in protecting children who have previously been infected with dengue against dengue illness, hospitalization, and severe disease.
The vaccine’s initial U.S. distribution will be in Puerto Rico, with expansion to other endemic areas later in 2022.
Access the MMWR article in HTML or PDF.
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CDC issues first Dengue Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) and IAC updates two handouts with current dengue vaccine information
On December 17, CDC issued the first Dengue Vaccine Information Statement (VIS). IAC will provide a Spanish translation in January 2022.
IAC now includes the Dengue VIS in two handouts: You Must Provide Patients with Vaccine Information Statements (VISs) – It’s Federal Law! as well as Dates of Current Vaccine Information Statements (VISs).
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Flu activity in the United States continues to increase; get vaccinated as a safeguard this holiday season
Influenza Surveillance
For week 49, ending on December 11, CDC's Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report, FluView summary states that seasonal influenza activity in the United States continues to increase, including numbers of influenza-related hospitalizations.
Influenza Vaccination Dashboard
CDC's new Weekly Flu Vaccination Dashboard shares preliminary vaccination data. This week’s key fact: for children 6 months through 17 years, coverage among states and DC as of December 4, 2021, varies widely, ranging from 20.1% to 64.2%; overall national coverage is 43.4%.
CDC recommends everyone age 6 months and older get an annual flu vaccine. Influenza and COVID-19 vaccines may be given at the same visit, if needed. COVID-19 vaccination alone provides no protection from influenza or any other respiratory virus.
Vaccine Finder
If you don’t provide influenza vaccine at your site, please strongly recommend vaccination and refer people to sites that do vaccinate. Use VaccineFinder, a user-friendly website to help people of all ages find influenza, COVID-19, and other vaccines. Participating providers can update their vaccine inventory estimates on VaccineFinder. For questions or more information, contact vaccine@healthmap.org.
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Martin Myers, MD, pediatrician and longtime authority on immunization and infectious diseases, publishes book for the public titled Immunization Information: The Benefits and the Risks
Martin G. Myers, MD, a longtime national authority on immunization and infectious diseases, has published a new book for the public, Immunization Information: The Benefits and the Risks. The book helps distinguish facts from fiction and shows readers how to identify misinformation and find reliable, trustworthy information.
Dr. Myers practiced in pediatric infectious diseases, later serving as chair of pediatrics at Northwestern University. He directed the federal National Vaccine Program Office from 1998 through 2002. From 2003 through 2015, he directed a vaccine information website for the National Network for Immunization Information for people looking for information about vaccines.
The 400-page book is published by Houndstooth Press. The retail price of the eBook is $6.99 and the paperback is $19.99. Proceeds will go to the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society (PIDS) Vaccine Education Fund to support new PIDS initiatives designed to educate people about vaccines and the diseases that they prevent.
For more information, visit www.immunizationinformation.org. An interview with Dr. Myers is available on the Author Hour podcast, on iTunes podcasts and the Author Hour website.
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IAC Spotlight! IAC’s Immunize.org website offers many useful navigation features
In this week's IAC Spotlight, we summarize features of IAC's Immunize.org website that ease navigation to our many resources.
Our “Favorites” tab is left-most of the six blue tabs atop each Immunize.org web page. Clicking on the tab will take you to the Favorite Web Sections main page, and then onward to 18 of the most highly visited main pages on IAC's content-rich website.
Our "Guide to Immunize.org" appears at the bottom of each Immunize.org web page with a light gray background. The alphabetized topics link you directly to all of IAC's main pages.
Our Google search bar appears at the top right corner of each Immunize.org web page. The search function is limited to the Immunize.org website.
Our Handouts for Patients and Staff main page contains all the handouts in a table sortable by title, language, data, and item number. To find it, hover over "Handouts and Staff Materials," the second of the six blue tabs atop each Immunize.org web page. Click on “View All Resources,” the first option in the drop-down menu; this will bring you to the sortable table. At the end of the 26 options, What’s New: Handouts will take you to a list of our most recent additions and revisions.
At the top right of each page are three tabs:
- “For Healthcare Professionals” is the option for Immunize.org itself
- “For the Public” leads to vaccineinformation.org, our website for easy-to-read content
- “For Coalitions” takes you to the website for the Immunization Coalitions Network
Each main page within the Immunize.org website has a treasure trove of resources listed. Please invest a few minutes to explore the Immunize.org website. We believe it will save you time when you next need immunization information in a hurry.
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Vaccines in the news
These recent articles convey the potential risks of vaccine-preventable diseases and the importance of vaccination.
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Immunize.org Pages and Handouts
IAC introduces new print-ready, one-page educational document for frontline vaccinators: “How to Administer Multiple Intramuscular Vaccines to Adults during One Visit”
IAC posts a new print-ready, one-page handout How to Administer Multiple Intramuscular Vaccines to Adults during One Visit that provides easy-to-follow instructions. The handout includes diagrams showing key anatomic landmarks on the upper arm and thigh.
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Featured Resources
CDC’s Partnering for Vaccine Equity program announces new "Vaccine Resource Hub" with COVID-19 and influenza vaccination educational materials
CDC’s Partnering for Vaccine Equity program launched the Vaccine Resource Hub—an online platform leading to hundreds of free and accurate resources about COVID-19 and influenza immunization. The Hub will support individuals and organizations working to increase vaccine confidence and acceptance among adults, particularly in Black, Latinx and other historically marginalized communities that have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This website is searchable by language, topic, resource type (e.g., audio, graphic, video), region, and keyword.
The Vaccine Resource Hub materials are continuously being updated and expanded.
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Women in Government offers archived webinar “Protecting Moms and Babies: Removing State Level Barriers to Maternal Immunization”
Women in Government (WIG) has posted their archived webinar, originally aired on December 9, titled Protecting Moms and Babies: Removing State Level Barriers to Maternal Immunization. In this webinar, WIG members, vaccine and public health experts (including IAC’s L.J Tan, PhD), and authors of a recent white paper on maternal vaccination barriers came together for a round-table event focusing on challenges and opportunities for maternal immunization at the state level.
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CHOP’s Vaccine Education Center presents new video series featuring pediatricians discussing common vaccine questions for parents
Vaccine Education Center (VEC) at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), in partnership with YouTube, offers a new series of short videos, Vaccine Conversations, to address common vaccine topics such as their safety and the science behind them. The first videos in the series feature Paul A. Offit, MD, and other pediatricians discussing vaccine topics related to their specialties.
Watch the videos through the Vaccine Conversations webpage or the CHOP YouTube playlist.
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AAP offers archived webinar "Increasing Influenza Vaccination Rates during the COVID-19 Pandemic"
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) offers an archived webinar from December 8 from its Red Book series titled Increasing Influenza Vaccination Rates during the COVID-19 Pandemic. In this webinar, Annika Mai Hofstetter, MD, PhD, MPH, describes current influenza vaccination rates in children, common barriers to influenza vaccination, and strategies to improve timely influenza vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic.
View the webinar.
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AAP posts immunization reminder and recall strategies to identify and notify families whose children are behind on vaccinations
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has developed a new website on immunization reminder and recall systems, and office processes to identify and notify families whose children have fallen behind on their vaccinations. The systems stress using immunization information systems (IIS) and electronic health records to identify patients and guardians for overdue vaccinations. Resources on how to communicate with patients and guardians are offered on the AAP Reminder and Recall Systems main page.
Voices for Vaccines releases podcast on Omicron variant with Your Local Epidemiologist
Voices for Vaccines (VFV) has posted a new entry in its Vax Talk podcast series: Omicron with Your Local Epidemiologist featuring Katelyn Jetelina, MPH, PhD.
Voices for Vaccines is a national organization of parents and others dedicated to raising the level of the voices of immunization supporters. VFV invites everyone who values vaccines to become a member, use VFV tools in their own community, and get involved with VFV.
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FREE! Order IAC's popular red "FLU VACCINE" buttons and stickers. Shipping included! Available in English and Spanish.
IAC is producing a limited supply of our popular “FLU VACCINE” buttons and stickers, available at no charge for product or shipping, thanks to funding from Seqirus. We are proud to offer them this year in Spanish as well as English. Now more than ever, it is important to remind everyone of the importance of influenza vaccination. This bright red button does the trick.
Due to supply chain and manufacturing constraints, once all available supplies are reserved, we will not be making more this season.
Click the picture to place your order now:
“FLU VACCINE” BUTTONS
The buttons measure 1.25" across and are delivered in bags of 10 buttons per bag.
“FLU VACCINE” STICKERS
Measuring 1.5" across, these stickers adhere well to clothing and have an easy-peel-off backing.
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FREE! IAC offers “I Got My COVID-19 Vaccine” buttons and stickers. Shipping included! Available in English and Spanish.
As COVID-19 vaccination programs prepare to vaccinate children age 5 through 11 years and to offer booster doses to more adults, now is the time to stock up on IAC’s FREE “I Got My COVID-19 Vaccine” buttons and stickers, provided at no cost for product or shipping thanks to support from CDC. Available in English and Spanish, these buttons and stickers are perfect for people of all ages who want to show their confidence in COVID-19 vaccination.
Click the picture to place your order now:
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IAC’s elegantly designed “Vaccines Save Lives” black enamel pins make wonderful holiday gifts or workplace recognitions
Although these are not free, our readers love IAC’s elegant “Vaccines Save Lives” pins. As the holiday season approaches, these refined pins make meaningful gifts for people who care about vaccination.
Click the picture to place your order now:
The pin is designed in hard black enamel with gold lettering and edges, measuring 1.125" x 0.75". The pin is a stick-through-post variety with the back end covered by a round rubber cap that holds the pin securely. A gold metal spring-lock clasp is also provided.
Wear these pins on clothing, uniforms, and white coats to show that you value vaccines!
 
Click here for "Vaccines Save Lives" pin pricing and ordering information.
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Boost yourself, then encourage your friends to follow your lead by adding IAC’s “I Got My COVID-19 Vaccine” Facebook profile photo frame
Share your excitement about COVID-19 vaccination and inspire your friends! After you are vaccinated against COVID-19, add IAC's "I Got My COVID-19 Vaccine" Facebook photo frame to liven up your profile picture!
You can obtain the frame in three ways:
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Notable Publications
Becker's Hospital Review publishes "Protect against the Omicron Variant of COVID-19 AND Influenza This Winter" by IAC authors
On December 17, Becker's Hospital Review published Protect against the Omicron Variant of COVID-19 AND Influenza This Winter, written in collaboration with IAC. An excerpt from the article is reprinted below.
Healthcare providers’ reminders and recommendations are key to improving uptake of vaccines, including influenza. Recent surveys from the National Foundation for Infectious Disease show that less than half of adults with a chronic condition report having received an influenza vaccine as of early November. Additionally, less than a third of healthcare providers say they recommend annual influenza vaccines to all of their patients with chronic health conditions. …
Time is of the essence. Vaccinate now, before the wave of influenza season begins its seasonal surge.
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“The U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Program at One Year: How Many Deaths and Hospitalizations Were Averted?” published by the Commonwealth Fund
In the December 14 issue, the Commonwealth Fund published The U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Program at One Year: How Many Deaths and Hospitalizations Were Averted? The authors calculate that, in the absence of a vaccination program, there would have been approximately 1.1 million additional COVID-19 deaths and more than 10.3 million additional COVID-19 hospitalizations in the United States by November 2021. A portion of the discussion section appears below.
Our findings highlight the ongoing tragedy of preventable death and hospitalization occurring among unvaccinated Americans. Daily vaccination rates have ticked up recently but only recently to 60 percent of the U.S. population—a lower rate than that achieved by dozens of other countries. As immunity wanes and breakthrough infections continue to emerge, it is clear we must vaccinate (and give booster shots) to many more people—building on the tremendous, though mostly invisible, successes the U.S. vaccination program has accomplished thus far.
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“Report of Health Care Provider Recommendation for COVID-19 Vaccination among Adults, by Recipient COVID-19 Vaccination Status and Attitudes—United States, April–September 2021” published in MMWR
CDC published Report of Health Care Provider Recommendation for COVID-19 Vaccination among Adults, by Recipient COVID-19 Vaccination Status and Attitudes—United States, April–September 2021 on December 17 in MMWR. A summary appears below.
To examine the impact of a provider recommendation on COVID-19 vaccination, CDC analyzed data from a nationally representative household survey of COVID-19 vaccination status, attitudes, and behaviors among adults. Adults who reported a provider recommendation were more likely to have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine (78%) than those who did not receive a recommendation (62%). A healthcare provider’s recommendation was associated with higher vaccination coverage, including among younger adults (18–29 years), some racial and ethnic minorities, and people living in rural areas. Furthermore, a provider recommendation was associated with increased confidence that the vaccines are safe and important for protection against COVID-19. Healthcare providers … can serve as key influencers in decisions by patients to get vaccinated and can contribute to improving vaccine confidence.
Access the MMWR article in HTML or PDF.
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“Association of Maternal Cervical Disease with Human Papillomavirus Vaccination among Offspring” published in JAMA
In the December 13 issue, JAMA published Association of Maternal Cervical Disease with Human Papillomavirus Vaccination among Offspring. The conclusions section appears below.
The findings of this time-to-event cohort study suggest that children whose mothers had a history of cervical cancer or cervical abnormalities requiring biopsy were not more likely to vaccinate their children against HPV, despite their personal experience with vaccine-preventable adverse outcomes. These findings also suggest that mothers with a history of adverse cervical outcomes may be either unaware of the causal link between HPV and cervical disease or that from a behavioral perspective, increased salience of the risks of HPV does not outweigh other factors that contribute to vaccine hesitancy.
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MMWR recap: “Booster and Additional Primary Dose COVID-19 Vaccinations among Adults Aged ≥65 Years—United States, August 13, 2021–November 19, 2021”
CDC recently published the following article as an MMWR Early Release:
- Booster and Additional Primary Dose COVID-19 Vaccinations among Adults Aged ≥65 Years—United States, August 13, 2021–November 19, 2021 (MMWR, December 17, HTML or PDF)
Related Link
- MMWR main page provides access to MMWR Weekly and its companion publications
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Upcoming Events
Virtual: Pfizer-BioNTech offers COVID-19 vaccination provider webinars to explain new recommendations and products
Pfizer-BioNTech is offering frequent educational webinars, "Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Training and Education," for COVID-19 vaccination providers. The webinars focus on new recommendations and products, including the “dilute before use/orange cap” formulation for children age 5 to 11 years, the current “dilute before use/purple cap” formulation and the new “do not dilute/gray cap” formulation for people age 12 and older.
To access the complete list of current and future training sessions, please visit https://www.pfizermedicalinformation.com/en-us/medical-updates.
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For more upcoming events, visit our Calendar of Events.
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