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Immunize.org releases updated vaccination schedule guides for adults with risk factors for specific vaccine-preventable diseases
Immunize.org recently updated one-sheet vaccination schedule guides for men who have sex with men and for adults with six chronic health conditions including HIV infection, chronic liver disease or infection, diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, and absent or non-functioning spleen.
COVID-19 vaccine was added to the list of vaccines needed for each of these. As appropriate, guides also now incorporate the latest recommendations for:
- Universal hepatitis B vaccination for all adults younger than age 60 and routine vaccination for some people age 60 or older
- Zoster vaccine for adults age 19 or older who have a weakened immune system
- Pneumococcal vaccination with new vaccines
- Meningococcal booster vaccination for people without a spleen
The revised guides for adults with specific risk factors are listed below. All are free to download, reproduce, distribute, and share with patients and staff.
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FDA licenses measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, Priorix, from GlaxoSmithKline on June 3; next step is ACIP discussion On June 3, the FDA licensed GlaxoSmithKline's measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, live, Priorix, for the prevention of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) in individuals age 12 months and older.
During its June 22–23 meeting, ACIP will consider recommendations for the use of Priorix.
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Association of Immunization Managers invites nominations for Immunization Champion Awards through June 27 The Immunization Champion Award will return in 2022. Now hosted by the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM), the expanded and streamlined Immunization Champion Award will honor one champion from each of the 50 U.S. states, eight U.S. territories and freely associated states, and the District of Columbia. Nominees can be recognized for their work in influenza, COVID-19, human papillomavirus across the lifespan, or routine childhood vaccination. Key weblinks include:
Participating immunization programs will call for nominations until June 27. Please address questions to champions@immunizationmanagers.org.
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Influenza Vaccination Honor Roll for mandatory healthcare worker vaccination now features 1,284 organizations Immunize.org's Influenza Vaccination Honor Roll recognizes facilities that take a stand for patient safety by implementing policies for mandatory healthcare personnel influenza vaccination. There are now 1,284 organizations enrolled. Since April 20, 2022, when IZ Express last reported the Influenza Vaccination Honor Roll, two additional healthcare organizations have been enrolled.
- St. Peter's Health Partners, Albany, NY
- Homeland Health Specialists, Minneapolis, MN
Eligibility:
- Eligible organizations: Hospitals, long-term care facilities, medical practices, pharmacies, professional organizations, health departments, and other government entities
- Requirements:
- Your policy must require influenza vaccination for all staff
- The application must describe measures to prevent transmission of influenza from unvaccinated personnel to patients (e.g., masking for the entire work shift)
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FDA advisory committee recommends emergency use authorization for COVID-19 vaccine from Novavax On June 7, the FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC)
recommended Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Novavax COVID-19 vaccine in individuals 18 years of age and older. The VRBPAC meeting materials, including a recording of the live meeting, are available on the FDA website. At press time, the FDA is still evaluating Novavax’s application and no timeline is available for when FDA will issue its decision concerning emergency use authorization.
The Novavax COVID-19 vaccine is a recombinant subunit protein vaccine. It can be stored at typical vaccine refrigerator temperatures, 2°C to 8°C. The vaccine is licensed and in use in some countries, including Canada and Australia.
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Influenza virus continues to circulate in parts of the country Influenza Surveillance
For week 22, ending on June 4, CDC's Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report, FluView summary reports seasonal influenza continues to circulate in some parts of the country. The levels of outpatient visits due to acute respiratory illness remained stable and are below baseline.
CDC continues to recommend influenza vaccination as long as influenza viruses are circulating.
VaccineFinder at “Vaccines.gov”
If you don’t provide influenza vaccine at your site, refer people to sites that do vaccinate. “Vaccines.gov” is powered by VaccineFinder, a service of Boston Children’s Hospital, to help people find influenza, COVID-19, and other vaccines for any age group. To be listed as a provider by VaccineFinder, see the information at this CDC website.
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Spotlight! Check out staff training and in-service resources provided by Immunize.org. In this week's Spotlight, we summarize resources at Immunize.org that focus on staff training and in-services.
Key Vaccination Resources for Healthcare Professionals includes an annotated list of key training, education, and reference materials for people who vaccinate or oversee vaccination clinics.
Skills Checklist for Vaccine Administration is a tool to help supervisors assess staff members' skills.
Clinic Tools main page offers a one-stop source of practical information for immunization providers. You will find "how-to" information about providing vaccinations in a medical office or non-traditional setting.
Clinic Tools: Storage and Handling main page features checklists, "Do Not Unplug" signs, how to avoid errors, temperature logs, storage troubleshooting records, and more. You'll find links to CDC's storage and handling training tools, along with other partner resources.
Clinic Tools: Administering Vaccines main page offers handouts on appropriate injection techniques, information on how to properly deliver intramuscular and subcutaneous injections, medical management of adverse reactions, summaries of vaccine recommendations, and how to use vaccines needing reconstitution.
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
Reminder: Immunize.org releases updated print-ready recommendation summaries for adults and for children and adolescents On June 6, Immunize.org released updates to two of its most popular print-ready resources:
Edits were made to be consistent with the 2022 recommended schedules published by CDC.
 
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CDC offers “At-a-Glance COVID-19 Vaccination Schedules” resource for clinicians and the public
CDC offers At-a-Glance: COVID-19 Vaccination Schedules, a resource that can be used to determine how many total COVID-19 vaccine doses are recommended based on which vaccine was used for the primary series, as well as the person’s age and immune status. The schedule does not include clinical details that are necessary for administering COVID-19 vaccines.
 
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ACOG Immunization Team releases Inform to Empower: Building COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence One Conversation at a Time training initiative The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is offering a new training initiative, Inform to Empower: Building COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence One Conversation at a Time, a six-part online training series to learn more about the importance of increasing patients' vaccine confidence and demand, as well as techniques to apply in practices. The modules in the series include:
Access the training modules on ACOG's Vaccine Confidence Training web page. You must create a free account to access the training modules.
Vaccinate Your Family shares new fotonovela in both English and Spanish Vaccinate Your Family and partner, Día de la Mujer Latina, created a fotonovela answering common questions and concerns about vaccines during pregnancy. A fotonovela is a short graphic novel with a social message illustrated with photographs, art, and text; this is a popular form of media in Latin American culture. The fotonovela can be accessed in both English and Spanish.
 
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Visit Immunize.org’s “Vaccines: COVID-19” main page for the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines Bookmark Immunize.org’s Vaccines: COVID-19 main page for quick access to links to key COVID-19 vaccine resource pages from Immunize.org, CDC, and other partners.
As policies for COVID-19 vaccines are updated and new CDC materials are released, Immunize.org’s Vaccines: COVID-19 main page and resources will continue to be updated.
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DC Health DCRx releases interactive webinar “Vaccine Communication Strategies for Healthcare Providers”; CME available DC Health DCRx released its online, interactive webinar Vaccine Communication Strategies for Healthcare Providers. This module, which features Immunize.org’s Sharon G. Humiston, MD, MPH, will introduce learners to the basics of vaccine hesitancy and to improving communication with parents and adult patients in clinical settings.
This module is approved for one hour of continuing education for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and physicians (AMA PRA Category 1 Credit).
Register for the webinar.
Organizing a new vaccination program? Use Immunize.org’s Vaccinating Adults: A Step-by-Step Guide—free to download by chapter or in its entirety. Download Immunize.org’s free 142-page book on adult vaccination to help build your program and train your team: Vaccinating Adults: A Step-by-Step Guide (Guide).
This thorough "how to" guide on adult vaccination provides easy-to-use, practical information covering all essential activities. It helps vaccine providers enhance their existing adult vaccination services or introduce them into any clinical setting.
The Guide is available to download/print either by chapter or in its entirety free at www.immunize.org/guide. The National Vaccine Program Office and CDC both supported the development of the Guide and provided early technical review.
The Guide is a valuable resource to assist providers in increasing adult vaccination rates. Be sure to get a copy today!
Please note: this guide was produced in 2017, before the COVID-19 era, and reflects the recommendations of that time.
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Notable Publications
“COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage, by Race and Ethnicity—National Immunization Survey Adult COVID Module, United States, December 2020–November 2021” published in MMWRCDC published COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage, by Race and Ethnicity—National Immunization Survey Adult COVID Module, United States, December 2020–November 2021 on June 10 in MMWR. A portion of the summary appears below.
Racial and ethnic minority groups have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccination is effective in preventing COVID-19 infection and severe illness, and equitable vaccine administration can reduce COVID-19–related disparities....
Asian and non-Hispanic White adults had the highest COVID-19 vaccination coverage by the end of April 2021. By the end of November 2021, disparities in vaccination coverage for some racial and ethnic groups narrowed, and coverage was similar for non-Hispanic Black (78.2%), Hispanic (81.3%), Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander (75.7%), and non-Hispanic White (78.7%) adults....
Equitable access to and receipt of COVID-19 vaccination, including booster doses, is critical to reducing racial and ethnic disparities in vaccination.
Access the MMWR article in HTML or PDF.
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MMWR Recap: "Monkeypox Outbreak—Nine States, May 2022"
CDC recently published an article first distributed as an MMWR Early Release. The article was recently corrected.
- Monkeypox Outbreak—Nine States, May 2022 (MMWR, June 10, HTML or PDF)
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- MMWR main page provides access to MMWR Weekly and its companion publications
Global News
“Initial Outbreak Response Activity following Wild Poliovirus Type 1 Detection—Malawi, February 2022” published in MMWR
CDC published Initial Outbreak Response Activity following Wild Poliovirus Type 1 Detection—Malawi, February 2022 on June 10 in MMWR.
In summary, upon detection of a wild poliovirus type 1 case in Malawi in February 2022, the Malawi Ministry of Health (MOH) immediately declared an emergency. The MOH, along with Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) partners, planned and implemented enhanced acute flaccid paralysis surveillance as well as multiple rounds of supplementary immunization activities (SIA) to protect millions of children. Additionally, GPEI engaged with MOHs in Tanzania, Mozambique, and Zambia to increase their preparedness for potential cross-border spread of the virus by enhancing surveillance and conducting subnational SIAs.
Until polio is eradicated worldwide, all countries must maintain high vaccination coverage, be vigilant, and be prepared to respond.
Access the MMWR article in HTML or PDF.
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Upcoming Events
Virtual: Watch June 17–18 ACIP meeting CDC will convene its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on June 17 from 10:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m. (ET) and June 18, 2022, from 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. (ET). The agenda will include discussions on the pediatric use of COVID-19 vaccines.
No registration is required to watch webcasts of live ACIP meetings or listen via telephone. Opportunities for public comment are described at the website.
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Virtual: Watch June 22–23 ACIP meeting CDC will convene its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on June 22 from 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (ET) and June 23, 2022, from 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. (ET). The agenda will include discussions on influenza vaccines, pneumococcal vaccines, human papillomavirus vaccine, MMR vaccines, respiratory syncytial virus vaccine, rotavirus vaccine, and chikungunya vaccine. Votes on influenza vaccines, pneumococcal vaccine, and MMR vaccine recommendations are scheduled.
No registration is required to watch webcasts of live ACIP meetings or listen via telephone. Opportunities for public comment are described at the website.
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