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Are you interested in improving health care personnel (HCP) vaccination coverage? Would you like to have your long-term care facility (LTCF) or hospital recognized for the high flu and COVID vaccination coverage of staff and the work you’re doing to get there? Then check out the RespSafe program’s introductory webinar on our RespSafe webpage and consider participating this season. With the respiratory season well under way, now is the time to protect patients from illness and increase vaccination rates among staff. We encourage hospitals and LTCFs to participate in RespSafe and prioritize HCP vaccination to protect their patients and residents from respiratory viruses that can cause severe disease and death. Sign up for email updates on the bottom of the RespSafe webpage to be notified when registration becomes available and for other relevant program information. For any questions, email us at health.respsafe.mdh@state.mn.us.
Educate your patients on the importance of vaccine safety monitoring and encourage them to participate in V-safe. V-safe is an electronic system that allows patients to confidentially share how they feel after vaccination. Their participation is voluntary and helps CDC monitor the safety of certain vaccines. It is available for the following persons:
- 6 months of age and older who recently received an updated COVID-19 vaccine (or parents and caregivers on behalf of someone who did).
- 16 to 49 years who are pregnant and recently received an RSV vaccine between 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy.
- 60 years of age and older who recently received an RSV vaccine.
V-safe will now prompt people who report needing medical attention after vaccination to complete a Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) report. The two systems are integrated and certain fields of the VAERS report will be pre-populated with information received from V-safe.
For more information on these vaccine safety systems, including patient information sheets and posters, visit CDC: Vaccine Safety Systems.
On October 17, CDC updated the vaccine information statements (VIS) for COVID-19, RSV, and cholera vaccines. Providers should begin using the new editions found at CDC: Current VISs. Translated versions will be available at Immunize.org: Vaccine Immunization Statements main page in the coming weeks.
After pausing for the summer, COVID-19 immunization coverage data for Minnesota is now available on a new respiratory vaccine data webpage, Vaccine Data: Influenza and COVID-19. It has up-to-date coverage data for influenza and COVID-19 vaccine with statewide data and data by select demographics. The webpage will be updated monthly, at 11 a.m. on the third Thursday of the month, for the rest of the current respiratory season.
Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is an uncommon condition that affects the spinal cord. It can cause sudden weakness in the arms or legs, loss of muscle tone, and loss of reflexes. The condition mainly affects young children. Most children have a mild respiratory illness or fever caused by a viral infection about one to four weeks before developing symptoms of AFM.
Since national surveillance for AFM began in 2014, outbreaks in the United States have occurred in the fall of 2016 and 2018. Cases tend to occur between August and December, when there is an increase in respiratory viruses, such as enterovirus. Nationally, there have been 759 cases confirmed since 2014, with 17 cases occurring in Minnesota residents.
AFM is a reportable condition in Minnesota. If you suspect AFM in a patient, call MDH at 651-201-5414. For more information, visit Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM).
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