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Healthcare Professionals Newsletter |
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Emerging Public Health Issues
New Vaccine for Respiratory Syncytial Virus
On May 3, 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first U.S. vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Arexvy (GlaxoSmithKline), is indicated for adults aged 60 years and older to prevent lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) caused by RSV. The vaccine contains a recombinant subunit prefusion RSV F glycoprotein antigen (RSVPreF3) combined with an adjuvant. The vaccine is anticipated to be available for the 2023–2024 winter season.
Identifying Internationally Imported Measles Cases
As international travel returns to pre-pandemic levels, please ensure that all patients exhibiting measles-like symptoms are evaluated. Measles symptoms appear 7 to 14 days after contact with the virus and typically include high fever, cough, runny nose, and watery eyes. Measles rash appears 3 to 5 days after the first symptoms. Please notify your Local Health Department immediately if you identify a suspect measles case to ensure timely testing. Healthcare providers should obtain both a serum sample and a throat swab (or nasopharyngeal swab) from patients suspected to have measles. Measles specimen collection guidance can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Specimen Collection, Storage, and Shipment page.
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Vaccine Updates
COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
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Most people are recommended to receive a single bivalent mRNA vaccine dose.
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Individuals aged 65 years or older are eligible to receive one additional bivalent dose at least 4 months after initial bivalent dose.
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Individuals with weakened immune systems are recommended to receive one additional bivalent dose at least 2 months after initial bivalent dose; additional doses may be administered at the discretion of the healthcare provider.
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The monovalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are no longer authorized for use in the United States.
The updated vaccine recommendations depend on a number of criteria, including age and vaccination history. For details on the number of recommended doses, age-appropriate vaccines, dosing, and, intervals please visit the CDC Interim Clinical Considerations.
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Thursday, May 11, 2023, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET
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During this CDC COCA Call, presenters will discuss updated COVID-19 vaccine recommendations by age group and for those with immunocompromise and will highlight optional COVID-19 vaccine doses for specific populations.
Preparing for Reconciliation of Unreported Inventory
The US Government (USG) is focusing on vaccine accountability activities. The COVID-19 Provider Agreement contained provisions requiring organizations to report the COVID-19 vaccines that were unused.
VDH understands that waste reporting may be redundant as providers may be reporting their unused vaccine to systems such as Vaccine Finder and/or VIIS. However, to meet the USG accountability requirements, providers must also report COVID-19 doses that were not administered to VDH via a REDCap survey located on its COVID-19 website. VDH will use the REDCap reports to upload the waste records to CDC’s official Vaccine Tracking System (VTrckS). These VTrckS data are used for the USG’s accountability metrics and will be used to identify jurisdictions with vaccine accountability gaps. The REDCap waste survey is located on the VDH Vaccine Website for Healthcare Professionals (Look for the button DOSES AT- RISK OF EXPIRING/WASTE REPORTING. It is the first button under the Resources section).
The survey is designed to report by NDC, as required by VTrckS. If you have a backlog, you may report legacy data under each NDC using a single date. In other words, you do not have to report it by NDC for each day since the pandemic began.
As a reminder, you can opt-out of ancillary supply kits for COVID-19 vaccines for adults. You can also opt-out of ancillary supply kits for COVID-19 vaccines for children that do not require diluent; however, you cannot opt-out of kits for vaccines for children that do require diluent. As a reminder, ancillary kits are not distributed with orders of Pfizer 12+ single-dose vials. If you find you need more COVID-19 supplies, please reach out to VaxMax_Help@vdh.virginia.gov.
Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 Expiry Dates
As of May 6, 2023, all remaining distributed J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccines have expired. Please remove and dispose of all expired J&J vaccines according to state and local regulations and record the wasted doses in VaxMax.
How to Return Ecoflex Coolers
Please DO NOT call McKesson or UPS to schedule a pickup. The box can be given to any UPS driver or if you prefer, you can drop if off at a UPS drop box or facility. The boxes will be sent back to Cold Chain Technologies, where they will be inspected, cleaned, and refurbished for re-use. A prepaid UPS return label will be included on the inner flap of each EcoFlex cooler shipped.
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Therapeutics Updates
New! COVID-19 Therapeutics Product Expiration Dates
New! ICATT Free Testing Sites in T2T Locator
The CDC Increasing Community Access to Testing (ICATT) program connects people to no-cost COVID-19 laboratory testing and testing sites are now searchable on the ASPR Test to Treat Locator.
To note: the T2T program will continue beyond the Public Health Emergency (PHE), which ends on at the end of the day on May 11.
COVID-19 Therapeutics NEW Monthly Threshold Cadence
Beginning May 1, threshold-replenishment cadence will transition from weekly to monthly. These thresholds will be replenished on the first week of each month, and the amounts will be the weekly amounts multiplied by 4.
- Ordering will remain available throughout the month
- HPoP reporting requirements remain the same
- Requests for additional Paxlovid, renal Paxlovid or Lagevrio can be made at any time if current supply is not sufficient to meet demand
NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Updates
Major therapeutic revisions to the NIH Guidelines within the past month are as follows:
HHS Announces ‘HHS Bridge Access Program for COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatments’ to Maintain Access to COVID-19 Care for the Uninsured
- Provide support to existing public sector vaccine safety net, implemented through local health departments and HRSA-supported health centers.
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Create a novel, funded partnership with pharmacy chains that will enable them to continue offering free COVID-19 vaccinations and treatments to the uninsured through their network or retail locations as has been done during the COVID-19 PHE.
HHS Announces Intent to Amend the Declaration Under the PREP Act for Medical Countermeasures Against COVID-19
This amendment will extend coverage for COVID-19 vaccines, seasonal influenza vaccines, and COVID-19 tests. PREP Act immunity from liability will be extended through December 2024 to pharmacists, pharmacy interns, and pharmacy technicians to administer COVID-19 and seasonal influenza vaccines (to those individuals three years and older, consistent with other requirements), and COVID-19 tests, regardless of any U.S. Government agreement or emergency declaration. Please see the HHS website HHS Factsheetfor more information.
Free COVID-19 Tests for Free Clinics and FQHCs
The VDH COVID-19 Testing Team provides free at-home/OTC and point of care COVID-19 tests directly to free clinics and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). Please contact testinginfo@vdh.virginia.gov if your facility is interested in requesting test kits. Please note that this is a separate and different program from the free COVID-19 test kit distribution through HHS/ASPR.
Mpox Update
Mpox Resurgence Reported in Chicago
In a May 5 press release, Howard Brown Health, an agency that serves the Chicago LGBTQ+ community, reported that it had confirmed 7 cases of mpox since April 17. Some of the people recently diagnosed with mpox were fully vaccinated against the virus. In the 3 months leading up to these cases, the Chicago Department of Health had only reported one case of mpox.
To prevent further spread of mpox, VDH and CDC encourage people who plan to travel and attend festivals and Pride events this summer to get fully vaccinated for mpox ahead of time. Please share information about the mpox vaccine, including the CDC mpox vaccine locator and information on how to prepare to have a healthy summer.
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Resources and Events
Immunize.org Updates the Standing Orders Template for Administering Pneumococcal Vaccines (PCV15, PCV20, and PPSV23) to Adults
The PneumoRecs VaxAdvisor mobile app helps vaccination providers quickly and easily determine which pneumococcal vaccines a patient needs and when. The app incorporates recommendations for all ages so internists, family physicians, pediatricians, and pharmacists alike will find the tool beneficial. If you do not have a device that supports the app, you can access a web version when connected to the internet through a mobile device or computer.
Medicaid Unwinding: Return to Normal Enrollment
Starting in March 2023, Virginia began reviewing Medicaid members’ health coverage to make sure they still qualify. For more information on Medicaid unwinding and how providers can help patients during this process, visit the Cover Virginia Webpage.
Sign up for more content from VDH
The VDH Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance (HAI/AR) Program publishes the HAI & AR Navigator (previously known as the HAI High Sign) newsletter bimonthly. Newsletter content is written for personnel who work with HAIs, AR, and infection prevention and control (IPC). We encourage infection preventionists, healthcare workers, and public health staff to subscribe to the HAI & AR Navigator and access archived newsletters on the VDH HAI webpage.
Mark Your Calendar
U.S. Attorney’s Office Offers Communications Reminder and Meeting
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia sent a “Dear Colleagues Letter” reminding healthcare providers of the effective communication requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). To strengthen awareness and understanding of these requirements, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is inviting the public, including personnel at healthcare providers, to an informational meeting that will be held on June 6, 2023, at 1 p.m.
Infection Prevention Educator Roadshow
Do you educate healthcare workers on infection prevention topics? Would you like more tips and tricks to make your education stick longer? The Infection Prevention Educator Roadshow is hosted by the VDH HAI/AR Program and will be coming to a location near you in summer 2023.
There are 10 opportunities to catch this one-day training session using adult learning principles and hands-on training techniques. Participants will get a take-home bag of educator tools to practice their new skills right away. Register now for the Infection Prevention Educator Roadshow before spots fill up.
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