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This weekly newsletter provides summarized content on COVID-19 vaccine related topics. This broad level of information is tailored towards health care professionals, partners, and the general public.
WASHINGTON COVID-19 VACCINATION STATUS: ALL AGES 12 AND UP
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IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION FOR THIS WEEKEND'S HEAT WAVE
The Department of Health (DOH) posted a news release to share summer safety precautions given the record-breaking heatwave expected this weekend. Read the news release in English here.
In addition, DOH has created guidance on safer ways to create air movement for cooling when air conditioning units and a central HVAC system are not available given the COVID-19 pandemic.
The department is encouraging the distribution of this guidance alongside the Hot Weather Safety information on the DOH Severe Weather pages. Since this heat wave will impact many people in many settings, we are trying to get all of the information out to folks so they can be prepared.
Find the document "Creating Safer Air Movement for Cooling with Consideration of COVID-19" here.
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MORE COVID-19 VACCINATION NEEDED TO KEEP VIRUS IN CHECK
The latest COVID-19 modeling and surveillance situation report from the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) continues to show promising signs in decreased disease activity. The report also highlights the need for additional vaccination and continued preventive efforts (like wearing masks if unvaccinated) as the state moves toward reopening and beyond.
Report findings include:
- Statewide case counts and hospital admissions continued to decline as of June 3, but were starting to flatten slightly.
- As of June 3, case rates continued declining in all age groups except people 70 and older, among whom rates remained flat.
- As of the end of May, statewide transmission levels remained relatively high.
- While vaccination has helped to reduce transmission, increases in estimated population immunity have started to flatten as vaccination rates slow.
- Vaccination is clearly protecting people from severe COVID-19 illness, as demonstrated by the very different hospital admission trends we are seeing in unvaccinated populations.
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Variants of concern continue to pose additional risks for outbreaks and impacts to the health system, especially in places where vaccination rates are lower.
Read more about the report findings in the full news release in English or in Spanish.
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 IS IT SAFE TO TRAVEL?
Summer is almost here and thanks to the vaccines, many of us are eager for a “near return to normal.” But with everything that’s happened during the pandemic, many of us are wondering if it’s safe to travel yet. You may be asking yourself: Is it safe to fly right now? How can I best prepare to travel safely? What should I do when I return from a trip? Most of us are out-of-practice these days when it comes to travel. So, we thought it’d be a good idea to share some travel tips before we all start heading off for summer vacation.
We checked out the most recent travel guidance from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and spoke with some wonderful flight attendants from Alaska Airlines for some tips to help you travel smoothly and safely.
Read the full blog post in English here.
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 WASHINGTON IS GETTING READY FOR REOPENING!
As more and more Washingtonians get the COVID-19 vaccine, we’re getting closer to returning to normal life. Soon, businesses will be able to resume operating at their full capacities again. This is welcome news for Washington businesses, workers, and customers.
Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said fully vaccinated people don’t need to wear masks indoors or outdoors. As a result, many businesses dropped their mask requirements for customers. But what about their workers?
To help workers better understand these changes, we connected with the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I). L&I is the state agency that provides guidance for employers. They protect workers by making sure that employers keep their workplaces safe and healthy.
Read about workplace rules on the full blog here.
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ACIP STATEMENT ON MYOCARDITIS FOLLOWING ACIP MEETING
On June 23, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Health and Human Services (HHS), and other professional health organizations issued a joint statement on myocarditis and pericarditis following COVID-19 vaccination. This statement was given after the recent Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting.
"As physicians, nurses, public health and health care professionals, and, for many of us, parents, we understand the significant interest many Americans have in the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines, especially for younger people. Today, the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met to discuss the latest data on reports of mild cases of inflammation of the heart muscle and surrounding tissue called myocarditis and pericarditis following COVID-19 vaccination among younger people.
“The facts are clear: this is an extremely rare side effect, and only an exceedingly small number of people will experience it after vaccination. Importantly, for the young people who do, most cases are mild, and individuals recover often on their own or with minimal treatment. In addition, we know that myocarditis and pericarditis are much more common if you get COVID-19, and the risks to the heart from COVID-19 infection can be more severe."
Read the full statement on the HHS website here.
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NEW CDC WEBSITE FOR VACCINE LOT NUMBER AND EXPIRATION INFO
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently created a website to let health care providers download the most up-to-date information on vaccine lot numbers and expiration dates. Health care providers will need to register through the website to get access to lot number information.
Once approved, providers will be able to download a zip file with an excel spreadsheet. Providers can then search for specific lot numbers and view expiration dates.
Visit the CDC website here.
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VFC AND COVID-19 PROGRAM COMPARISON TABLE IN CDC AWARDEE PORTAL
As Emergency Use Authorization of COVID-19 vaccine products expand to include adolescents and children, providers enrolled in the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program are well situated to enroll in the CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Program to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccination services. VFC providers have direct access to the younger patient population and are familiar with vaccine administration and federal vaccine programs.
Though the VFC and COVID-19 Vaccination programs are both federal government programs, they each have distinct requirements based on the associated funding legislation. For this reason, the provider agreements remain separate, and VFC providers must sign and adhere to the requirements of the CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Program Provider Agreement in order to receive and administer COVID-19 vaccines.
The table is located on the ISD Awardees SharePoint Portal- COVID-19 library- Helpful Resources folder.
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IAC UPDATES VACCINES: COVID-19 WEB PAGE WITH NEW RESOURCES
The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) has a wealth of information on anything involving immunizations. They are consistently updating their site to ensure their resources reflect the most up-to-date information. Recently they added new resources to their COVID-19 Vaccines web page.
These new resources cover everything from how to respond to COVID-19 vaccine errors to expanded patient education materials for all authorized COVID-19 vaccines.
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REMINDER: CDC HAS A COVID-19 VACCINE DATA TRACKER
If you are looking for data related to the status of COVID-19 vaccination rates in the US, check out the CDC’s COVID Data Tracker. The tracker shows COVID-19 cases at the top of the page, but as you scroll down it delivers the total number of Americans vaccinated. This week, the total number of fully vaccinated people is listed at 150.8 million. The page allows you to filter the information based on age groups, how many doses were received, and even provides numbers on people receiving specific vaccines.
View the tracker here.
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RESOURCES ON THE PFIZER COVID-19 VACCINE 12-15 AGE EXPANSION
In response to the authorized of Pfizer COVID-19 to children ages 12-15, the CDC has developed several useful tools for parents and clinicians to utilize.
Information for healthcare and vaccine providers provides basic information regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, consent and tools for communication to the community:
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This newsletter summarizes content from the week of June 20, 2021 and was sent out on June 25, 2021. |
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