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Welcome to the COVID-19 Vaccine Partner Newsletter! Here you'll find the latest news and information on COVID-19 vaccine related topics.
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Q: IS THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION RECOMMENDING AN ADDITIONAL BOOSTER?
A: It's possible that you have recently heard mention of an additional updated bivalent booster. The short answer is that there is no change in U.S. vaccination recommendations at this time.
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) recently revised the roadmap for COVID-19 vaccines. SAGE's priority is to protect populations at the greatest risk of death and severe disease from COVID-19 infection. The roadmap has been updated to reflect the fact that much of the population is either vaccinated or previously infected with COVID-19, or both; the revised roadmap reemphasizes the importance of vaccinating those still at-risk of severe disease. The revised roadmap outlines three priority-use groups for COVID-19 vaccination: high, medium, and low. For the high priority group, the WHO recommends an additional booster either 6 or 12 months after the last dose, with the timeframe depending on factors such as age and immunocompromising conditions.
Washington State Department of Health is currently awaiting guidance from federal partners for next steps. We will share information with our partners as we receive it. At this time, there is no change to current CDC guidance on use of Bivalent vaccine—everyone 6mos and older is recommended to receive 1 dose of Bivalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccine booster at least 2 months after last COVID-19 vaccine dose.
Stay up to date with COVID-19 booster information through these DOH and CDC webpages:
Washington State Department of Health - Vaccine Booster Doses
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Stay Up to Date
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IT IS NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK!
Join the American Public Health Association (APHA) in observing National Public Health Week 2023 and become part of a growing movement to create the healthiest nation in one generation. Throughout the week APHA has celebrated the power of cultural humility and prevention, advocated for healthy and fair policies, shared strategies for increasing equity and championing the role of a strong public health system. Let’s make public health and caring for all our communities fundamental parts of our culture!
The theme of NPHW this year is “Centering and Celebrating Cultures in Health”. Feeling like we belong, being a part of our communities and fostering cultural connections supports our health and the quality of our lives. As we celebrate the 28th NPHW, April 3-9, APHA wants everyone to know they can make their communities healthier, safer and stronger when we support and stay engaged with one another.
We’re encouraging everyone — public health professionals, students, elected leaders, activists and the general public — to step in and do what they can to make our world a more equitable, safe, healthy and just place. Thank you for all you do to protect and promote health in your communities!
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REMINDER RECALLS FOR WASHINGTON PARENTS
Last week the Washinton State Department of Health (DOH) resumed sending messages to parents of children identified as overdue for their next COVID-19 vaccine. Messaging for these reminder/recall notifications includes:
- Second doses for three age groups (6 months to 4 years, 5-11, 12 years and older)
- Booster doses to two age groups (5-11, 12 years and older)
Notifications use the email addresses, primary phone number, and language listed in the Immunization Information System (IIS) to send emails, SMS (texts), or phone/voicemail in 16 languages. Presumably, the contact information for children under the age of 12 belong to an adult parent or caregiver who supplied their contact information to a vaccine provider.
DOH is also finalizing notifications for booster doses for children under age five. We expect to begin sending notifications out to parents and caregivers of this age group sometime in April.
Notifications will continue to go out as children become overdue in the IIS. People who receive these notifications are unable to opt out.
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UPDATES ON NOVAVAX
Ordering for Novavax in the IIS was temporarily turned off on Monday, April 3 due to expiration of the current supply. All Novavax vaccine ordered before the 3rd of April is short dated to the end of the month. Novavax has since resupplied with 1.25 million doses in a new five-dose presentation. Ordering was turned back on Thursday morning, April 6. All Novavax ordered will now be 5-doses/vial, the minimum order quantity and increment will continue to be 100 doses, and the expiration date for the new vials is October 31, 2023.
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VACCINE STORAGE AND HANDLING REMINDERS
It is critical that providers and staff are familiar with the specific COVID-19 vaccine products. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers a suite of information and materials that are needed for each specific COVID-19 vaccine that cover administration, storage and handling, safety, and reporting. Visit their U.S. COVID-19 Vaccine Product Information page for those resources as well as trainings. The CDC also offers an extensive toolkit regarding vaccine storage and handling which you can view here.
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UPDATE TO VACCINE SCHEDULE FOR SOME CHILDREN, 6 MONTHS-4 YEARS OLD
Last month the CDC provided an update to the recommended schedule for those children 6 months-4 years old who received 3 doses of monovalent Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for their primary series. In the past, these children were not eligible for an updated bivalent COVID-19 booster dose until they turned 5. With this new recommendation, these children are eligible for one Pifzer Bivalent booster dose at least 2 months after their last monovalent Pfizer COVID-19 primary series dose. You can find more information on this topic at the following link:
Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines | CDC
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SAFETY AND EFFICACY OF MRNA COVID-19 STUDY STILL SHOWING POSITIVE RESULTS
In a recent article published by JAMA pediatrics, they explored a recent literature review of multiple clinical trials to ascertain the safety and efficacy data collected to date. Overall they did find those children that were vaccinated did have some measure of efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19-related illnesses. The study noted higher rates of adverse events in children with vaccination compared to those receiving a placebo, yet most adverse events were mild and resolved in a few days. You can find the whole article at the following link:
Assessment of Efficacy and Safety of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines in Children Aged 5 to 11 Years: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis - PubMed
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COVID-19 WORKSHOP SERIES – IMPROVING COVID-19 VACCINATION RATES FOR CHILDREN UNDER 5
Participate in a virtual workshop series promoting peer-to-peer discussion to explore and share best practices related to COVID-19 vaccination strategies for children under age five, with an emphasis on rural communities.
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Workshop #2 - Monday, April 17th - 12:00PM-1:00PM PST
- Leveraging Partnerships to Increase COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence
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Workshop #3 - Friday, May 12th - 12:00PM-1:00PM PST
- Strategies to Improve Covid-19 Vaccine Confidence
Workshop #1 has already occurred, however participants are able to attend individual sessions. To enroll, please complete the following Survey Monkey. You will then receive a calendar invite with the information to join the respective sessions via Zoom.
COVID-19 Survey Monkey – Enrollment Form
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STRATEGIES TO INCREASE IMMUNIZATION RATES WEBINAR
Wednesday, April 19 - 12:00PM-1:00PM PST
- Proven strategies to increase immunization rates.
- Ways medical assistants can effectively promote immunizations and increase immunization rates in a clinic.
- Tools in the Washington State Immunization Information System to raise immunization rates.
The webinar will be recorded and continuing education is available for physicians, nurses, medical assistants, and pharmacists/pharmacy techs.
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UPCOMING PEER-TO-PEER WEBINARS
Behavioral Health Support for HealthCare Workers Series
Speaker: Dr. Kira Mauseth, Clinical Psychologist & Senior Instructor of Psychology at Seattle University.
All sessions held from 12:00PM-1:00PM PST. Register through the links below.
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CHILDHOOD VACCINE PROGRAM TRAINING
The latest session in the monthly Childhood Vaccine Program (CVP) Training Series will take place Thursday, April 20, 2023. This session will give an overview of vaccine choice and review the vaccine ordering process. Vaccine choice is the window of time twice per year when a provider has the opportunity to switch their preferred vaccine brands in their order set. CVP's Immunization Nurse Consultant will also cover new vaccines recently approved, considerations for using these vaccines in your practice, and share available clinical resources. Please join to learn more!
You can find this session and previously recorded sessions in the CVP Training Series on their webpage.
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2023 ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON VACCINOLOGY RESEARCH
Join colleagues from around the world for interactive discussions on the latest developments in vaccinology at the online 2023 Annual Conference on Vaccinology Research on June 5-7, 2023. Trailblazing women in vaccinology and other leading experts will discuss scientific advances in vaccine research and the future of vaccinology. Space is limited so register now to reserve a spot.
View the Conference Agenda.
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VIRTUAL HEALTH LITERACY CONFERENCE IN MAY
Registration is now open for the 22nd annual IHA Health Literacy Conference that will take place May 9th-11th. View the conference agenda for each day here.
Continuing education credits are available for Live Lectures, Workshops, Panel Discussions, and On-Demand (recorded) sessions in the following categories:
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Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES/MCHES)
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Certified in Public Health (CPH)
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Librarians (MLA)
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FOR SCHOOLS AND CHILD CARE FACILITIES
FOR LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES
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SIGN UP FOR THIS NEWSLETTER!
If you aren't already signed up for the COVID-19 Vaccine Partner Newsletter, please visit the Department of Health's email subscribers page here. Once you enter your email, on the next page expand the Immunization topic, select the COVID-19 Vaccine Partner Newsletter, and click submit.
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This newsletter summarizes content beginning the week of March 26, 2023 and was sent out on April 7, 2023. |
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