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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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COVID-19 VACCINE PARTNER NEWSLETTER WILL PAUSE DECEMBER 29
Publication will resume January 12, 2024. Wishing all of our readers a peaceful holiday season and a happy, healthy new year!
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Q: CAN YOU GET ALL RESPIRATORY VIRUS VACCINES AT THE SAME TIME?
A: Yes. Vaccines are available to help protect against severe illness caused by all three of the major fall and winter respiratory viruses – flu, COVID-19, and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently posted an article on what you need to know about receiving COVID-19, flu, and RSV vaccines (if eligible for an RSV vaccine) at the same time. Getting multiple vaccines at once is safe and makes it easier to stay up to date with CDC recommendations.
Whether you choose to get flu, COVID-19, and RSV vaccines at the same visit or at separate visits, the most important thing is that you get all vaccines recommended for you to protect yourself against these three potentially serious illnesses this fall and winter.
If you choose to get your vaccines at different visits, there is no minimum waiting period between vaccines. If you are sick with a moderate or severe acute illness, you should wait until you recover to get vaccinated. If you have recently had COVID-19, you may choose to delay your next COVID-19 vaccine until three months after your illness, when immunity typically begins to wane.
Use vaccines.gov to find flu and COVID-19 vaccines and talk with your health care provider to determine what is right for you.
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HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS URGED TO RECOMMEND VACCINATIONS TO PATIENTS NOW
CDC issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory to ensure health care providers are aware of the current low vaccination rates for influenza (flu), COVID-19, and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus). CDC is tracking increased respiratory disease activity in the United States for several respiratory pathogens, including influenza viruses, SARS-CoV-2, and RSV, across multiple indicators such as laboratory test positivity, emergency department visits, wastewater surveillance, and hospitalizations. Low vaccination rates, coupled with ongoing increased national and international respiratory disease activity caused by multiple pathogens, including influenza viruses, SARS-CoV-2, and RSV, could lead to more severe disease and increased health care capacity strain in the coming weeks. Health care providers should strongly recommend immunizations to patients now, as well as treatment, testing, and other preventive measures to protect patients against respiratory diseases before holidays, social gatherings, or travel this winter.
Currently, the highest respiratory disease activity in the United States is occurring across the southern half of the country, with increasing activity in northern states.
Influenza, COVID-19, and RSV can be severe, especially among people who are unvaccinated. People should also consider everyday prevention measures (including washing hands, staying home when sick, and wearing a well-fitting mask if you choose to wear a mask).
Healthcare providers should administer influenza, COVID-19, and RSV immunizations now to patients, if recommended. Healthcare providers should recommend antiviral medications for influenza and COVID-19 for all eligible patients, especially patients at high-risk of progression to severe disease such as older adults and people with certain underlying medical conditions.
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UPDATED DOH COVID-19 VACCINE RESOURCES
DOH is committed to providing you with the most up to date health promotion and education materials for COVID-19 vaccines. Please see below for recently updated materials, webpages, and items coming soon!
Coming Soon:
Co-brandable Respiratory Illness Toolkit - Coming January 2024
Translations in 15 additional languages for:
- Protect Yourself Against Respiratory Illnesses
- Getting Vaccinated to Protect Against COVID-19 Illness
- Protect Yourself Against Long COVID: Get Vaccinated
- Novavax: What You Should Know
- COVID-19 Vaccine Reference Guide for Children 6 months-4 years old
- Myocarditis after COVID-19 Vaccination: What Parents and Young Adults Should Know
Visit the Vaccine tab of our Resource and Recommendations page for more!
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CDC OFFERS WEEKLY UPDATES ON FALL AND WINTER VIRUS SEASON
Are you traveling for the holidays? Do you have family coming into town? Gathering together for the holiday season can bring the possibility of spreading respiratory illness. You can use CDC's new web tool to find weekly updates on respiratory viral illness activity in the United States or in your area/the area you're traveling to. With this tool you can also find other key data on whether things are getting better or worse, and who is most affected by serious consequences such as hospitalizations or even deaths.
Visit the CDC's respiratory illness website to learn how to stay safe, find resources and toolkits, and stay updated with the weekly viral respiratory illness snapshot.
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Image by Bismillah_bd | Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
IMPROVING EQUITABLE ACCESS TO COVID-19 VACCINES, HEALTH INFORMATION AND PREVENTION RESOURCES
The Building Community Capacity for Equitable COVID-19 Recovery is a funding opportunity administered by the Washington State Department of Health (DOH). Under the program, DOH will distribute $1.5 million to organizations serving communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. DOH has recently announced 43 recipients of this funding opportunity who will support ways to improve equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, health information, and prevention resources. The program will also promote community capacity building and mobilization to advance health equity by addressing the structural and social determinants of health amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic.
See a list of selected recipients on the program's DOH webpage.
For ongoing updates about this funding opportunity, visit the WA Portal webpage or contact the Community Investments and Engagement Team at communityinvestmentsandengagement@doh.wa.gov.
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KEEPING YOUR COVID-19 RESOURCES UP TO DATE
Immunize.org has done an amazing job pulling all of the CDC/ACIP and other resources into one easy-to-access document for all COVID-19 vaccination materials. The Checklist of Current Versions of U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance and Clinic Support Tools is updated at least monthly, prominently indicating when it was last revised at the top of the page. The December 3 checklist includes a link to a searchable list of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) articles about COVID-19 vaccination. It also includes a change in the pre-vaccination checklist section to show CDC’s English version for providers and Spanish version for recipients. CDC now refers COVID-19 vaccine providers to Immunize.org's English version of screening checklists for contraindications to vaccination for children or adults.
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VSAFE NOW OPEN FOR PEOPLE RECEIVING RSV VACCINATIONS
V-safe, CDC’s voluntary smartphone-based vaccine safety monitoring system, was originally developed to monitor COVID-19 vaccine safety. Now, it has been adapted to collect data for RSV vaccination of two groups:
- Pregnant people receiving Abrysvo (Pfizer)
- Adults aged 60 years or older receiving Abrysvo or Arexvy (GSK)
After RSV vaccination, participants may choose to enroll in V-safe. They will then receive brief, confidential surveys via text messages or emails.
Post a sign in the vaccination area encouraging people to enroll. It takes just a few minutes to register using a computer, tablet, or smartphone.
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ERROR MESSAGE "INADVERTANT DOSE" FOR ALL COVID-19 (2023-2024) VACCINES IN THE IIS
In the IIS, a red X will appear next to a patient’s 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine record (infant and adult, all manufacturers) as an indicator of an ‘Inadvertent dose’. This red X warning symbol appears because the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine products have not yet been assigned a forecast in the registry. Our IIS third-party technology vendor is collaborating with the CDC and has not specified a date yet for when this forecasting will be applied, although we are told it should happen soon. Until then, please ignore the red X and rely on the ACIP schedule.
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ORDER FREE LAMINATED CDC IMMUNIZATION SCHEDULES
WithinReach has both Adult and Child/Adolescent Immunization Schedules available as laminated copies free for your clinic/staff. They are printed in vivid color for easy reading, size 8 ½” x 11". WithinReach materials have been developed in collaboration with health care professionals, community members and the Washington State Department of Health.
If you have any questions, or would like to request a special order, please contact us at orders@withinreachwa.org.
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POST COVID-19 CONDITIONS: DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT OPTIONS
Friday, January 12, 2024 from 12:00 to 1:00PM PT
Dr. Anita Chopra and Dr. Janna Friedly from the UW Post-COVID Rehabilitation and Recovery Clinic will discuss clinical presentations of Long COVID, commonly utilized diagnostic techniques, available treatment management options, and management options in development.
Visit the POP webinar page for CE information.
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The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) has announced the availability of the 2023 Clinical Vaccinology Course as an online enduring activity (ending January 31, 2024), providing you with a unique opportunity to delve into the dynamic world of vaccines at your own pace.
Register now to gain access to tools and strategies to improve immunization rates and help protect public health, with sessions focused on:
- Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Updates
- Improving Vaccine Confidence
- Preventing and Treating Respiratory Diseases
- Protecting Special Populations
- Travel Vaccines: Know Before You Go
- Vaccines across the Lifespan
- Vaccine Safety Data and Monitoring
View the detailed agenda and complete list of speakers.
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SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT FOR 2024 NACCHO360 CONFERENCE BEFORE JANUARY 8
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) is currently accepting abstracts for the 2024 NACCHO360 Conference. The conference will be held July 23-26, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. The 2024 theme is “Heard it Through the Grapevine: Public Health Partnerships, Collaboration, and Innovation.”
The 2024 NACCHO360 annual conference invites public health professionals nationwide to showcase and share their research findings, best practice training models, tools, or other resources that advance the fields of public health and healthcare.
Abstract submission has been extended through January 8, 2024. Registration for the conference will open soon.
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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 December 2, 2023 and was sent out on December 15, 2023. |
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