Immunize​.org posted two new interim VISs, published by CDC. The hepatitis B vaccine VIS reflects the 2022 ACIP recommendation for catch-up hepatitis B vaccination of all people younger than age 60 years and the option to catch up those age 60 and older. The pneumococcal conjugate VIS incorporates newer pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV15 and PCV20).

Immunize​.org has updated its reference documents related to the use of VISs, You Must Provide Patients with Vaccine Information Statements (VISs) – It's Federal Law! and Dates of Current Vaccine Information Statements (VISs), with the publication dates of these new VISs.

• Hepatitis B Vaccine VIS dated May 12, 2023
• Pneumococcal Conjugate (PCV) VIS dated May 12, 2023

Related Links

• Immunize​.org: Hepatitis B Vaccine VIS main page
• Immunize​.org: Hepatitis B Vaccine VIS (PDF, English)
• Immunize​.org: Pneumococcal Conjugate (PCV) VIS main page
• Immunize​.org: Pneumococcal Conjugate (PCV) VIS (PDF, English)
• Immunize​.org: VIS main page with VISs in up to 47 languages
• CDC: What's New with VISs main page
• CDC: Current VISs main page 

On May 11, 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ended the federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19, declared under Section 319 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act. During the course of this emergency, 270 million Americans received nearly 700 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. 

At the end of the COVID-19 PHE on May 11, Americans will continue to be able to access COVID-19 vaccines at no cost, just as they have during the COVID-19 PHE, due to the requirements of the CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Program Provider Agreement. People will also continue to be able to access COVID-19 treatments just as they have during the COVID-19 PHE.

HHS has announced its plan to create the Bridge Access Program for COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatments Program in coming months to ensure access to COVID-19 vaccines for uninsured Americans once federally purchased vaccines and treatment are no longer available. The program is intended to help maintain access to COVID-19 care for uninsured people at their local pharmacies, through existing public health sites, and at their local health centers.

The end of the PHE does not alter the FDA’s emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for COVID-19 products, including vaccines. In addition, certain liability protections extended to vaccination providers under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act have been extended. Those who regularly use surveillance data on COVID-19 from CDC will see significant changes to the data reported because certain types of data were only available under the PHE. CDC will also update available data less frequently.

Additional details and links to resource documents, including more information about COVID-19 testing and treatments, appear in the HHS Fact Sheet on the end of the COVID-19 PHE.

• HHS Fact Sheet: End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (5/9/23)
• HHS Press Release: HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra Statement on End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (5/11/23)
• HHS web page: COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) (5/10/23)
• HHS Fact Sheet: HHS Announces ‘HHS Bridge Access Program for COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatments’ to Maintain Access to COVID-19 Care for the Uninsured (4/18/23)

Immunize​.org updated its Vaccines: COVID-19 main page. The updates reflect the removal of authorization for monovalent mRNA vaccines and removes references to the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine (Johnson & Johnson), which is no longer available in the United States. The page contains updated links to the FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) Fact Sheets for bivalent mRNA vaccines. The web page continues to direct visitors seeking quick links to all print-ready federal fact sheets and COVID-19 vaccination resources to Immunize​.org’s Checklist of Current Versions of U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance and Clinic Support Tools, which is updated at least monthly. The web page also continues to link to other important government and partner websites.

Bookmark Immunize​.org's Vaccines: COVID-19 main page to connect with a comprehensive list of resources from CDC and FDA including fact sheets, clinical considerations, vaccine administration tools, and storage and handling guidance. 



Related Links

• Immunize​.org: Checklist of Current Versions of U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance and Clinic Support Tools (PDF)
• Immunize​.org: Vaccines: COVID-19 main page
• Immunize​.org: Ask the Experts: COVID-19 web page
• CDC: Interim Clinical Considerations main page summarizing use of COVID-19 vaccines in the United States

Immunize​.org’s Standing Orders Templates for Administering Vaccines main page includes 46 straightforward standing order templates that allow qualified healthcare professionals to assess the need for and administer vaccines to patients meeting certain criteria, such as age or underlying medical condition. In addition to templates developed by Immunize​.org, the page includes links to CDC’s standing orders templates for all COVID-19 vaccines and all age groups, as well as CDC's standing orders template for mpox vaccination with Jynneos (Bavarian Nordic).

Standing orders help you increase vaccination rates by enabling assessment and vaccination of the patient without the need for clinician examination or a direct order from the attending provider at the time of the interaction. Standing orders can be established for the administration of one or more specific vaccines to a broad or narrow set of patients in healthcare settings such as clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, and long-term care facilities.

Visit the Standing Orders Templates for Administering Vaccines main page on Immunize​.org to view the standing orders templates.

These recent articles convey the potential risks of vaccine-preventable diseases and the importance of vaccination.

• New York Times: We Worked on the U.S. Pandemic Response. Here Are 13 Takeaways for the Next Health Emergency (5/11/23)
• Chronicle of Philanthropy: The End of the COVID Health Emergency Must Not Spell the End of Progress toward Health Equity (5/10/23)
• NBC: Rise of Mpox Cases in Chicago Raises Concern about Possible Summer Spread (5/8/23)
• The Hill: First Measles Case Reported in Maine since 2019 (5/8/23)

As noted in our top stories, Immunize​.org updated two provider resources with the publication date of the revised Hepatitis B Vaccine and Pneumococcal Conjugate (PCV) VISs.

• You Must Provide Patients with Vaccine Information Statements (VISs) – It's Federal Law! (2 pages) 
• Dates of Current Vaccine Information Statements (VISs) 

• Immunize​.org: Vaccine Information Statements main page for VISs in 47 languages
• Immunize​.org: Dates of Current Vaccine Information Statements (PDF)
• Immunize​.org: Handouts for Patients and Staff main page, where you can sort materials by topic, vaccine, or language
• Immunize​.org: Educational Materials for Patients and Staff—an alphabetical listing of more than 230 ready-to-print staff educational materials and patient handouts
• CDC: What's New with VISs web page
• CDC: Current VISs web page 

Immunize​.org was notified on May 10 to the presence of an error in the 3/29/2023 version of the Chinese translation of Immunize​.org’s popular handout, After the Shots…What to Do If Your Child Has Discomfort. The version was immediately taken down from our website for correction by the translation service used by Immunize.org. Those who downloaded the Chinese version should discard it and replace it with the May 2023 version. The corrected translation will be posted on Immunize.org's Handouts: Chinese Translations main page and will be announced in IZ Express. Immunize.org is grateful to the alert reader who notified us of the mistranslation.

Download Immunize​.org’s free 142-page book on adult vaccination to help build your program and train your team: Vaccinating Adults: A Step-by-Step Guide (Guide).

 

This thorough "how to" guide on adult vaccination provides easy-to-use, practical information covering all essential activities. It helps vaccine providers enhance their existing adult vaccination services or introduce them into any clinical setting.

The Guide is available to download/print either by chapter or in its entirety free at www.immunize.org/guide. The National Vaccine Program Office and CDC both supported the development of the Guide and provided early technical review.

The Guide is a valuable resource to assist providers in increasing adult vaccination rates. Be sure to get a copy today!

Please note: this guide was produced in 2017, before the COVID-19 era, and reflects the recommendations of that time.

Related Links

• Vaccinating Adults: A Step-by-Step Guide main page, permitting download of entire Guide (142 pages, PDF)
• View the table of contents and individual chapters (PDF):
  • Table of Contents
  • Step 1: Getting Started
  • Step 2: Setting Up for Vaccination Services
  • Step 3: Vaccine Storage and Handling
  • Step 4: Deciding Whom to Vaccinate
  • Step 5: Administering Vaccines
  • Step 6: Documentation and Related Issues
  • Step 7A: Financial Considerations
  • Step 7B: How to Bill for Adult Immunizations
• Immunize​.org’s educational materials (handouts) on adult immunization

Immunize​.org's laminated versions of the 2023 U.S. child and adolescent immunization schedule and the 2023 U.S. adult immunization schedule are still available. Order while supplies last. Once sold out, we will not print more until 2024.

While the schedules are available online from CDC at no cost, Immunize​.org’s laminated schedules are ideal for use in any busy healthcare setting. Their tough coating can be wiped down, and they’re durable enough to stand up to a year of use.

• Length: Each schedule with appendices is 12 pages
• Size: Standard 8.5” X 11” booklet format
• Full Color: With color coding for easy reading, our laminated schedules replicate the original CDC formatting, including the essential tables and notes
• Bonus: The adult schedule includes Immunize​.org’s popular 1-page handout summarizing the dose, route, and needle length recommendations for all vaccines and recipients

    

Pricing for Each Schedule
$10.00: 1 copy
$  9.50 each: 2–4 copies
$  8.50 each: 5–19 copies
$  7.50 each: 20–99 copies
$  6.00 each: 100–499 copies 
$  5.00 each: 500–999 copies
$  4.00 each: 1,000–1,999 copies
$  3.25 each: 2,000+ copies

Visit Shop Immunize​.org: Laminated Schedules to view images of each page and order today!

For additional information, call 651-647-9009 or email [email protected].

Related Links

• Immunize​.org: Laminated Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedules (0–18 years) web page
• Immunize​.org: Laminated Adult Immunization Schedules (19 and older) web page
• Immunize​.org: Shop Immunize.org main page 
• CDC: Immunization Schedules

CDC published Progress toward Poliomyelitis Eradication—Worldwide, January 2021–March 2023 on May 12 in MMWR. A portion of the summary appears below. 

Endemic transmission of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) continues only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. . . .

In 2022, Malawi and Mozambique reported WPV1 cases linked to a Pakistan strain, the first WPV1 cases in the African region since 2016. During 2022 and 2023, Afghanistan and Pakistan reported WPV1 cases. Circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses were detected in areas of the world where poliovirus had been eliminated. Cocirculation of more than one poliovirus type occurred in multiple countries. . . .

The detections of poliovirus in areas where it had been previously eliminated underscore the threat of continued poliovirus spread to any area where the population is insufficiently vaccinated against poliovirus.

Access the MMWR article in HTML or PDF.

Related Link

• MMWR's main page provides access to MMWR Weekly and its companion publications

The Johns Hopkins University International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) updated its VIEW-hub, a map-based platform for visualizing data on vaccine use, impact, and coverage status globally and in the 73 countries receiving vaccines from Gavi. In addition to data on human papillomavirus, typhoid conjugate, pneumococcal conjugate, rotavirus, Haemophilus, and inactivated polio vaccines, VIEW-hub now includes COVID-19 Vaccines Briefs, including effectiveness in children.



Explore the interactive maps here.

Related Link

• VIEW-hub website 

The American College Health Association (ACHA) offered a free, five-part webinar series, Facts or Fakes? Promoting Health Literacy Skills with Your Students. This five-part webinar series provides tools to help students and others navigate misinformation, disinformation, and the infodemic. Webinars include:

• January 10 – "Health Literacy 101" (available on-demand)
• February 21 – "Digital Wellbeing and Mental Health: Helping Me Is Helping We" (available on-demand)
• March 7 – "Debunking Fake News" (available on-demand)
• April 18 – "Confronting Misinformation in Our Circles of Influence" (available on-demand)
• May 9 – "Managing the Infodemic: Getting Started" (available on-demand)

Up to 5 hours of credit are available for CNE, CME, and CHES, and 1 CE is available for counselors for session 2.

Register for the free webinars.