Issue 1,531: November 25, 2020
Top Stories
Featured Resources
Journal Articles and Newsletters
Conferences and Meetings
Education and Training
On the Lighter Side
Top Stories
Developer of third vaccine candidate against COVID-19 (first adenovirus vector) reports positive data at interim analysis of phase 3 trial
The developer of adenovirus type-63 vectored candidate known as ChAdOx1 and as AZD1222 reported in a November 23 press release that it had been found to be effective in preventing COVID-19 in volunteers in a phase 3 trial. Intriguingly, the two dosing regimens tested differed markedly in efficacy. The regimen of two doses of 5 x 10 10 viral particles (vp) 28 days apart (n=8,895) showed 62% efficacy, whereas a regimen of 2.5 x 10 10 vp followed 28 days later by a full 5 x 10 10 vp dose (n=2,741) showed 90% efficacy. Importantly, no hospitalizations or severe cases of COVID-19 were reported in vaccine recipients. All results were statistically significant (p <0.0001). No serious safety events related to the vaccine have been confirmed and the vaccine was well tolerated across both dosing regimens, according to the developer. Additional data on efficacy and especially safety continue to be collected.
ChAdOx1, or AZD1222, was co-invented by the University of Oxford and its spin-out company, Vaccitech. AstraZeneca provides development, manufacturing, and distribution. Other developers, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Division, are evaluating other adenovirus-vectored vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
AstraZeneca intends to file for conditional or early approval in countries that have such frameworks, such as Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) in the United States, in coming weeks. Detailed data packets on each candidate will be reviewed by FDA’s career scientists, FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), CDC’s career scientists, and CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
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CDC leaders Drs. Nancy Messonnier and Amanda Cohn to present “COVID-19 Vaccination Implementation and the ‘Vaccinate with Confidence’ Strategy” during IAC webinar on December 3
IAC will host the 1-hour webinar “COVID-19 Vaccination Implementation” on December 3 at 1 p.m. (ET). This important and timely topic will be addressed by key leaders at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Register now to be sure you don’t miss this informative session.
CDC Speakers:
- Dr. Nancy Messonnier, Director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD); Director, COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force
- Dr. Amanda Cohn, Chief Medical Officer, NCIRD and COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force
This presentation will update partners on COVID-19 vaccine planning and implementation. Specific topics include an overview of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine distribution strategy, current state planning efforts, and the COVID-19 “Vaccinate with Confidence” Strategy.
L.J Tan, MS, PhD, IAC’s chief strategy officer will moderate the webinar.
The presentations will be followed by a Q&A session with CDC subject matter experts.
Please submit questions ahead of time to [email protected].
Register now to be sure you don’t miss this informative session.
The webinar will be recorded for viewing at a later date.
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CDC releases provider resources to aid in patient conversations about COVID-19 vaccines
CDC has created resources to help providers start planning on how to communicate with patients about SARS-CoV-2 vaccines when they become available. These CDC materials help plan for vaccination, access patients' vaccine information needs, and communicate effectively to meet those needs. Resources are listed below.
Please share these resources with your colleagues!
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UNICEF and WHO issue call for emergency action to avert major measles and polio epidemics due to pandemic disruptions of routine vaccinations
On November 12, UNICEF and WHO issued an emergency news release to avert major measles and polio epidemics as COVID-19 continues to disrupt vaccination services worldwide, leaving millions of vulnerable children at heightened risk of preventable childhood diseases. A portion of the emergency action news release is reprinted below.
In recent years, there has been a global resurgence of measles with ongoing outbreaks in all parts of the world. Vaccination coverage gaps have been further exacerbated in 2020 by COVID-19. In 2019, measles climbed to the highest number of new infections in more than two decades. Annual measles mortality data for 2019 to be released next week will show the continued negative toll that sustained outbreaks are having in many countries around the world.
At the same time, poliovirus transmission is expected to increase in Pakistan and Afghanistan and in many under-immunized areas of Africa. Failure to eradicate polio now would lead to global resurgence of the disease, resulting in as many as 200,000 new cases annually, within 10 years.
New tools, including a next-generation novel oral polio vaccine and the forthcoming Measles Outbreak Strategic Response Plan are expected to be deployed over the coming months to help tackle these growing threats in a more effective and sustainable manner, and ultimately save lives. The Plan is a worldwide strategy to quickly and effectively prevent, detect and respond to measles outbreaks.
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WHO launches global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer
World Health Organization (WHO) launched a global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer on November 17. The strategy includes three elements: vaccination, screening, and treatment. Successful implementation of all three could reduce the number of new cases by more than 40% and avert 5 million related deaths by 2050. A portion of the news release is reprinted below.
Today’s development represents a historic milestone because it marks the first time that 194 countries commit to eliminating cancer––following adoption of a resolution at this year’s World Health Assembly. Meeting the following targets by 2030 will place all countries on the path toward elimination:
- 90% of girls fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccine by 15 years of age
- 70% of women screened using a high-performance test by age 35 and again by 45
- 90% of women identified with cervical disease receive treatment (90% of women with pre-cancer treated and 90% of women with invasive cancer managed)
The strategy also stresses that investing in the interventions to meet these targets can generate substantial economic and societal returns. An estimated US $3.20 will be returned to the economy for every dollar invested through 2050 and beyond, owing to increases in women’s workforce participation. The figure rises to US $26.00 when the benefits of women’s improved health on families, communities and societies are considered.
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IAC experts called on by news media
With vaccines in the news so much lately, journalists have sought out IAC experts to communicate the intricacies of running a quality vaccination program. Our insights have helped explain vaccines to the public and policy makers. We want to help them understand the complex work vaccinators do. We've reached mass markets and local stations, across the US and overseas, via print, radio, television, blogs, and more. Here is a selection of our recent citations:
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AMA amends ethical guidance on physicians who are not immunized
On November 16, the American Medical Association (AMA) released AMA Amends Ethical Guidance on Physician Immunizations. According to the newly amended guidance document, physicians who are not or cannot be immunized should “accept a decision of the medical staff leadership or health care institution, or other appropriate authority to adjust practice activities if not immunized (e.g., wear masks or refrain from direct patient care). It may be appropriate in some circumstances to inform patients about immunization status.”
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IAC Spotlight! IAC’s Screening Checklists gateway page offers a variety of forms for patients to fill out to expedite vaccination
IAC's Screening Checklist gateway page links you to forms that patients fill out to expedite assessment of vaccination needs and contraindications. IAC’s screening checklists include:
To easily locate this gateway page, choose "Handouts and Staff Materials" and then "Screening Checklists" from the blue bar at the top of every immunize.org web page.
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IAC's MenB Vaccination Honor Roll adds a new college. Do you know of others?
The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) is pleased to announce that a new post-secondary institution has been enrolled into its MenB Vaccination Honor Roll for requiring or recommending meningococcal serogroup B vaccine for students.
The newly added institution is listed below. Clicking on the institutions' names brings you to the place on the school's website that details their vaccine requirements and recommendations. This university implemented a strong recommendation to vaccinate against MenB.
Currently, there are 265 honorees, with 40 colleges and universities requiring MenB vaccination for their students and 225 recommending it.
Please help us to grow the honor roll by notifying us of colleges or universities that require or recommend MenB vaccination for their students. Colleges and universities may apply for the honor roll or you can alert us at [email protected].
Please visit the MenB Vaccination Honor Roll web page to find resources such as news stories about meningitis B outbreaks, personal stories from families affected by meningitis B, journal articles, and links to organizations that work to prevent meningitis.
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Voices for Vaccines releases new podcast, “Tracking the Anti-Vaccine Movement,” featuring Erica DeWald from Vaccinate Your Family
Voices for Vaccines (VFV) has posted a new entry in its Vax Talk podcast series: "Tracking the Anti-Vaccine Movement." The anti-vaccine movement is as old as vaccines, but it has been evolving recently to new leaders who emphasize the autism disinformation campaign less and their own big media empires more. VFV invited Vaccinate Your Family's director of advocacy Erica DeWald to its podcast to discuss where the modern anti-vaccine movement came from and where they are going.
Voices for Vaccines is a national organization of parents and others who are dedicated to raising the level of the voices of immunization supporters. VFV invites everyone who values vaccines to become a member, use VFV tools in their own community, and sign up for VFV’s free newsletter. Please spread the word to your friends and colleagues to join VFV!
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Not-to-miss immunization articles in the news
These recent articles convey the potential risks of vaccine-preventable diseases and the importance of vaccination.
COVID-19
Routine Vaccinations
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Featured Resources
Reminder! Webinar on mass vaccination strategies now archived on IAC’s newest website: Mass-Vaccination-Resources.org
Recently, IAC hosted Mass Vaccination Clinics: Challenges and Best Practices webinar with nearly 900 attendees. During this 1.75-hour session, a panel of experienced providers described their successes and challenges in conducting mass vaccination clinics. The panelists highlighted best practices and offered practical information for conducting a successful mass vaccination clinic.
When visiting www.mass-vaccination-resources.org/webinar, you can watch the full-length webinar, or you can view the individual speakers’ presentations listed below. The presenters’ bios and slide-set handouts are also available on the web page.
- “Mass Clinic: Vaccine Storage and Handling and Vaccine Administration” by Andrew Kroeger, MD, MPH, NCIRD, CDC
- “Experiences, Recommendations, and Lessons Learned for Conducting Mass Vaccination Clinics” by Ruth Carrico, PhD, DNP, University of Louisville
- “Vaccine Drive-Thru Clinics” by Jeanne Marconi, MD, FAAP, PM Pediatrics, Lake Success, NY
- “Mobile Drive-Thru Flu Shot Clinics: Process, Partnerships, and Lessons Learned” by Kevin Cleveland, PharmD, ANP, Idaho State University College of Pharmacy, and Karen Sharpnack, Idaho Immunization Coalition
- “Mass Vaccination on a College Campus” by Amy Sauls, PharmD, BCACP; Michelle Camarena, MSN, RN; and Thevy Chai, MD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The archived webinar is found on IAC's newest website: www.Mass-Vaccination-Resources.org. The website features a searchable list of resources for a variety of venues, including curbside, drive-through, and walk-through clinics; mobile medical vans; pharmacies; and schools. The database contains guidance documents, toolkits, publications, and other helpful resources that can be adapted to your community or individual healthcare setting.
Many of the documents were written in the pre-pandemic era and will need modification to ensure that additional protections, such as social distancing and personal protective equipment, help safeguard against COVID-19 transmission.
If you have a resource to suggest for the website, please send a message to [email protected].
The webinar and the new website are supported by a medical education grant from Seqirus, Inc.
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IAC’s “Video of the Week” features staff and diverse phase-3 volunteers as they participate in Covid-19 vaccine trials at Cincinnati Children’s
In this short video from July 2020, Cincinnati Children's explains that they are conducting phase-3 trials for a promising COVID-19 vaccine and are recruiting diverse populations. One participant says that getting the "prick" was just like getting any other shot or blood test, and she is doing this for her community.
Visit the VOTW archive.
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Use IAC’s expanded “Repository of Resources for Maintaining Immunization during the COVID-19 Pandemic” to catch up patients who fell behind
IAC now offers more than 263 items in its Repository of Resources for Maintaining Immunization during the COVID-19 Pandemic gateway page to assist in maintaining routine immunization rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Located on the website of the National Network of Immunization Coalitions, a project of IAC, this repository includes links to both national and state-level policies and guidance; advocacy materials, including talking points, webinars, press releases, articles, and social media posts; and telehealth resources.
These resources are intended for healthcare settings, state and local health departments, professional societies, immunization coalitions, advocacy groups, and the community to use in their efforts to sustain routine immunizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The resources can be sorted and searched by date, title, geographic area, source, type, age category, or setting.
If you have a resource to suggest for the repository, please send a message to [email protected].
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Journal Articles and Newsletters
Three analytic papers review key policy questions on delivery, equitable access, and pricing and treatments of COVID-19 vaccines
In the November 19 issue, Health Affairs published three analytic papers that review key policy questions such as why we must invest in vaccine delivery strategies, how public and private leaders can ensure equitable access, and what to consider in pricing vaccines and treatments.
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CHOP's Vaccine Education Center publishes November issue of Vaccine Update Newsletter
The Vaccine Education Center (VEC) at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) publishes a monthly immunization-focused newsletter titled Vaccine Update Newsletter. The November issue includes the following articles:
Additional resources, including information booklets for patients, are available in the full newsletter.
Access the sign-up form to subscribe to Vaccine Update Newsletter.
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“Prevalence of Hepatitis B Vaccination Coverage and Serologic Evidence of Immunity among US-Born Children and Adolescents from 1999 to 2016” published in JAMA
In the November 11 issue, JAMA published Prevalence of Hepatitis B Vaccination Coverage and Serologic Evidence of Immunity among US-Born Children and Adolescents from 1999 to 2016. The conclusion is reprinted below.
This cross-sectional study revealed increasing hepatitis B vaccination coverage in the US from 1999 to 2016 overall and across most subgroups, with narrower gaps between some of the subgroups with greater disparities. However, there was a significant decrease in the rates of vaccine-associated immunity, as measured by anti-HBs titers, in individuals born between 1994 and 2003, suggesting a possible need to assess the effectiveness of the hepatitis B vaccine and protection from HBV infection. The findings also suggest the need for surveillance and a possible booster dose for individuals with undetectable levels of anti-HBs when they become young adults and may be at increased risk for infection through unprotected sex or injection drug use.
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“Learning from Influenza Vaccine Errors to Prepare for COVID-19 Vaccination Campaigns” published in ISMP Medication Safety Alert
In the November 19 issue of the newsletter, Medication Safety Alert, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) published Learning from Influenza Vaccine Errors to Prepare for COVID-19 Vaccination Campaigns. A portion of the article is reprinted below.
Analysis of flu vaccine-related errors and other harmful or deadly vaccine errors from the past leads to concerns about the monumental COVID-19 vaccination campaigns that may start as early as next month and will run well into 2021 and beyond. It is evident that many underlying causes of flu vaccine-related errors could just as easily lead to errors associated with the new COVID-19 vaccines and the hundreds of millions of doses that will be given (billions globally). This means that it will be crucial for any healthcare provider who plans to stock and/or administer COVID-19 vaccines to learn from these prior vaccine-related errors, anticipate that similar errors could happen with the COVID-19 vaccines, and take the necessary steps to prepare their facilities and healthcare teams in order to mitigate the risk of vaccine-related errors. We hope that providing a description of the anticipated COVID-19 vaccines, along with the causal factors associated with the recent bout of flu vaccine-related errors and other previously reported harmful or fatal vaccine errors, will help healthcare providers anticipate the risks and prepare for one of the largest vaccination efforts in US history with the upcoming COVID-19 vaccination campaigns.
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Conferences and Meetings
FDA posts documents ahead of its December 10 advisory committee meeting on SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will hold a meeting of its Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) on December 10 to discuss the request for emergency use authorization (EUA) of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate from Pfizer, Inc., in partnership with BioNTech Manufacturing GmbH. FDA posted several documents explaining the vaccine development process and how Emergency Use Authorizations apply to vaccines.
Additional technical review documents are likely to be posted at FDA websites as the meeting date approaches.
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Education and Training
CDC posts video recording of October 28–30 ACIP live, virtual meeting
CDC has posted a video recording of its October 28–30 ACIP virtual meeting. This recording, as well as over 600 videos on health topics, are available for viewing on the ACIP channel on YouTube. You are also able to view specific video links on the ACIP Live Meeting Archive – October 2020.
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AAP announces new open access PediaLink six-part course titled “Preventing and Treating Influenza during the COVID-19 Pandemic”
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently released a six-part course, Preventing and Treating Influenza during the COVID-19 Pandemic, that provides an overview of the newly released AAP policy on the prevention and treatment of influenza in children for the 2020–21 influenza season. This course provides an overview of strategies to prevent, diagnose, and treat influenza in pediatric patients, especially those at highest risk, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pediatric healthcare professionals will learn from U.S. experts about:
- Influenza: Clinical Presentation and Complications
- Influenza: Diagnosis and Diagnostic Tests
- Prevention of Influenza
- Influenza: Treatment for the Clinician
- Influenza: Influenza Vaccination in Egg-Allergic Individuals
- Immunization for All Healthcare Personnel
This course is provided at no cost to participants. Non-members of AAP will need to register for a free AAP ID account, if they have not done so already. Continuing medical education credit is not included.
Access this course on PediaLink.
On the Lighter Side
In this vintage PSA from the AAP, parents are reminded that every child needs polio vaccination
In this 1963 vintage public service announcement (PSA) from the American Academy of Pediatrics, parents are reminded that although each child is different, all are alike in their need for polio vaccine. (A child is shown receiving a sugar cube with the oral vaccine.) This PSA is part of a collection curated by vaccine expert William L. Atkinson, MD, MPH.
Previous PSAs mentioned in “On the Lighter Side” are available when viewing this Vimeo video.
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Video of the Week
Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine: In this short video from July 2020, Cincinnati Children's explains that they are conducting phase-3 trials for a promising COVID-19 vaccine and are recruiting diverse populations. One participant says that getting the "prick" was just like getting any other shot or blood test, and she is doing this for her community. [1:44]
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Technically Speaking
Read Dr. Wexler's column for the Vaccine Education Center's monthly newsletter, Vaccine Update
Vaccinating Adults:
A Step-by-Step Guide
Calendar of Events
Conferences, meetings, and training opportunities
Patient Record Cards
Record cards for patients -- child & teen, adult, and lifetime -- are printed on durable paper and sized to fit in a wallet when folded
DVD: Immunization Techniques
Every practice should have this award winning, "how-to" training video
Protect Newborns Guidebook
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