Issue 1,536: December 9, 2020
Top Stories
IAC Handouts
Featured Resources
Journal Articles and Newsletters
Conferences and Meetings
On the Lighter Side
Top Stories
FDA’s advisory committee will discuss and vote on Emergency Use Authorization for Pfizer/BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine on December 10 and Moderna’s mRNA vaccine on December 17
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will convene 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 in partnership with BioNTech.
One week later, on December 17, VRBPAC will gather to consider a similar EUA request from Moderna for its mRNA-1273 vaccine candidate.
Each meeting will be webcast; access details will appear at FDA web pages linked below. FDA posted several documents explaining the vaccine development process and how EUA pertain to vaccines. Additional technical review documents are likely to be posted at FDA websites as the meeting date approaches.
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Watch the virtual ACIP meeting on December 11 and 13; no registration is required
Live, virtual meetings of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will be held on December 11 and 13. The respective agendas (including times) will be posted soon and are expected to feature COVID-19 vaccination. No registration is required to watch the live ACIP meeting or listen via telephone.
Related Link
- ACIP gateway page for recordings and content from previous meetings, as well as information about future meetings
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“The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ Interim Recommendation for Allocating Initial Supplies of COVID-19 Vaccine—United States, 2020” published in MMWR
CDC published The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ Interim Recommendation for Allocating Initial Supplies of COVID-19 Vaccine—United States, 2020 in an Early Release MMWR on December 3.
As interim guidance, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that both 1) healthcare personnel and 2) residents of long-term care facilities be offered COVID-19 vaccine in the initial phase of the vaccination program. All CDC information on current COVID-19 vaccine recommendations is available online at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/acip-recs/vacc-specific/covid-19.html.
In conjunction with the interim ACIP recommendations, CDC published "Clinical Considerations" on a web page titled Interim Considerations for COVID-19 Vaccination of Healthcare Personnel and Long-Term Care Facility Residents. This page provides information on additional topics, including sub-prioritization information of COVID-19 vaccination for healthcare personnel (HCP) and for those in long-term care facilities. It also discusses vaccination of pregnant and breastfeeding HCP and post-vaccination symptoms in HCP.
Access the MMWR article in HTML format or in PDF format.
Related Link
- MMWR's gateway page provides access to MMWR Weekly, MMWR Recommendations and Reports, MMWR Surveillance Summaries, and MMWR Supplements
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NCIRD leaders Drs. Messonnier and Cohn presented a webinar on COVID-19 vaccination implementation and 3,000 attended; now you can watch it too
On December 3, two CDC leaders were featured speakers on an IAC webinar titled COVID-19 Vaccination Implementation and ‘Vaccinate with Confidence’ Strategy:
- Nancy Messonnier, MD, director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) and COVID-10 Vaccine Task Force; and
- Amanda Cohn, MD, chief medical officer, NCIRD and COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force
Specific topics included an overview of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution strategy, current state planning efforts, and the COVID-19 “Vaccinate with Confidence” strategy.
IAC's chief strategy officer, Dr. L.J Tan, moderated the webinar and the Q&A session that followed.
The webinar was full to capacity at 3,000 attendees. The entire webinar is now archived for viewing at www.immunize.org/webinars/cdc2 and the slides are available for download.
Please share the webinar link with your colleagues.
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It’s National Influenza Vaccination Week. Keep promoting flu vaccination with resources from CDC’s and IAC’s websites.
National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW), observed December 6–12 this year, was established by CDC in 2005 to highlight the importance of continuing influenza vaccination activities throughout the holiday season and beyond. It's a great time to send reminder messages or to reach out in other ways to all those who have not received flu vaccine this season. Influenza vaccination efforts should continue into the spring because influenza activity often does not peak until February.
CDC issued a call to action, encouraging everyone to get their annual flu shot—including those with chronic health conditions. The CDC invites partners to get the word out about NIVW on social media using CDC's 2020 NIVW Digital Media Toolkit that includes social media messages, NIVW resources, and activities you can use to share key flu information with your networks.
Use #FightFlu to join the conversation all week and tag @CDCFlu on Twitter.
Related Links:
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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 U.S. and overseas, via print, radio, television, blogs, and more. Here is a selection of our recent citations:
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Round Up: CDC, FDA, and other organizations offer COVID-19 vaccination resources for healthcare personnel and the public
To prepare for implementation of COVID-19 vaccination programs, many organizations are increasing their web content on this topic. In this article, we offer a list of resources sorted by topic, for healthcare personnel or for the public, from trusted organizations such as CDC, NIH, IAC, AIM, and others.
IAC Resources on COVID-19 Vaccines
Resources for Training or Operations
- CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Training: General Overview of Immunization Best Practices for Healthcare Providers web-on-demand, self-paced, 27-slide module for healthcare providers who will be administering COVID-19 vaccines
- CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccines and Immunizations gateway page
- CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Playbook, version 2.0, outlines for state, tribal, territorial, and local public health programs and their partners how to plan and implement a vaccination response to COVID-19 within their respective jurisdictions
- CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccination Program Operational Guidance and State and Jurisdiction Executive Summaries
- CDC’s Guidance for Planning Vaccination Clinics Held at Satellite, Temporary, or Off-Site Locations to assist with jurisdictional planning and implementation of satellite, temporary, or off-site vaccination clinics by public and private vaccination organizations
- CDC’s Healthcare Professionals: Preparing for COVID-19 Vaccination gateway page
- AIM’s COVID-19 Updates gateway page
- AIRA’s Response to COVID-19 gateway page
- CMS's COVID-19 Vaccine Policies and Guidance gateway page
- PREP Act Indemnification Q&A page
- HRSA’s Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program gateway page
- DoD’s Immunization Healthcare gateway page
- IHS’s COVID-19 Vaccine Planning gateway page
- IAC webinar with CDC Leaders Nancy Messonnier, MD and Amanda Cohn, MD: COVID-19 Vaccination Implementation and ‘Vaccinate with Confidence’ Strategy
Resources for Talking about COVID-19 Vaccines with Your Patients
IAC Spotlight! IAC’s “Laws and Mandates by Vaccine” gateway page compiles information about state mandates for vaccinations in daycare, K-12, and post-secondary education settings
IAC's State Laws and Mandates by Vaccine gateway page contains links to vaccine-specific requirements state-by-state for daycare, K-12, and post-secondary education settings.
State-specific information about exemption policies is available as well.
The gateway page also contains links to policy statements from medical organizations endorsing strong school and childcare vaccination requirements and the elimination of non-medical exemptions.
You can locate IAC's "State Laws and Mandates by Vaccine" gateway page under the Favorites tab in the blue bar across the top of any immunize.org web page.
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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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IAC Handouts
IAC updates “Standing Orders for Administering Zoster Vaccine to Adults” template
IAC recently revised its Standing Orders for Administering Zoster Vaccine to Adults template to remove references to ZVL (Zostavax; Merck) because it is no longer distributed in the U.S.
 
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IAC updates “Shingles (Zoster): Questions and Answers” and “Zoster Vaccine: IAC Answers Your Questions” handouts for patients
IAC updated Shingles (Zoster): Questions and Answers and Zoster Vaccine: IAC Answers Your Questions patient handouts to remove references to ZVL (Zostavax; Merck) because this vaccine is no longer distributed in the U.S.
 
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Featured Resources
In IAC’s “Video of the Week,” staff at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center show off their dance skills to a parody of “Shake It Off,” reminding us to shake off the flu by getting vaccinated
In this playful and still-relevant 2015 parody video of the song “Shake It Off,” medical, administrative, and service staff at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center dance to show us how to shake off the flu by getting vaccinated. They remind us to take other preventive steps also, such as washing our hands, not touching our face, and covering coughs.
Visit the whole collection at the VOTW archive.
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Reminder! Webinar on mass vaccination strategies archived on IAC’s newest website, Mass-Vaccination-Resources.org, which also features abundant resources for clinics
Recently, IAC hosted Mass Vaccination Clinics: Challenges and Best Practices. The webinar drew 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. All topics and speakers are listed on the mass vaccination webinar page.
The archived webinar is found on IAC's 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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Great gift idea! IAC's elegantly designed "Vaccines Save Lives" black enamel pins make wonderful holiday gifts or workplace recognitions!
Selling like hotcakes! IAC’s elegantly designed “Vaccines Save Lives” pins are meaningful gifts for people who care about immunization. The pin makes a refined statement in hard black enamel with gold lettering and edges, measuring 1.125" x 0.75".
The pin is a stick-through-post variety with the back end covered by a round rubber cap that holds the pin securely. A gold metal spring-lock clasp is also provided.
Wear these pins on clothing, uniforms, and white coats to show that you value vaccines! They make a meaningful gift for people who care about immunization.
 
Click here for "Vaccines Save Lives" pin pricing and ordering information.
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Newly updated 65+ Flu Defense website features tools and resources for healthcare professionals serving older adults
In the 2018–19 season, only 68% of adults age 65 and older were vaccinated against influenza. Confident recommendations for flu vaccine from healthcare providers are powerfully persuasive and make a significant difference in decisions your patients make about vaccination.
To assist you in maximizing protection for your patients, IAC, in collaboration with Seqirus, has updated the 65+ Flu Defense website at www.influenza-defense.org. This helpful site includes information, tools, and tips for communicating with these adults about the scope and severity of influenza, for example:
One new handout on the site, The Importance of Preventing Influenza during a Pandemic, offers responses to help guide discussions with patients on the increased importance of flu vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic. Age increases risks associated with COVID-19 infection including hospitalization and death. Preliminary studies suggest coinfection with influenza B and SARS-CoV-2 may elevate the risk of poor outcomes.
Be sure to check out the updated 65+ Flu Defense website at www.influenza-defense.org to assist your efforts in protecting this vulnerable population.
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Journal Articles and Newsletters
“Cooling to Reduce the Pain Associated with Vaccination: A Systemic Review” published in Vaccine
In the December 3 issue, Vaccine published Cooling to Reduce the Pain Associated with Vaccination: A Systemic Review. A portion of the abstract is reprinted below.
Vaccine injections are the most common cause of iatrogenic pain in childhood and a cause of anxiety in adulthood. Skin cooling techniques, including icepacks and vapocoolants, may provide pain relief during intramuscular injections....The use of cooling techniques reduces pain associated with vaccinations in adults. Paediatric studies show mixed results for vapocoolants and an inability for ice to decrease vaccine-injection pain. Larger RCTs are required to determine the most effective administration techniques and optimise the analgesic effects of skin cooling.
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Conferences and Meetings
National Academy of Medicine offers webinar on “COVID-19 Vaccines: The Realities of the Next Steps” on afternoon/evening of December 9
The National Academy of Medicine will offer the sixteenth webinar in its COVID-19 Conversations series, with a 90-minute session titled “COVID-19 Vaccines: The Realities of the Next Steps” starting at 5 p.m. (ET) on December 9. The discussion will address vaccine hesitancy, supply chains, and clear communications. Moderated by Jewel Mullin from the University of Texas, the speakers will include:
- Paul Offit, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
- Katie Greene, Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy
- Julie Swann, North Carolina State University
- Noel Brewer, University of North Carolina
The webinar will offer continuing education credits for several professions.
Click here to register.
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On the Lighter Side
In this vintage PSA from U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, R&B singer Bill Withers explains childhood diseases aren’t from the past
In this 1974 vintage public service announcement (PSA) from the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, R&B singer Bill Withers (“Ain’t No Sunshine Since She’s Gone”) reminds us that vaccine-preventable diseases have been kept under control because of vaccinations. This PSA is part of a collection curated by vaccine expert William L. Atkinson, MD, MPH.
Previous PSAs featured in “On the Lighter Side” are available when viewing this Vimeo video.
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Video of the Week
Flu Fighters "Shake It Off": In this fun and still-relevant 2015 parody video, medical, administrative, and service staff at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center dance to show us how to shake off the flu by getting a flu shot right away. They remind us to take other preventive steps also, such as washing our hands, not touching our face, and covering coughs. [3:54]
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Read Dr. Wexler's column for the Vaccine Education Center's monthly newsletter, Vaccine Update
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Record cards for patients -- child & teen, adult, and lifetime -- are printed on durable paper and sized to fit in a wallet when folded
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