Issue 1,573 June 16, 2021
Top Stories
IAC Handouts
World News
Featured Resources
Journal Articles and Newsletters
Immunization PSAs from the Archive
Top Stories
Fourteen states have surpassed 70%! Will yours? COVID-19 Vaccine National Month of Action heats up!
With only 2 weeks left in June, HHS’s We Can Do This campaign, supported by the Made to Save Coalition, encourages us to redouble our efforts to protect 70% of adults by Independence Day. During this National Month of Action, initiatives include making it easier to get vaccinated against COVID-19, advancing equity, mobilizing the country to do more vaccine education and outreach, and incentivizing vaccination.
The situation as of June 15 is hopeful. According to the CDC COVID Data Tracker, among U.S. adults at least 18 years of age, the number who received at least one COVID-19 vaccine is 166,867,018, i.e., 64.6% of this group.
Declare independence from COVID-19! Commit to the National Vaccine Month of Action: go to the Mobilize America web page to locate events near you or add your own.
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Vaxelis hexavalent pediatric vaccine is now available for order
Vaxelis is a combination vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, poliomyelitis, hepatitis B, and invasive disease due to Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) approved as a 3-dose primary series for infants and catch-up vaccination of children age 6 weeks through 4 years.
Vaxelis was FDA-licensed in December 2018 and approved for use in the Vaccine For Children (VFC) program in June 2019, with the understanding that supplies would not become commercially available until later. Vaxelis is now available in the U.S. through both public- and private-sector distribution channels.
Vaxelis was developed as part of a partnership between Merck and Sanofi Pasteur.
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FDA licenses pneumococcal 20-valent conjugate vaccine, Prevnar 20, for adults age 18 years and older
On June 8, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensed Pfizer's pneumococcal 20-valent conjugate vaccine (PCV20), Prevnar 20, for the prevention of pneumococcal diseases by 20 Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes in adults 18 years of age and older.
The ACIP will consider recommendations for the use of PCV20 in its upcoming meetings. An ACIP vote on recommendations is possible as early as October 2021.
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CDC announces emergency virtual meeting of ACIP on June 18 to discuss myocarditis after COVID-19 mRNA vaccines; you can watch live
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will hold an emergency, live, virtual meeting on Friday, June 18, starting at 11:00 a.m. (ET). The agenda is posted and will focus on myocarditis after vaccination with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.
No registration is required to watch the live ACIP meetings or listen via telephone. Opportunities for public comment are described at the website.
Watch the virtual ACIP meeting.
Related Link
- ACIP gateway page for recordings and content from previous meetings, as well as information about future meetings
“Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Administration of Selected Routine Childhood and Adolescent Vaccinations—10 U.S. Jurisdictions, March–September 2020” published in MMWR
CDC published Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Administration of Selected Routine Childhood and Adolescent Vaccinations—10 U.S. Jurisdictions, March–September 2020 in the June 11 issue of MMWR. Part of the summary appears below.
Analysis of immunization information systems data from 10 U.S. jurisdictions indicated a substantial decrease in administered vaccine doses during March–May 2020 compared with the same period during 2018 and 2019. Although administered doses increased during June–September 2020, this increase was not sufficient to achieve catch-up coverage. …
To prevent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, health care providers should assess the vaccination status of all pediatric patients, including adolescents, and contact those who are behind schedule to ensure that all children and adolescents are fully vaccinated.
Access the MMWR article in HTML format or in PDF format.
Related Link
- MMWR gateway page provides access to MMWR Weekly, MMWR Recommendations and Reports, MMWR Surveillance Summaries, and MMWR Supplements
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CDC COVID-19 study shows mRNA vaccines reduce the risk of infection by 91% for fully vaccinated people
On June 3, a CDC study preprint, posted by medRxiv, showed that authorized mRNA vaccines were highly effective among working-age adults in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infections when administered in real-world conditions. The vaccine effectiveness of full vaccination was 91% against symptomatic or asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. Additionally, vaccinated people who did become infected had lower detectable levels of virus, less fever, and shorter illnesses than unvaccinated people who became infected.
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Want to let IAC’s retiring founder, Dr. Deborah L. Wexler, know how useful IAC’s resources have been to you? Drop us a line!
On June 30, 2021, IAC founder and Executive Director Deborah L. Wexler, MD will retire and turn the leadership of IAC over to Kelly L. Moore, MD, MPH.
We celebrate Deborah’s extraordinary legacy of immunization advocacy in our IAC Express Special Edition article, Never a Dull Moment: A Celebration of the Legacy of Deborah L. Wexler, MD (published June 1).
 
If you wish to send Deborah a note, you are welcome to email IAC at [email protected], noting “Retirement” in the subject line. Those who prefer to honor Deborah’s career with a donation are invited to contribute to either her specially selected project to preserve and record the history of IAC or to IAC’s general fund, to help ensure that the important work of the organization she founded continues long into the future. Both options are available on the Support IAC page.
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IAC Spotlight! “Package Inserts and FDA Product Approvals” gateway page on immunize.org offers valuable resources for clinics that administer vaccines
IAC's Package Inserts and FDA Product Approvals gateway page is a handy resource for clinics that administer vaccines. The gateway page provides up-to-date product information links for all vaccines licensed for use in the U.S., as well as links to FDA vaccine approval web pages.
You can locate IAC's "Package Inserts and FDA Product Approvals" gateway page via the Favorites tab in the blue bar across the top of any immunize.org web page.
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IAC experts called on by news media
Journalists seek out IAC experts to help explain vaccines to the public and policy makers. Our goal is to help the media understand and communicate the complex work vaccinators do. Here is a selection of our recent citations.
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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.
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IAC Handouts
IAC updates 1-page reference table “Administering Vaccines: Dose, Route, Site, and Needle Size”
World News
"Progress toward Rubella Elimination—World Health Organization European Region, 2005–2019" published in MMWR
CDC published Progress toward Rubella Elimination—World Health Organization European Region, 2005–2019 in the June 11 issue of MMWR. The summary appears below.
In 2000, estimated coverage with the first dose of a rubella-containing vaccine (RCV1) in the World Health Organization European Region (EUR) was 60%, and 621,039 rubella cases were reported (incidence = 716.9 per 1 million population)....
During 2005–2019, estimated EUR RCV1 coverage was 93%– 95%. In 2019, 31 (58%) countries had achieved ≥95% RCV1 coverage. Rubella incidence declined from 234.9 cases per 1 million population in 2005 to 0.7 cases per 1 million population by 2019....
Sustaining regional rubella elimination will require maintaining high coverage with rubella-containing vaccines through routine immunization, offering supplementary rubella vaccination to susceptible adults, and maintaining high-quality surveillance.
Access the MMWR article in HTML format or in PDF format.
Related Link
- MMWR gateway page provides access to MMWR Weekly, MMWR Recommendations and Reports, MMWR Surveillance Summaries, and MMWR Supplements
Featured Resources
United Methodists Health Ministry Fund, based in Kansas, releases “Faith in Vaccines” sermon guide and toolkit
The United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, based in Kansas, sparks conversation and action to improve the health and wholeness of Kansans—especially those in rural and under-served communities. They recently released A Guide for Talking to Your Congregation: Supporting Empathetic Congregational Conversations on COVID-19 Vaccination. This sermon guide and toolkit is intended to help faith leaders create an open and empathetic space to discuss the benefits of being vaccinated.
Ecumenical note: These documents are written from a Christian perspective. However, individuals from other faith traditions may find medical and sociological components in these documents that may be combined with their own health-affirming tenets, texts, or practices.
Specific resources include:
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Resolve to Save Lives initiative describes 15 practices to improve vaccination rates in hard-to-reach U.S. communities
Resolve to Save Lives is a global health advocacy organization led by former CDC Director, Dr. Tom Frieden. Resolve to Save Lives' U.S. COVID-19 response team has developed 15 Practices to Improve Vaccination Program Effectiveness by Reaching the People Most at Risk.
The overview highlights promising strategies being implemented by health departments, clinics, and community partners that are achieving the greatest success in promoting COVID-19 vaccination among hard-to-reach communities. These strategies are clustered in three groups: equity and allocation, community engagement and access, and communication and community education.
Related Link
Order IAC’s “I Got My COVID-19 Vaccine” buttons and stickers, available in English and Spanish!
IAC offers “I Got My COVID-19 Vaccine” buttons and stickers for purchase. Place them on lab coats, uniforms, jackets, lanyards, ID badges, or backpacks to show your confidence in COVID-19 vaccination.
 
Buttons: Wear them in the clinic to demonstrate your support for COVID-19 vaccination and to remind those around you to protect themselves from COVID-19.
Stickers: Give away to COVID-19 vaccine recipients or vaccinated clinic staff!
- Description: Bright yellow stickers on a roll with an easy-peel-off back and perforations between stickers to make them easy to tear off and share
- Packaging: Roll of 200 stickers
- Dimension: 1.5" across
- To order: See Shop IAC: COVID-19 Vaccine Buttons and Stickers for quantity and pricing options
Please note: Through a separate program supported by CDC, public health departments, and CDC’s nonprofit Vaccinate with Confidence campaign, partners are able to receive supplies of these buttons and stickers free of charge. For questions about this program, email [email protected] or call 651-647-9009.
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Encourage friends to get vaccinated by adding IAC’s “I Got My COVID-19 Vaccine” Facebook profile photo frame! Available in English and Spanish.
Looking for a way to get the excitement about COVID-19 vaccination to go viral? Let everyone in your organization know about IAC's "I Got My COVID-19 Vaccine" Facebook photo frame. You can even take a screen shot of it to use below your email signature.
You can obtain the frame in three ways:
Together we can end the COVID-19 pandemic!
Journal Articles and Newsletters
“Decreases in COVID-19 Cases, Emergency Department Visits, Hospital Admissions, and Deaths among Older Adults following the Introduction of COVID-19 Vaccine—United States, September 6, 2020–May 1, 2021” published in MMWR
CDC published Decreases in COVID-19 Cases, Emergency Department Visits, Hospital Admissions, and Deaths among Older Adults following the Introduction of COVID-19 Vaccine—United States, September 6, 2020–May 1, 2021 in the June 11 issue of MMWR. A portion of the summary appears below.
COVID-19 vaccination began in the United States in December 2020, and adults aged ≥65 years were prioritized in early phases....
By May 1, 2021, 82%, 63%, and 42% of adults aged ≥65, 50–64, and 18–49 years, respectively, had received ≥1 vaccine dose. From November 29–December 12, 2020 to April 18–May 1, 2021, the rate ratios of COVID-19 incidence, emergency department visits, hospital admissions, and deaths among adults aged ≥65 years (≥70 years for hospitalizations) to adults aged 18–49 years declined 40%, 59%, 65%, and 66%, respectively....
The greater decline in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in older adults, the age group with the highest vaccination rates, demonstrates the potential impact of increasing population-level vaccination coverage.
MMWR recap: CDC publishes hospitalization rates of adolescents age 12–17 years with COVID-19; previously issued as an MMWR Early Release
CDC recently published:
- "Hospitalization of Adolescents Aged 12–17 Years with Laboratory-Confirmed COVID-19—COVID-NET, 14 States, March 1, 2020–April 24, 2021" (MMWR, June 11, HTML format or PDF format)
Related Link
- MMWR gateway page provides access to MMWR Weekly, MMWR Recommendations and Reports, MMWR Surveillance Summaries, and MMWR Supplement
“Vaccine Breakthrough Infections with SARS-CoV-2 Variants” published in NEJM
In its June 10 issue, NEJM published Vaccine Breakthrough Infections with SARS-CoV-2 Variants. The summary appears below.
Emerging variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are of clinical concern. In a cohort of 417 persons who had received the second dose of BNT162b2 (Pfizer–BioNTech) or mRNA-1273 (Moderna) vaccine at least 2 weeks previously, we identified 2 women with vaccine breakthrough infection. Despite evidence of vaccine efficacy in both women, symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 developed, and they tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by polymerase-chain-reaction testing. Viral sequencing revealed variants of likely clinical importance, including E484K in 1 woman and three mutations (T95I, del142–144, and D614G) in both. These observations indicate a potential risk of illness after successful vaccination and subsequent infection with variant virus, and they provide support for continued efforts to prevent and diagnose infection and to characterize variants in vaccinated persons....
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Immunization PSAs from the Archive
In this cute 2007 PSA from HHS, parents drop everything to get their children vaccinated against flu
In this cute 2007 public service announcement (PSA) from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), parents all across America are dropping everything to get their families and themselves vaccinated against influenza. This PSA is part of a collection curated by vaccine expert William L. Atkinson, MD, MPH, which spans a period of more than 50 years.
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Vaccinating Adults:
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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
Editorial Information
Editor-in-Chief
Kelly L. Moore, MD, MPH
Managing Editor
John Grabenstein, RPh, PhD
Associate Editor
Sharon Humiston, MD, MPH
Writer/Publication Coordinator
Taryn Chapman, MS
Courtnay Londo, MA
Style and Copy Editor
Marian Deegan, JD
Web Edition Manager
Sheila M. Franey, MA
Contributing Writer
Laurel H. Wood, MPA
Technical Reviewer
Robin VanOss
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