IAC Express #1,574 - IAC offers FREE COVID-19 buttons and stickers, final Technically Speaking column, and more

IAC, with support from CDC, is offering FREE “I Got My COVID-19 Vaccine” buttons and stickers to public health departments, nonprofit organizations, and clinics that provide vaccination services in communities experiencing health disparities and vaccine hesitancy. Available in English and Spanish, IAC's “I Got My COVID-19 Vaccine” buttons and stickers can be placed on lab coats, uniforms, jackets, lanyards, ID badges, or backpacks to show your confidence in COVID-19 vaccination. Buttons and stickers in English also remain available for sale to individuals and any organization ineligible for the CDC-funded supplies. Access the order form to request the FREE buttons and stickers for your outreach efforts.

HHS’s We Can Do This campaign, supported by the Made to Save Coalition, encourages us to redouble efforts to protect at least 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, doing more vaccine education, and encouraging vaccination of everyone in your community.

According to the CDC COVID Data Tracker, as of June 22, 169,225,128 U.S. adults at least 18 years of age (65.5%) have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination.

Declare independence from COVID-19! Commit to the National Vaccine Month of Action: go to the Mobilize.us web page to locate events near you or add your own.

Related Links

IAC updates "Vaccines: COVID-19" web page with important new resources

Having trouble locating the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines? Check out the many resources recently added to IAC’s popular Vaccines: COVID-19 web page. This comprehensive site offers a single location to facilitate access to key resources from CDC, FDA, IAC, and other critical partners.

Newly added information on the web page includes links to:

A guide for how to respond to COVID-19 vaccine administration errors
CDC guidance on important clinical considerations for the use of COVID-19 vaccines, such as contraindications and precautions, coadministration with other vaccines, and considerations for vaccinating people with immunocompromising conditions
Expanded patient education materials for all authorized COVID-19 vaccines
CDC’s science brief, explaining the science behind its recommendations
Clinical care considerations for myocarditis, severe allergic reactions, and thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS)
New resources from our partners, including the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the American Pharmacists Association, and the American Rural Health Association

To locate this gateway page on immunize.org, click on the bright yellow box in the top right corner of the page, or go to the light blue band of tabs across the top, and choose "Vaccines." You also can use the Guide to immunize.org at the bottom of each web page.

Related Links

IAC’s Ask the Experts: COVID-19 web page
IAC's Handouts: COVID-19 gateway page

IAC’s L.J Tan and other leaders testify before U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce about legislation to improve immunization access for adults

On June 15, witnesses representing a broad range of immunization expertise testified at a legislative hearing before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Health. The hearing, Booster Shot: Enhancing Public Health through Vaccine Legislation, was held to discuss vaccination issues that have been heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Witnesses addressed vaccination infrastructure modernization, maternal vaccination, vaccine equity, preventing HPV cancers through vaccination, overcoming lack of transportation to vaccination sites, protecting seniors through vaccination, and more. The hearing witnesses, and links to transcripts of their testimonies, are listed below.

Litjen (L.J.) Tan, PhD, chief strategy officer, Immunization Action Coalition
Phyllis Arthur, vice president, Infectious Diseases and Diagnostic Policy, Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)
Rebecca Coyle, executive director, American Immunization Registry Association (AIRA)
Yvonne Maldonado, MD, chair, Committee on Infectious Diseases, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP); professor, Pediatrics, Epidemiology, and Public Health, Stanford University

Access the opening statements, proposed legislation, and video of the full committee hearing: Booster Shot: Enhancing Public Health through Vaccine Legislation.

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“Saying Goodbye—and Leaving You with My ‘Top 10’ List of Places to Bookmark on Immunize.org”; Dr. Wexler concludes 12 years writing the Technically Speaking column

This week, IAC announces its final Technically Speaking column, written monthly by IAC's executive director, Deborah L. Wexler, MD, for Vaccine Update, a monthly e-newsletter from the Vaccine Education Center (VEC) at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Wexler’s Technically Speaking columns spanned the years 2010 through 2021, including more than 120 articles covering practical topics in immunization delivery such as administration techniques, storage and handling, contraindications and precautions, and scheduling.

June's Technically Speaking column appears below.

Saying Goodbye—and Leaving You with My ‘Top 10’ List of Places to Bookmark on Immunize.org

by Deborah L. Wexler, MD

Farewell, readers. After 30 years as executive director of the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC), I will be retiring at the end of June. I leave IAC in the best of hands. Our deputy director, Dr. Kelly Moore, will be assuming the leadership of IAC on July 1.

On this occasion of my final column of Technically Speaking, it seems the perfect time to give you a parting gift. With my deepest appreciation for your dedication to immunization, here is my "Top Ten" list of favorite locations on IAC's website, www.immunize.org. These locations just might become your favorites as well!

Background on www.immunize.org

IAC's website for healthcare professionals, www.immunize.org, was launched in 1995 as a pioneer immunization site on the World Wide Web. When you entered the term "immunization" into "AltaVista," the internet search engine of the day, you would get 10 results. The Immunization Action Coalition was one of them. My, how things have changed! Twenty-six years later, immunize.org remains in the top 10 Google "immunization" search results—but has been joined by more than 400 million other listings. Today, immunize.org is the nation's premier nonprofit immunization website for healthcare professionals, averaging 30,000 visits each day with visitors from nearly 200 countries each month. The IAC educational materials available on immunize.org have 3.5 million downloads per year.

My "Top Ten" list on www.immunize.org

Over the past 26 years, I have guided the content of immunize.org based on my experiences working in clinics and community-based immunization sites following the measles epidemic of 1989–1990. IAC has also received invaluable content suggestions from public health and private sector providers. Based on this experience, here are my "Top Ten" favorite places to know about and bookmark on immunize.org.

IAC Home Page at www.immunize.org – This is your gateway to the wealth of information found on IAC's website. A couple of ways to find what you're looking for include the "Favorites" tab located on the upper left corner of the page and the index at the bottom of every page. Not finding what you need? Just enter your search term in the Google search box. In short, this page is your key to unlocking IAC's treasure trove of practical and up-to-date immunization information.

IAC Express at www.immunize.org/express – Every week, IAC Express keeps 53,000 healthcare professionals informed about new and updated CDC recommendations, vaccine licensures, VISs and their translations, and educational materials from IAC, CDC, and others. If you're not yet on our email list, be sure to subscribe today at www.immunize.org/subscribe.

Vaccine Information Statements (VISs) at www.immunize.org/vis – Find all of CDC's VISs in English, as well as translations of these important documents in up to 40 languages.

Handouts (ready-to-print) at www.immunize.org/handouts – View and download more than 300 of IAC's immunization education materials for clinic staff and patients. Search by topic, vaccine, or language. View the alphabetical listing of all IAC print materials on one page.

Ask the Experts at www.immunize.org/askexperts – A hands-down favorite of our visitors! Read IAC experts' practical answers to more than 1,000 technical questions about vaccines, their administration, storage and handling, and more.

ACIP Recommendations at www.immunize.org/acip – Access links to all of CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations dating back to 1991. These may be viewed in either PDF or HTML format.

Package Inserts at www.immunize.org/fda – Access links to package inserts for all U.S.-licensed vaccines, as well as prescribing information for vaccines with Emergency Use Authorization status.

Clinic Tools at www.immunize.org/clinic – Find key resources from IAC, CDC, and other immunization organizations to help with vaccine administration, storage and handling, contraindication screening, and much more.

Standing Orders Templates at www.immunize.org/standing-orders – Use these templates to help expedite vaccination for children, teens, or adults. You may use them "as is" or modify them to suit the needs of your work setting. The page also includes links to CDC's standing orders for COVID-19 vaccines.

COVID-19 Vaccines at www.immunize.org/covid-19 – This web page facilitates access to key COVID-19 vaccine resources from CDC and other partners.

So, there it is. I hope you find my "Top Ten" list helpful in your work. Thank you for letting me be part of your world via the Vaccine Update for Healthcare Professionals since 2010. And know that IAC will remain your committed partner in immunization education and delivery for many years to come.

Access the complete article here.

All past columns are available on IAC’s Technically Speaking gateway page at www.immunize.org/technically-speaking.

To subscribe to VEC's Vaccine Update e-newsletter, go to the sign-up form.

For those readers who may have missed our earlier article, IAC celebrates Deborah’s extraordinary legacy of immunization advocacy in our IAC Express Special Edition, Never a Dull Moment: A Celebration of the Legacy of Deborah L. Wexler, MD (published June 1).

Deborah loves to hear from our readers! If you wish to send Deborah a personal note, you may 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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"COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage and Intent among Adults Aged 18–39 Years—United States, March–May 2021" and "COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage among Adults—United States, December 14, 2020–May 22, 2021" published in MMWR

CDC published COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage and Intent among Adults Aged 18–39 Years—United States, March–May 2021 and COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage among Adults—United States, December 14, 2020–May 22, 2021 on June 21 as an MMWR Early Release. A portion of the summaries appear below.

...Overall, 34% of adults aged 18–39 years reported having received a COVID-19 vaccine. Adults aged 18–24 years, as well as non-Hispanic Black adults and those with less education, no insurance, and lower household incomes, had the lowest reported vaccination coverage and intent to get vaccinated. Concerns about vaccine safety and effectiveness were commonly cited barriers to vaccination.

...By May 22, 2021, 57.0% of U.S. adults aged ≥18 years had received ≥1 vaccine dose; coverage was lower and increased more slowly over time among younger adults. If the current rate of vaccination continues through August, coverage among young adults will remain substantially lower than among older adults.

Access the MMWR articles:

COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage and Intent among Adults Aged 18–39 Years—United States, March–May 2021 (HTML format and PDF format)
COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage among Adults—United States, December 14, 2020–May 22, 2021 (HTML format and PDF format)

Related Link

MMWR gateway page provides access to MMWR Weekly, MMWR Recommendations and Reports, MMWR Surveillance Summaries, and MMWR Supplements

"COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage among Pregnant Women during Pregnancy—Eight Integrated Health Care Organizations, United States, December 14, 2020–May 8, 2021" published in MMWR

CDC published COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage among Pregnant Women during Pregnancy—Eight Integrated Health Care Organizations, United States, December 14, 2020–May 8, 2021 in the June 18 issue of MMWR. A portion of the summary appears below.

...As of May 8, 2021, 16.3% of pregnant women identified in CDC’s Vaccine Safety Datalink had received ≥1 dose of a COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy in the United States. Vaccination was lowest among Hispanic (11.9%) and non-Hispanic Black women (6.0%) and women aged 18–24 years (5.5%) and highest among non-Hispanic Asian women (24.7%) and women aged 35–49 years (22.7%).

...Improving outreach to and engagement with health care providers and pregnant women, especially those who are younger and from racial and ethnic minority groups, could increase vaccine confidence and thus coverage of COVID-19 vaccination in this population.

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

CDC releases handout titled “Increasing Access to Vaccination Opportunities: COVID-19 Vaccination upon Discharge from Hospitals, Emergency Departments, and Urgent Care Facilities”

CDC published a handout titled Increasing Access to Vaccination Opportunities: COVID-19 Vaccination upon Discharge from Hospitals, Emergency Departments, and Urgent Care Facilities.

To promote access to COVID-19 vaccination, jurisdictions are encouraged to administer vaccinations at discharge to patients in hospitals, emergency departments (EDs) and in urgent care facilities (UCs). Hospital, ED, and UC facilities in the United States can play an influential role in building confidence and improving COVID-19 vaccine uptake, as healthcare providers are the most trusted source of health information.

Related Links

CDC's Increasing Access to Vaccination Opportunities: COVID-19 Vaccination upon Discharge from Hospitals, Emergency Departments, and Urgent Care Facilities handout
American Hospital Association: CDC Urges Point-of-Discharge COVID-19 Vaccinations at Emergency Departments, Urgent Care Settings (6/11/21)

IAC Spotlight! IAC's ACIP gateway page on immunize.org provides links to both current and past ACIP recommendations

The ACIP gateway page on immunize.org provides links to all current ACIP vaccine recommendations as well as to most guidance documents dating back to 1991. You can access the ACIP recommendations in two ways: sorted alphabetically by diseases and vaccines or chronologically by date of publication.

View the ACIP recommendations in the Vaccine Index, where they are sorted alphabetically by vaccine.

View the ACIP recommendations chronologically if you are interested in seeing recommendations by date, divided into two web pages:

Visit the ACIP gateway page on immunize.org, where you will access the information and resources you need related to ACIP recommendations.

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.

CNN: Where Vaccination Is Up, COVID-19 Cases Are Down (6/16/21)
Bloomberg Government: Health Care Briefing: Bills Push Vaccine Access amid GOP Doubts (6/16/21)
Missouri Business Alert: Despite Federal Guidance on COVID-19 Vaccines, Most Missouri Employers Stop Short of Mandates (6/15/21)
USA Today: Fact Check: White Pine Tea Likely Not Helpful against COVID-19; Vaccinated Don’t ‘Shed’ Particles (6/15/21)

Related Link

IAC in the News gateway page

Not-to-miss immunization articles in the news

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

Miami Herald: Should COVID Vaccines Be Required for School? Here’s What Americans Said in Poll (6/16/21)
ABC: Texas Man Who Declined COVID-19 Vaccine Speaks Out after Undergoing Double Lung Transplant (6/16/21)
New York Times: What Are the Roadblocks to a ‘Vaccine Passport’? (6/15/21)
NBC: Novavax COVID Vaccine Highly Effective in U.S. Trials, including against Variants, Company Says (6/14/21)
Barron’s: Yes, Vaccine Mandates Are Legal. A Texas Judge’s Decision Should Encourage Employers (6/14/21)
WebMD: Missed Vaccinations in Kids May Hurt School Reopenings (6/14/21)

IAC Handouts

IAC updates its popular standing orders for administering zoster vaccine to adults

IAC recently revised its Standing Orders for Administering Zoster Vaccine to Adults template to indicate that people age 50 years and older, regardless of history of zoster vaccination, need two doses of RZV.

Related Links

IAC's Standing Orders Templates for Administering Vaccines gateway page, where you can find standing orders templates for all routinely recommended vaccines for children, teens, and adults
IAC’s Handouts for Patients and Staff gateway page, where you can sort materials by topic, vaccine, or language
IAC Educational Materials for Patients and Staff, an alphabetical listing of more than 300 ready-to-print staff educational materials and patient handouts

Featured Resources

Encourage friends to get vaccinated by adding IAC’s “I Got My COVID-19 Vaccine” Facebook profile photo frame! Available in English and Spanish.

Share your excitement about COVID-19 vaccination and inspire your friends! When you have received your COVID-19 vaccine, add IAC's new "I Got My COVID-19 Vaccine" Facebook photo frame to liven up your profile picture!

You can obtain the frame in three ways:

Click your profile picture, select “update picture,” and then select “add a frame.” Search for #igotmycovid19vaccine and select it.
Accept the frame in English by clicking this link: www.facebook.com/profilepicframes/? selected_overlay_id=2361854253958052
Accept the frame in Spanish by clicking this link: www.facebook.com/profilepicframes/?selected_overlay_id=517990259207530

“Shop IAC” on immunize.org offers many resources: wallet-sized record cards, "Vaccines Save Lives" pins, flu and COVID-19 buttons and stickers, and laminated child/adolescent schedules. Order today!

On the Shop IAC web page, you will find many resources such as laminated vaccination schedules, personal immunization record cards, pins for your lapel, and more! Your purchases will help IAC keep delivering free educational materials to healthcare professionals and to the public.

IAC's laminated version of the 2021 U.S. child/adolescent immunization schedule is ideal for use in any busy healthcare setting where vaccinations are given. The 2021 U.S. adult immunization schedule has sold out, but you can print paper versions from the CDC website.

The schedules' coating can be wiped down, and they’re durable enough to stand up to a year's worth of use. Visit the Shop IAC: Laminated Schedules web page for more information on the schedules.

IAC’s three personal immunization record cards—child & teen, adult, and lifetime—are printed on durable rip-, smudge-, and water-proof paper. Sized to fit in a wallet when folded, the cards are brightly colored to stand out. Give these nearly indestructible personal record cards to your patients. They're sold in boxes of 250.

You too can show your support for vaccination with IAC’s elegantly designed “Vaccines Save Lives” pin on your lapel. The pin makes a refined statement in hard black enamel with gold lettering and edges, measuring 1.125" x 0.75”. Order yours today to show how much you value immunizations!

Proudly wearing IAC’s "I Got My COVID-19 Vaccine" buttons demonstrates your support for COVID-19 vaccination and reminds those around you to protect themselves from COVID-19.

Flu season is right around the corner and IAC's “FLU VACCINE” buttons and stickers are ready to ship! Their bright red color helps broadcast your important message about the value of flu vaccination. And the cost is nominal.

Related Links

IAC’s Laminated Child/Adolescent Immunization Schedule (0–18 years)
IAC’s Laminated Schedules print-ready order form (PDF)
IAC’s Child & Teen Immunization Record Cards
IAC’s Adult Immunization Record Cards
IAC's Lifetime Immunization Record Cards
IAC’s “Vaccines Save Lives” Pins
IAC's COVID-19 Vaccine Buttons and Stickers
IAC's Flu Vaccine Buttons and Stickers
IAC’s Shop IAC gateway page

Conferences and Meetings

Watch the virtual ACIP meeting June 23–25; no registration is required

The emergency meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on myocarditis after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination scheduled for June 18 was deferred, due to the new Juneteenth federal holiday.

The previously scheduled live, virtual meeting of the ACIP will be held June 23–25. The agenda is posted and includes discussions on COVID-19, dengue, influenza, rabies, zoster, and pneumococcal vaccines. Discussion of tickborne encephalitis, hepatitis, cholera, and orthopoxvirus vaccines will be deferred to future meetings. No registration is required to watch the live ACIP meeting or listen via telephone. Opportunities for public comment are described at the website.

Bookmark this link to watch this and future virtual ACIP meetings.

Related Link

ACIP gateway page for recordings and content from previous meetings, as well as information about future meetings

Journal Articles and Newsletters

CHOP's Vaccine Education Center publishes June 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. The June issue includes the following articles:

In the Journals: Vitamin D3 and COVID-19 Disease by Paul A. Offit, MD
Technically Speaking: Saying Goodbye—and Leaving You with My “Top 10” List of Places to Bookmark on Immunize.org by Deborah L. Wexler, MD

Additional resources, including information booklets for patients, are available in the full newsletter.

Access the sign-up form to subscribe to Vaccine Update.

Immunization PSAs from the Archive

In this adorable 1996 PSA from the Scottish Rite Children’s Medical Center in Georgia, a young “Evander Holyfield” knocks out vaccine-preventable diseases

In this 1996 public service announcement (PSA) from the Scottish Rite Children’s Medical Center in Georgia, a boxing toddler and narrator Evander Holyfield remind us to give children a bright future by getting them fully vaccinated. 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.

Previous PSAs featured in “From the Archives” are available when viewing this Vimeo video.

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