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“Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Infections, including COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Infections, Associated with Large Public Gatherings—Barnstable County, Massachusetts, July 2021” published in MMWR Early Release

CDC published Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Infections, including COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Infections, Associated with Large Public Gatherings—Barnstable County, Massachusetts, July 2021 in the July 30 MMWR Early Release. A portion of the summary appears below. 

In July 2021, following multiple large public events in a Barnstable County, Massachusetts, town, 469 COVID-19 cases were identified among Massachusetts residents who had traveled to the town during July 3–17; 346 (74%) occurred in fully vaccinated persons. Testing identified the Delta variant in 90% of specimens from 133 patients. Cycle threshold values were similar among specimens from patients who were fully vaccinated and those who were not....

Jurisdictions might consider expanded prevention strategies, including universal masking in indoor public settings, particularly for large public gatherings that include travelers from many areas with differing levels of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

Access the MMWR article in PDF format or in HTML format.
 

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“COVID-19 Vaccine Safety in Adolescents Aged 12–17 Years—United States, December 14, 2020–July 16, 2021” published in MMWR Early Release

CDC published COVID-19 Vaccine Safety in Adolescents Aged 12–17 Years—United States, December 14, 2020–July 16, 2021 in the July 30 MMWR Early Release. A portion of the summary appears below. 

In preauthorization trials of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, adolescents aged 12–17 years reported local and systemic mild and moderate reactions. Myocarditis has been observed after vaccination with mRNA vaccines in postauthorization monitoring....

Local and systemic reactions after vaccination with Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were commonly reported by adolescents aged 12–17 years to U.S. vaccine safety monitoring systems, especially after dose 2. A small proportion of these reactions are consistent with myocarditis....

Mild local and systemic reactions are common among adolescents following Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and serious adverse events are rare. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices conducted a risk-benefit assessment and continues to recommend the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for all persons aged ≥12 years.

Access the MMWR article in PDF format or in HTML format.
 

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“Disparities in COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage among Health Care Personnel Working in Long-Term Care Facilities, by Job Category—National Healthcare Safety Network, United States, March 2021” published in MMWR

CDC published Disparities in COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage among Health Care Personnel Working in Long-Term Care Facilities, by Job Category—National Healthcare Safety Network, United States, March 2021 in the July 30 MMWR. A summary appears below. 

Residents of long-term care facilities (LTCFs) and health care personnel (HCP) who work in these facilities were prioritized for early COVID-19 vaccination. Achieving high coverage in this setting is critical to preventing additional outbreaks.... 

During March 2021, 300 LTCFs reported COVID-19 vaccination coverage for their HCP. COVID-19 vaccination coverage was highest among physicians (75.1%) and lowest among aides (45.6%). Vaccination coverage among aides was lower in facilities located in zip code areas with higher levels of social vulnerability....

Additional efforts to improve LTCF immunization practices, build confidence in COVID-19 vaccines, and promote COVID-19 vaccination are needed.

Access the MMWR article in PDF format or in HTML format.

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FDA expands Shingrix indication to include immunocompromised people; ACIP recommendations under discussion

On July 23, FDA expanded the indication for Shingrix (GlaxoSmithKline), a vaccine originally indicated for the prevention of herpes zoster (HZ, shingles) in adults 50 years of age and older. The expansion approves the use of the vaccine for the prevention of zoster in adults aged 18 years and older who are or will be at increased risk of zoster due to immunodeficiency or immunosuppression caused by known disease or therapy.

ACIP recommendations for the use of Shingrix in immunocompromised people age 18 years or older are under discussion and will be voted on in a future meeting.
 
Related Links

• CDC: Zoster (Shingles) ACIP Vaccine Recommendations web page
• FDA: Supplement Approval Letter (7/23/21)
• FDA: Shingrix Package Insert (PDF)
• IAC: ACIP Recommendations: Vaccine index gateway page

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Teaching young people about vaccines: reliable resources for instructing children and teens on how vaccines work

To help teachers and parents educate children and adolescents on vaccines and the immune system, we suggest the credible resources described below for students in home or classroom settings. The content below is divided into four sections:
 
A. For parents and caregivers of daycare and pre-school children
B. For elementary school-age children
C. For middle school-age children
D. For high school students
 
A. For parents and caregivers of daycare and pre-school children:

Vaccinate Your Family collaborated with Young Minds Inspired to create a lesson plan to educate parents and child caregivers about the key role they play in protecting their children against vaccine-preventable diseases. The simple curriculum includes a teaching kit, color poster, parent and grandparent letters, vaccine information resources, and take-home activities for young children to help them learn how to stay healthy through handwashing and vaccination.
 
B. For elementary school-age children:

• CHOP's The Vaccine Makers Project: Includes elementary lesson plans (revised 2018), videos, and 3-dimensional animations. Aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Common Core State Standards (CCSS), this content describes how the immune system works and how vaccines work to prevent disease. Activities and resources introduce the scientific method and equip students to understand science-based topics central to our lives.
• CHOP’s Vaccine Resources for Kids and Teens gateway page (revised 2017) includes:
  • My Vaccine Activity Book (PDF, 5 MB): A 16-page booklet that presents the science of vaccines with fun images to color and activities to complete; available in English and Spanish
  • Vax Pack Hero: A program that features a web-based video game, physical trading cards, and an educational website
• Baylor University offers Vaccines for Children and Adolescents: Lessons and Activities to help parents and teachers start these conversations. For young children, they suggest lessons for ages 3 through 6 and for 7 through 10 years. Activities for elementary students include the stages of vaccine development (The Amazing Vaccine Race), understanding risk, and pretend play at a vaccination clinic.
• BrainPOP: Vaccines (requires paid subscription): This BrainPOP video (4:43 min) discusses vaccines and how they work. Viewers will learn how vaccines interact with the body’s immune system. The interactive Vaccines web page includes quizzes, extra reading, worksheets, and games to enable learning. 

For shorter activities, the following videos share important lessons about vaccines, how they work, and important vaccine champions.

• Peekaboo Kidz: How Vaccines Work (6:50 min.; 4/24/20)
• SciShow Kids: Why Do We Get Vaccines? (3:30 min.; 11/14/17)
• TED-Ed Talk: How Do Vaccines Work? (4:35 min.; 1/12/15)
• Voices for Vaccines: Thomas Jefferson to Edward Jenner (1:49 min.; 7/3/18)

C. For middle school-age children:

• CHOP's The Vaccine Makers Project: Includes middle school lesson plans (revised 2018), videos, and 3-dimensional animations. Aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Common Core State Standards (CCSS), this content describes how the immune system works and how vaccines work to prevent disease. The middle school lessons also show how scientific understanding evolves over time as scientists make new discoveries. Resources include a teacher's plan, student worksheets, glossaries, games, and additional resources. Activities and resources introduce the scientific method and equip students to understand science-based topics central to our lives.
• Baylor University offers Vaccines for Children and Adolescents: Lessons and Activities to help parents and teachers start conversations. They suggest lessons for ages 11 through 13. Activities for middle-school students include the stages of vaccine development (The Amazing Vaccine Race), understanding risk, and media literacy.

For shorter activities, the following videos share important lessons about vaccines, how they work, and important vaccine champions.

• CDC: How Does Flu Make You Sick? (57 min.; 11/4/19)
• Kurzgesagt—In a Nutshell: The Side Effects of Vaccines–How High Is the Risk? (10:55 min.; 5/12/19)
• TED-Ed Talk: How Do Vaccines Work? (4:35 min.; 1/12/15)

D. For high school students:

• History of Vaccines: Historyofvaccines.org offers standards-based resources for use in biology and health courses. The Activities tab leads to a set of nine short slideshows on the Scientific Method, Koch’s Postulates, How Vaccines Are Made, How Vaccines Work, Understanding Risk, and other topics. From the Activities tab, clicking on “Family Facts” or “Educator Resources” leads to more resources and suggestions for educators at home and school.
• CHOP's The Vaccine Makers Project: Includes high school lesson plans revised 2020), videos, and 3-dimensional animations. Aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Common Core State Standards (CCSS), this content describes the parts of the immune system and how the immune system works to fight off disease, along with how vaccines work, their history, development, and safety. High school students are able to explore lessons on biomedical and animal research, as well as navigate through a case study on the spread of disease. Resources include a teacher's plan, student worksheets, glossaries, games, and additional resources. Activities and resources introduce the scientific method and equip students to understand science-based topics central to our lives.
• The Influenzer Initiative offers VaxHunt: The Quest to Prevent the Next Pandemic. This online game features trivia and puzzle challenges where players can explore the threat and history of influenza pandemics, why we need a universal influenza vaccine, the challenges of developing next-generation influenza vaccines, and the innovative approaches that may unearth the universal influenza vaccine mystery and deliver on its potential. VaxHunt helps strengthen STEM learning skills. The game can be integrated into classrooms or used at home.
• Baylor University offers Vaccines for Children and Adolescents: Lessons and Activities to help parents and teachers start conversations. For high schoolers, they suggest lessons and activities such as the stages of vaccine development (The Amazing Vaccine Race), understanding risk, media literacy, and ethics and the Tuskegee study.

For shorter activities, the following videos share important lessons about vaccines, how they work, and important vaccine champions.

• Science News for Students: Explainer: What Is a Vaccine? (7/18/17)
• Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell:
  • The Side Effects of Vaccines—How High Is the Risk? (10:55 min.; 5/12/19)
  • The Coronavirus Explained and What You Should Do (8:34 min.; 3/19/20)
  • Measles Explained—Vaccinate or Not? (5:33 min.; 2/24/15)
• Science Journal for Kids and Teens: Five Scientific Articles about Vaccination for Middle and High School Students 

For discussions of information versus misinformation on the Internet, consider the Vaxopedia website.
 

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IAC Spotlight! Review of resources at Immunize.org focused on adult vaccination

In this week's IAC Spotlight, we summarize resources at Immunize.org that focus on adult vaccination. 

Our Resources for Adult Vaccination gateway page offers all the adult educational materials from IAC and partner organizations.

Our free downloadable book, Vaccinating Adults: A Step-by-Step Guide, is a "how to" guide that provides easy-to-use, practical information covering essential adult immunization activities. Our Adult Vaccination gateway page contains all of the handouts that pertain to adult vaccinations.

Our CDC Schedules gateway page provides print PDFs of the recommended immunization schedules for adults, as well as for children and adolescents. 

Our Screening Checklists about Vaccine Contraindications and Precautions gateway page links you to forms that patients fill out to expedite assessment of vaccination needs and contraindications.
    

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