---

Happy holidays! IAC will begin 2022 with a new name and new logo. On January 12, IAC Express returns as IZ Express.

Clearly, 2021 has been the year of the vaccinator. The ACIP met 24 days of 2021 to establish, review, and revise vaccination recommendations. In the United States, 490 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered and 204 million people have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. As detailed in the Commonwealth Fund report in Notable Publications below, COVID-19 vaccination efforts have already saved more than 1 million lives. It has been the privilege of our entire team to support you through it all.
 
IAC cherishes our 53,000 IAC Express subscribers and the 35,000+ people who visit our flagship website, www.immunize.org every day. IAC began its mission to serve frontline vaccinators through advocacy and education 31 years ago. Many of you have relied on us for decades. However, there are newer frontline vaccinators, especially in the private sector, who are not aware of IAC and our mission to help all vaccinators deliver quality immunization services to people of all ages. In 2022, we are redoubling our efforts to increase our visibility and extend our reach.
 
In 2022, IAC will rebrand as Immunize.org. By sharing our name with that of our flagship website, we hope to make it easier for more vaccinators to find us and our resources. In coming months, we will unveil a new website platform with a sleeker look and improved searchability and navigation. All of these changes are being designed with you and your needs in mind: thank you to those who have already completed our 3-minute user feedback survey to inform this important work. If you have not, you still have time to make your voice heard.
 
To align with our new name, IAC Express will return to your inbox after the holidays as IZ Express, subtitled Weekly News from Immunize.org. It will come from the same email address; only the title will change.

Thank you for your loyal readership and for your tireless efforts to protect your communities from vaccine-preventable diseases. The whole IAC/Immunize.org team wishes you and your loved ones a happy holiday season and a safe, healthy, fully vaccinated, and boosted 2022!
  IAC summarizes December 16 ACIP meeting recommending preference for mRNA vaccines over Janssen vaccine to prevent COVID-19

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met on December 16, 2021, to review the FDA’s December 14 revision of the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 Vaccine. As outlined in the Janssen EUA Fact Sheets for Healthcare Providers Administering Vaccine and Recipients and Caregivers, FDA added a contraindication against administration of the Janssen vaccine to individuals with a history of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) following receipt of Janssen or any adenovirus-vectored vaccine (e.g., AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine, which is not authorized for use in the United States).
 
Fifteen cases of TTS following administration of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine were first reported in April 2021, largely in females younger than 50 years of age. Following a brief pause in vaccine use while additional data was gathered, ACIP at that time reaffirmed its recommendation for use of the Janssen vaccine with updated warnings about the potential for TTS, particularly in younger women.
 
Since April, CDC has continued to carefully monitor VAERS and other surveillance systems and has confirmed 54 cases of TTS reported following receipt of Janssen vaccine through August 2021. This larger number of cases includes both males and females in a wide range of ages, with the highest reported rate (~1/100,000 doses administered) in females 30–49 years of age. Approximately 15% of these TTS cases were fatal.
 
Updated risk-benefit calculations presented to ACIP demonstrated that the risk of the Janssen vaccine given to an authorized recipient remained much lower than the risk of going without vaccination against COVID-19. However, when compared to widely available mRNA vaccines, one dose of the Janssen vaccine prevented fewer hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and deaths and resulted in more severe health impacts from TTS and Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). Therefore, ACIP unanimously voted to recommend a preference for using mRNA vaccines over the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 for all individuals 18 years of age or older. Janssen vaccine may continue to be used in certain situations, such as when an individual understands the risks and benefits and chooses the Janssen vaccine over mRNA vaccines, when the individual has a contraindication to an mRNA vaccine, or when access to mRNA vaccine is not possible. Considerations for Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine within CDC’s “Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines Currently Approved or Authorized in the United States” contains detailed guidance on the new recommendation.
 
At the meeting, ACIP also heard an update on vaccine safety in children 5–11 years of age. As of December 9, more than 7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in this age group. Most reported adverse events occurred on the day of vaccination and were mild and transient in nature. There have been 14 reports of myocarditis to VAERS; of those, 8 reports (2 after dose 1, 6 after dose 2) have been confirmed to meet the case definition for mRNA vaccine-related myocarditis. CDC and FDA will continue to monitor for myocarditis and follow up on reports.
 
ACIP also reviewed the current status of the Omicron variant in the United States. CDC is closely monitoring transmission of this variant and its impact on the effectiveness of currently available COVID-19 vaccines. CDC will provide frequent updates to ACIP members as additional information becomes available.
 
The next scheduled ACIP meeting will be held February 23–24, 2022. Information about past and future ACIP meetings can be found on the ACIP website.
 
Related Links 

• FDA: Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers Administering Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 Vaccine 
• FDA: Fact Sheet for Recipients and Caregivers – Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 Vaccine 
• CDC: Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines Currently Approved or Authorized in the United States
• CDC Endorses ACIP’s Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
• ACIP main page for content from previous meetings, as well as information about future meetings
• CDC: ACIP Presentation Slides: December 16, 2021 Meeting web page

---

Immunize.org Pages and Handouts 

---

IAC introduces new print-ready, one-page educational document for frontline vaccinators: “How to Administer Multiple Intramuscular Vaccines to Adults during One Visit”

IAC posts a new print-ready, one-page handout How to Administer Multiple Intramuscular Vaccines to Adults during One Visit that provides easy-to-follow instructions. The handout includes diagrams showing key anatomic landmarks on the upper arm and thigh.

Related Links

• IAC: Administering Vaccines main page
• IAC: Standing Orders Templates for Administering Vaccines main page 
• IAC: Handouts main page to see educational materials sorted by category
• IAC: Educational Materials for Patients and Staff—an alphabetical list of more than 300 ready-to-print staff educational materials and patient handouts