CDC launches “Let’s RISE” initiative to get routine vaccinations back on track
CDC and FDA report investigation of a preliminary bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine safety signal in individuals age 65 and older; no changes to recommendations for use
Educational Opportunities
Inform to Empower: Building Covid-19 Vaccine Confidence One Conversation At A Time
Addressing Myths and Misconceptions: An Evidence Based Medicine Approach
Influenza Vaccine Update – What’s New with Flu?
Immunization Resources
Link to Most Recent Immunization MMWRs
Dear coalition members,
I hope everyone is doing well! Please see the save the date below for the 28th Annual Massachusetts Adult Immunization Confernce! The conference will be held virtually on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Conference registration will be open very soon!
MAIC is accepting nominations for the MA Immunization Champion Award. The annual award recognizes individuals or entities that have made an outstanding contribution or effort to promote or foster adult immunization in MA. The deadline is Friday, February 17th. Please click here for the 2023 Nomination Form. Please email completed forms to maic@jsi.com.
We will also be holding a coalition meeting tomorrow, Thursday, 1/26/2023 at 1:00pm. To register for this meeting, please visit our registration page here. If you have an additional news, an educational opportunity, or resource you'd like to see on this list, or if you have a question, please reach out to me at amy_sgueglia@jsi.com.
Please click HERE to access previous COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Updates
CDC and FDA report investigation of a preliminary bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine safety signal in individuals age 65 and older; no changes to recommendations for use
On January 13, CDC and FDA announced their investigation into a preliminary vaccine safety surveillance signal for bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for individuals age 65 and older. To date, no other safety systems have shown a similar signal in the United States or elsewhere; subsequent analyses have not validated the statistical signal. There are no changes in recommendations for use of bivalent vaccines. A portion of the statement appears below.
Following the availability and use of the updated (bivalent) COVID-19 vaccines, CDC’s Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD), a near real-time surveillance system, met the statistical criteria to prompt additional investigation into whether there was a safety concern for ischemic stroke in people ages 65 and older who received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent. Rapid-response investigation of the signal in the VSD raised a question of whether people 65 and older who have received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent were more likely to have an ischemic stroke in the 21 days following vaccination compared with days 22–44 following vaccination. . . .
Although the totality of the data currently suggests that it is very unlikely that the signal in VSD represents a true clinical risk, we believe it is important to share this information with the public, as we have in the past, when one of our safety monitoring systems detects a signal. CDC and FDA will continue to evaluate additional data from these and other vaccine safety systems. . . .
No change in vaccination practice is recommended. CDC continues to recommend that everyone ages 6 months of age and older stay up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccination; this includes individuals who are currently eligible to receive an updated (bivalent) vaccine.
Techniques for dispelling myths and misinformation
Tips for creating a culture of vaccine confidence among staff, and peers.
Additionally, each module is supplemented with a tool kit comprising clinician- and patient-facing materials.
Among the ob-gyns who took the training, we found that:
96% of trainees agreed or strongly agreed that they were satisfied with the training and that they enjoyed the training.
96% of trainees agreed or strongly agreed that the training was important for their job and allowed them to perform their job more effectively.
97% of trainees agreed or strongly agreed that the training was relevant to their job.
Request: We ask that you share the training with your clinician members or consider adding it to your existing training or resource libraries. This free training is certified for Continuing Medical Education (CME) for 1.5 credits and is accessible on the ACOG Learning Management System (LMS). The training is accessible to non-ACOG members with free and simple account creation.
Title: Addressing Myths and Misconceptions: An Evidence Based Medicine Approach
Date: February 1st, 2023 @12:00 PM ET Location: Virtual
Please join Olga Hennion from Moderna along with a panel of national experts on Tuesday, 2/1/2023 for a live virtual event discussing practical issues related to the COVID-19 vaccines.
Topics will include:
Current case, outcome, and vaccine data, including specific data for our area
Omicron variants, distinctions, and protection
ACIP vaccine recommendations
Patient FAQs and uptake strategies
Moderna looks forward to sharing the information you need to confidently continue patient vaccination.
Title: Influenza Vaccine Update – What’s New with Flu?
Date: February 2nd, 2023, 12:00 PM ET Location: Virtual
Dr. Andrew Rennekamp from CSL Seqirus will present an overview of influenza-associated disease and prevention, with focus on annual CDC recommendations for vaccination, current vaccination rates, and current influenza vaccine technologies.
Learning Objectives: Understand the burden of influenza in the U.S. each year, including the non-respiratory problems flu can cause; understand the challenges associated with flu prevention; and understand the current types of flu vaccines used in the U.S. to prevent influenza-associated disease, with a focus on the most recent advanced influenza vaccine technologies available.
CDC Launches Let's Rise Initiative To Get Routine Vaccinations Back On Track
CDC launched its Let's RISE (Routine Immunizations on Schedule for Everyone) campaignto provide practical strategies, resources, and data to support getting all Americans back on schedule with their routine immunizations to protect everyone from vaccine-preventable disease.
The "Let's RISE" campaign features calls to action, resources for healthcare professionals and partners, patient education talking points and visual aids, and data for action.
Use Let's RISE campaign resources to encourage catch up on routine vaccinations and to communicate why being up to date on vaccinations is critical for staying healthy
