I Raise the Rates! May Edition
In this edition of I Raise the Rates (IRtR) you will find a variety of new resources from various public health partners, unique educational opportunities, and a brief selection of popular media articles related to immunization.
Updates from the American College of Physicians (ACP)
2021 Adult Immunization Conference
Registration is now open for the 2021 Adult Immunization Conference hosted by the New Jersey Immunization Network (NJIN) and supported by ACP! This two-day virtual conference will be held from 11:00 AM-2:00 PM on June 14th and 15th, 2021 via Zoom. Topics will include:

  • COVID-19 vaccine update 
  • Lessons learned from telehealth and how it relates to adult immunization
  • Overcoming vaccine hesitancy in adults 
  • Addressing financial barriers to implementing a vaccine program in practice

Register Today!
Updated Interim Clinical Considerations For Use of COVID-19 Vaccines
CDC updated their interim clinical considerations for use of COVID-19 vaccines currently authorized in the US. COVID-19 vaccination is now recommended for all people 12 years and older for the prevention of COVID-19 in the United States. Additional changes include (last updated May 14, 2021): 

  • Updated information for authorized age groups to include vaccination of adolescents ages 12–15 years with Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. 
  • Updated information on coadministration of COVID-19 vaccines with other vaccines. 
  • A new section on persons with a history of multisystem inflammatory syndrome has been added to considerations for vaccination of people with certain underlying medical conditions. 
  • Updated recommendation for timing of COVID-19 vaccine administration in persons with a history of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. 
  • Updated information on vaccination of children and adolescents.

ACP Advocating for COVID-19 Vaccine Administration in Primary Care Offices
The American College of Physicians is at the forefront of an effort to make it easier for primary care physicians to administer COVID-19 vaccines to their patients. ACP has been lobbying the federal government for reforms and monitoring progress so members can understand how best to deliver vaccines to their patients.

Primary care physicians should play a significant role in the vaccine effort for several reasons, said Dr. George M. Abraham, president of ACP, who has spoken to the national media about this topic. “Patients trust us with their vaccine questions, and we are well equipped to address issues of vaccine hesitancy,” he said. “In addition, we provide better access to patients. Patients don't need to travel far, and often the vaccine can be given as part of their regular office visit.”
COVID-19 Education Toolkits and Materials Available
ACP is a founding member of the HHS national volunteer COVID-19 Community Corps, a coalition working to help increase confidence in COVID-19 vaccines and encourage measures to slow the spread of disease through public education. Toolkits, resources, and materials to help educate and increase vaccine confidence and support community outreach are available through HHS’s COVID-19 “We Can Do This” Public Education CampaignMaterials are available in a variety of languages and formats and provide tailored information for at-risk groups.
COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence Toolkit
Vaccines are a crucial tool against the deadly nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, but many people have expressed hesitancy about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Conversations with trusted messengers, including medical providers, are a key method for helping patients make the best decision about COVID-19 vaccination.

This conversation toolkit is intended as a resource to help healthcare providers navigate discussions about COVID-19 vaccination with their patients.

The toolkit provides a common framework for engaging in these important conversations, with an emphasis on listening and learning. It is not meant to be comprehensive in relation to all patient questions and should be supplemented with outside resources (e.g. UptoDate, PubMed, etc) for more specific patient inquiries. This toolkit can be used by any member of the care team that is comfortable with the content, and teams should consider creative ways to engage patients throughout their visits to decrease time burden and share responsibility amongst providers. 
Featured Articles and Resources -
Moderna Seeks to Apply for Adolescent Vaccine EUA
Moderna, Inc. (Nasdaq: MRNA), a biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, today announced that the Phase 2/3 study of its COVID-19 vaccine (mRNA-1273) in adolescents has met its primary immunogenicity endpoint, successfully bridging immune responses to the adult vaccination.

In the study, no cases of COVID-19 were observed in participants who had received two doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine using the primary definition. In addition, a vaccine efficacy of 93% in seronegative participants was observed starting 14 days after the first dose using the secondary CDC case definition of COVID-19, which tested for milder disease. This study, known as the TeenCOVE study, enrolled more than 3,700 participants ages 12 to less than 18 years in the U.S. The company plans to submit these data to regulators globally in early June.
Nanoparticle-Based Flu Vaccine Effective in Preclinical Trials
An experimental flu vaccine consisting of billions of tiny spherical sacs that carry infection-fighting proteins throughout the body has proven effective in preclinical studies.

Described in a study published May 24 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the vaccine has the potential to:

  • Improve the effectiveness of seasonal flu vaccines, which typically work 40-60% of the time, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  • Take less time to produce large quantities because, unlike most seasonal flu vaccines, it is not created in embryonated chicken eggs.
  • Use smaller doses, thereby increasing vaccine supplies, which can be critical given the unpredictable nature of influenza.

"The results are very encouraging", says the study's senior author, Jonathan Lovell, Ph.D., associate professor of biomedical engineering at the University at Buffalo.
HPV Vaccination is Lowering U.S. Cervical Cancer Rates
In a finding that offers the first evidence that the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is indeed protecting women from cervical cancer, new research shows cases in the United States have slowly but steadily declined over the last decade and a half.

However, other HPV-related cancers like anal, rectal, and oral tumors continue to increase, suggesting that regular cancer screening also plays a powerful role in saving lives, the researchers added.

The incidence of cervical cancer has decreased 1% annually over the past 17 years, according to findings presented Wednesday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) virtual annual meeting.
Consistent Messaging is Key to Combatting Young People's COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy
Consistent messages about the safety and need for COVID-19 vaccines are key to overcoming young people's reluctance to get inoculated, researchers at Georgia State and New York universities say.

Regena Spratling, associate dean of nursing at Georgia State, and Donna Hallas, director of the pediatric nurse practitioner program at New York University, analyzed three major COVID-19 vaccine producers' clinical trial results. The analysis was used to create talking points health providers could use with vaccine-hesitant patients. Spratling and Hallas, pediatric nurse practitioner-researchers, have published their findings in Contemporary Pediatrics.