There has been a lot of discussion of late regarding whether to incentivize staff to encourage increased acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine. While it is not a “required” vaccine, studies have shown that it does work! So if you have employees who are hesitant or downright negative about accepting the vaccine, what should you do? First, of course, identify the …
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for 2 vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), one developed jointly by Pfizer and BioNTech and the other by Moderna. According to company press releases and data made available by the FDA, both vaccines have shown approximately 95% efficacy in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infections …
A single state survey was conducted in the state of Indiana to determine the willingness of long-term care staff to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Staff characteristics including age, gender, race, ethnicity, role in the facility, experience in long-term care, and geographic location of the facility were self-reported along with prior infection and willingness to receive an approved vaccine as soon …
The states of Florida and Texas have started to distribute coronavirus vaccines to residents over age 65. These decisions go against guidelines set by an advisory group at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC recommended that healthcare workers and nursing home residents and staff members should be first in line, followed by other frontline workers and all …
The CDC has issued updated interim clinical considerations for use of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines currently authorized in the United States and interim considerations for preparing for the potential management of anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction that occurs rarely after vaccination. In addition to screening for contraindications and precautions before administering COVID-19 vaccines, vaccine locations should have the …
The COVID-19 vaccine distribution process in the U.S. is moving slower than anticipated, falling short of Operation Warp Speed’s goal to vaccinate 20 million Americans by the end of 2020. As of December 30, 2020, 11.4 million doses were distributed, and 2.1 million people have received a vaccine. Most states have administered a fraction of the doses they’ve received. Federal …
On January 8, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an alert warning that viral mutations of SARS-CoV-2 may produce false-negative results on current molecular tests. “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting clinical laboratory staff and health care providers that the FDA is monitoring the potential impact of viral mutations, including an emerging variant from the …
The CDC previously released guidelines for contraindications to vaccinations; however, it has now broadened these guidelines to include those with a history of an immediate allergic reaction to previous doses of or any component of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, including polyethylene glycol. According to the updated interim guidance, anyone with a history of immediate allergic reaction of any severity to any …
Per the CDC January 6, 2021 Inactive vaccines do not interfere with tuberculosis (TB) test results. There is no immunologic reason to believe either a Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) (administered by intradermal placement of 0.1 cc of purified protein derivative) or blood draw for interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) would affect the safety or effectiveness of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. We …
On January 4th, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a statement reiterating the importance of following the authorized dosing schedules for both approved COVID-19 vaccines. Efforts to increase the number of individuals immunized against COVID-19 by changing the doses or dosing schedules are said to run the risk of being counterproductive to public health. The FDA is …
