Author: Kate Smith

FDA Limits J&J COVID-19 Vaccine

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The FDA yesterday set limits on Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine because of the risk of a clotting disorder discovered weeks after the vaccine was first put into use in spring 2021. The agency said its review of the available data on the risk of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia — or TTS — suggested limiting access to the vaccine is warranted. The condition, though rare, can be fatal. The single-dose vaccine will now be available only to adults 18 and older who would not otherwise agree to be vaccinated or who cannot take one of the other available vaccines for medical Read More …

Community Health Worker Program

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The ICD is engaged in the Delaware Academy of Medicine/Delaware Public Health Association’s COVID-19 Community Health Worker (CHW) Initiative. This initiative aims to address persistent health disparities and vaccine hesitancy in Pennsylvania and Delaware by offering support and resources to vulnerable and under-resourced populations, and to newly identified populations eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Read more

Adolescent Immunization Action Week

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Adolescent Immunization Action Week is here (April 4-8)! AIM is partnering with Unity Consortium to spread the word about the importance of adolescent immunization vaccination. This toolkit provides a video, messaging, webinar registration, graphics, and more to help raise awareness for this important cause. 

DJPH: Vaccine Preventable Disease

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The latest issue of the Delaware Journal of Public Health focuses on Vaccine Preventable Disease. Guest Editors Omar Khan, MD, MHS and Stephen Eppes, MD have curated content about current vaccine recommendations, travel vaccines, vaccines specific to certain viruses, vaccine hesitancy, and vaccination exemptions.  The journal is open-source, and free to all.  Check it out here

Vaccines a Poor Match for 2021-2022 Flu Season

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Preliminary CDC estimates released yesterday show flu vaccines were not a good match for the most common strain circulating through the current 2021-2022 flu season, which peaked in December. Shots did not reduce the risk of mild or moderate flu caused by the H3N2 virus, the analysis concludes. Read more

Communication is Bioactive and Systemic

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On February 24, 2022, ChristianaCare Medical Grand Rounds welcomed John Parrish-Sprowl, Ph.D. Dr. Parrish-Sprowl’s talk, Communication is bioactive and systemic: The AIMS approach to vaccine hesitancy, can be viewed below.

2022-2023 Flu Vaccine Composition

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February 25, 2022.  The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced the recommendations for the viral composition of influenza vaccines for the 2022-2023 influenza season in the northern hemisphere. The announcement was made at an information session at the end of a 4-day Information Meeting on the Composition of Influenza Virus Vaccines, a meeting that is held twice annually. The WHO recommends that quadrivalent vaccines for use in the 2022-2023 influenza season in the northern hemisphere contain the following:   Egg-based vaccines an A/Victoria/2570/2019 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus; an A/Darwin/9/2021 (H3N2)-like virus; a B/Austria/1359417/2021 (B/Victoria lineage)-like virus; and a B/Phuket/3073/2013 (B/Yamagata lineage)-like virus. Cell Read More …

MOTIVATE Project

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The Motivating Older Adults to Trust Information About Vaccines and Their Effects (MOTIVATE) project is a partnership between Center in the Park and Rutgers University that focuses on vaccine hesitancy among older adults. Led by peer leaders and pharmacists, it addresses vaccine education for COVID-19, Pneumonia, and Flu. This two session project will be conducted via zoom and participants will receive a $10 Visa gift card for participation. For more information, contact Keyerra Charles, Director of Health Promotion at 215-848-7722 Ext 305 or email kcharles@centerinthepark.org

My Vaccine Counts

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To address issues of vaccine education and outreach in Delaware and Pennsylvania, the Delaware Academy of Medicine/Delaware Public Health Association and the Public Health Management Corporation are implementing a comprehensive and integrated approach designed to target, engage, and connect individuals to COVID-19 vaccines and information. The central component to this model is community health workers (CHWs). These public health and social service professionals support the members of their community by helping them to adopt healthy behaviors including staying up to date on all vaccinations. The model identifies, engages, trains, and supports CHWs from communities across the two states to help Read More …

DPH to Implement Updated CDC Guidance Reducing Isolation, Quarantine Periods

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DOVER, DE (Dec. 28, 2021) – The Division of Public Health announced that it will implement updated guidance issued Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to shorten the recommended time that people should isolate or quarantine from 10 days to 5 days based on certain conditions and vaccination status.  The change is motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of COVID-19 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after. Therefore, people who test positive should isolate for 5 days and, if they have no Read More …