Gov. Carney Declares August Immunization Awareness Month in Delaware

On Friday, August 20, 2021, Governor John Carney declared August Immunization Awareness Month in Delaware. The Governor encouraged all Delaware families to vaccinate their children according to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and to fully vaccinate anyone eligible against COVID-19.  August is National Immunization Awareness Month. 

Updated COVID-19 Recommendations

Dover (Aug. 3, 2020) – Governor John Carney, the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH), and the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) are providing updates to Delaware’s COVID-19 testing program. COVID-19 vaccines are effective against severe disease and death from variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 currently circulating in the United States, including the Delta variant. Infections happen in only a small proportion of people who are fully vaccinated, even with the Delta variant. When these infections occur among vaccinated people, they tend to be mild. With COVID-19 cases increasing in the state and nation, and the majority of Read More …

COVID-19 Vaccines and Rare Heart Condition

U.S. scientists said Wednesday that there was a “likely association” between mRNA Covid-19 vaccines and an elevated risk of heart issues in adolescents and young adults, the strongest statement yet on the link between the two. Younger groups, particularly men under 30, have higher rates of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the lining around the heart) following vaccination with the shots from Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech. Most cases have occurred soon after the second shot of the two-dose regimens. Read more

Childhood Vaccinations Still Not at Pre-Pandemic Levels

While many routine childhood vaccinations were missed during the early part of the pandemic in the U.S., a new CDC report finds that these vaccinations didn’t return to pre-pandemic levels with the lifting of stay-at-home orders. The report includes data from 10 U.S. states and cities — including New York City and Michigan.  Read more

COVID-19 Vaccine Speed

Will the speed of COVID-19 vaccine development reset industry norms?  New drugs and vaccines typically take several years to hit the market. In fact, the average time to develop a drug or vaccine has been eight to ten years — until recently. In a new analysis, McKinsey reviews what it took to shorten that timeline to less than a year. It examines the funding, operational, technological, and regulatory factors that allowed for fast development of Covid-19 vaccines, revealing which variables will remain relevant for future efforts — and which won’t.

2021 State of the ImmUnion

The report presents an overview of the current state of vaccine-preventable diseases in the U.S. and offers members of Congress ways to help ensure our country is stronger and more resilient in the face of emerging health threats.  Read more

DPH: Updated Plans for 2nd Dose

DOVER (Jan. 28, 2021) – Today, the Division of Public Health (DPH) announced an updated approach to administering second doses in response to new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The CDC announced Friday that an interval of 42 days between doses is acceptable, if adhering to the 21-day (Pfizer) and 28-day (Moderna) intervals is not possible. Given extremely limited vaccine supply, DPH is recommending to vaccine partners that they schedule second doses between 28 and 35 days after the first dose is administered. This policy will enable the state to continue administering first doses to the vulnerable Read More …

COVID-19 Vaccine Update

Delaware Division of Public Health | January 26, 2021 With limited supply of vaccine from the federal government, the state is faced with very difficult decisions about the most effective use of the doses it has. The science shows that the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine provides 52% to 80% protection, so concentrating on first doses is critical to reducing hospitalizations and deaths. We also believe we need to get Phase 1A high-risk health care workers second doses as soon as possible – both because they have frequent contact with COVID patients and have less ability to social distance. Until Read More …

7 Looming Questions About the Rollout of a COVID-19 Vaccine

Helen Branswell & Ed Silverman | STAT News | October 9, 2020 The race to develop Covid-19 vaccines could well see some Americans vaccinated before the end of 2020 — less than a year after the world first learned a new virus was causing a dangerous new form of pneumonia in China. The design, testing, and mass production of multiple vaccines has never been attempted on this type of timeline, making this moment a turning point in the development of vaccines to respond to new disease threats. But the complexity of that work may pale in comparison to what comes Read More …

DPH Flu Vaccination Campaign

DPH PARTNERS WITH HEALTH CARE AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO LAUNCH FIGHT FLU DE – ENHANCED FLU VACCINATION CAMPAIGN DOVER (Sept. 29, 2020) – The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) is partnering with health care, faith-based and community partners to launch an aggressive communications campaign to mobilize all Delawareans to get their flu vaccinations called ‘Fight Flu DE.’  Working to reach diverse audiences through influencers and with messaging that will motivate them to get the flu vaccine, the campaign integrates grassroots outreach with mass-media marketing strategies to make sure people know where they can get a flu vaccine regardless of insurance Read More …