DJPH: Vaccine Preventable Disease

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

2022-2023 Flu Vaccine Composition

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

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

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

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 …

COVID-19 Vaccine Record Now Accessible via QR Tool

DOVER, DE (Dec. 21, 2021) – The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) announced today that individuals vaccinated in Delaware will now have access to a QR code when downloading their COVID-19 vaccination record. The digital COVID-19 vaccination card now includes the QR code and is available through the DelVAX Public Portal, a site where those who were vaccinated in Delaware can access their immunization records. When the person accesses their COVID-19 record they will be able to download a PDF version of it, which resembles a vaccine card and includes the QR Code. The image can then be saved to a phone Read More …

DPH Advises Vaccine Providers to Offer Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine for Children 5-11 Years of Age

DOVER (NOV. 3, 2021) – The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) today announced that Delaware’s vaccine providers can begin administering the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 pediatric vaccine to children ages 5 to 11. Today’s announcement comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week gave its approval to expand Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to allow for the Pfizer vaccine to be administered to children in this age group. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met Tuesday and agreed with the FDA findings. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky endorsed the advisory Read More …

DPH Advises Vaccine Providers to Offer Pfizer Booster to Eligible Delawareans

PRIORITY TO Seniors, lONG-TERM CARE RESIDENTS AND THOSE AT RISK of severe COVID-19  DOVER (SEPT. 24, 2021) – The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) today announced that the state’s vaccine providers can begin administering booster doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to certain populations recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). On Wednesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) formally voted to expand the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to allow for a booster dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to be administered for certain populations six months after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Boosters are Read More …