Argentum participated in the Our Best Shot LTC vaccine workshop held September 4 in Washington, DC including pharmacists, pharmaceuticals / vaccine manufacturers, policy leaders from across numerous trade associations, and former government leaders. Following are some notes from that event.
- The LTC sector can no longer rely on the federal government for questions around the standard of care as it relates to vaccination.
- There are 600 references to CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in state laws across the U.S. The Administrations recent actions around vaccines has many states considering whether they should reference other medical bodies for vaccine information.
- Physicians are concerned about liability around vaccine recommendations, and pharmacists are concerned about getting paid fairly for their work in administering vaccines.
- Argentum pushed for the group to come together in developing unified messages promoting vaccination of the willing as the best option for addressing severe illness from infectious respiratory and other diseases. (Several organizations represented in this workshop were developing and planning to release informational videos and other materials promoting vaccination.)
At this point the CDC’s ACIP has issued updated recommendations for influenza, COVID-19, and other respiratory viruses. Those recommendations, which await final approval by CDC, are:
- Influenza: trivalent vaccination is recommended for everyone aged six months and older, with high-dose or adjuvanted flu vaccines for those 65 and older.
- COVID-19: vaccination is available for everyone six months and older, with the ACIP recommending vaccination decisions be made after consultation with a qualified healthcare professional.
Argentum will continue to monitor this issue and provide updates once a final decision is made by Jim O’Neill, Acting Director of CDC.