Leann Springer - Immunize Colorado

COVID vaccine during pregnancy still helps protect newborns, CDC finds

September 28, 2023 by Leann Springer

Getting a shot of the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy works to pass on protection against the virus to newborns during their most vulnerable early months of life, a new study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

Maternal vaccination was 54% effective against COVID-19 hospitalization in infants younger than 3 months old over the past season.

The findings from the CDC-backed Overcoming COVID-19 Network were published Thursday in the agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. They drew from data on hospitalizations from 26 pediatric hospitals around the country through May 2023.

COVID-19, Flu, and RSV – We’ve Got Vaccines for All Three! Part One: There’s an Updated COVID-19 Vaccine, You Say? What’s the 411?

September 27, 2023 by Leann Springer

It’s beginning to look a lot like fall in Colorado. With the changing of leaves and cooler temperatures comes an increase in viral illnesses. Last year’s tripledemic of COVID-19, flu, and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) brought hospitals to capacity and challenged healthcare system resources statewide. From October 2022 to May 2023, there were 3,076 flu hospitalizations and 8,231 COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). During the same period, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) RSV-NET showed 50 RSV hospitalizations per 100,000 individuals in the state. This breaks down to 2,906 RSV hospitalizations for Colorado’s 5.812 million population. This year though, the game has changed. We have more tools and knowledge than ever to protect ourselves, those we love, and everyone else in our communities!

Today’s Team Vaccine Blog post is part one of a three-part series. It breaks down what you need to know about the updated COVID-19 vaccines. We’ll also shed light on the importance of staying vaccinated. In addition, we’ll correct some of the misinformation on COVID-19 vaccines. Stay tuned! In the coming weeks, we’ll publish parts two and three and dive into the latest on flu vaccination and new vaccines and treatments for RSV.

Updated COVID-19 vaccines: Why do we need them? Who should get them?

As viruses circulate, they mutate to form new variants. Over the last three years, the virus that causes COVID-19 has changed a lot. The old vaccines match old variants. Now we have updated vaccines for better protection against the newest variants. This is much like the flu vaccine we get each year. You can even get both an updated COVID-19 vaccine and your flu vaccine at the same time. Updated COVID-19 vaccines are for everyone six months of age and up.

When should I get the updated vaccine?

The short answer is ASAP. Don’t wait and put yourself at risk! Cases of COVID-19 are up in Colorado and across the U.S., and protection for most people has likely waned by now. Of course, this depends on the timing of your most recent vaccine and whether you’ve had a recent infection. But remember, the old vaccines don’t offer the same level of protection. The updated vaccines offer the best defense against COVID-19.

There is additional guidance for specific populations who may need increased protection. If you are immunocompromised, you can get another vaccine two months after receiving the updated vaccine. If you’re over age 65, you can get an additional dose after four months.

Will I have to pay for the updated vaccine?

You should not have to pay for the updated COVID-19 vaccine. While COVID-19 vaccines are no longer paid for by the federal government, insurance will cover their full cost. The federal Bridge Access and Vaccines for Children programs will provide them at no cost for underinsured and uninsured individuals.

Don’t let kids go unprotected!

COVID-19 infection in kids is sometimes downplayed. The truth is COVID-19 infection can be severe and have lasting implications on kids’ health. It’s not like the common cold! Over half of kids hospitalized for COVID-19 do not have a preexisting condition that would put them at greater risk for severe illness. According to the latest Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Report from Children’s Hospital Colorado from 2020 to 2021, COVID-19 was a leading cause of death in children. There’s also the risk of post-COVID multisystem inflammatory syndrome or MIS-C. While this is rare, MIS-C is serious and can even be deadly. It can occur between two and six weeks after a child is infected with COVID-19. MIS-C can cause fever, rashes, red eyes, diarrhea, and vomiting. Unvaccinated kids can needlessly spread viruses in schools and other places where they have contact with others. It’s essential to keep students, faculty, and staff protected to avoid time away from school due to illness, and to ultimately avoid outbreaks that could warrant quarantines.

It’s also worth mentioning that infants, who are not eligible for vaccination have the highest rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations after adults over age 75. They need the rest of us to be vaccinated to protect them!

COVID-19 vaccines and misinformation – let’s look at some facts.

While we continue to learn about COVID-19, there is a lot we do know about COVID-19 vaccines. There has been concern that vaccines were developed quickly and rushed to the market, and that there were shortcuts in testing for safety. The truth is that the technology used to create them has been in development for years. COVID-19 vaccines, including the updated vaccines and all other vaccines, are carefully tested and are continuously monitored for safety.

Some of the most common pieces of misinformation on COVID-19 vaccines include myths about myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart. Contrary to some information shared online, myocarditis is not a reason to not get vaccinated against COVID-19. The risk of myocarditis is much greater from COVID-19 infection than from vaccination. According to the American Heart Association, “people infected with COVID-19 before receiving a vaccine were 11 times more at risk for developing myocarditis within 28 days of testing positive for the virus. But that risk was cut in half if a person was infected after receiving at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.” Rare instances of myocarditis have occurred in teens and young adults following COVID-19 vaccination. However, these cases are mild and symptoms resolve within a few days.

Give yourself, those you love, and your whole community the best protection from COVID-19 during this respiratory virus season.

In 2023, we have tools to protect ourselves and others that we’ve never had before. Each day, we are learning more about the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the long-term effects it has on us, and treatments to fight it. With this knowledge we have the responsibility to protect ourselves, those we love, and everyone else in our community. This means staying vaccinated. Schedule your updated COVID-19 vaccine today!

Immunize Colorado was formed in 1991 in response to alarmingly low vaccination rates across the state. At the time, only about 50% of Colorado’s children were adequately vaccinated. A group of physicians and other concerned individuals came together to strategize how to prevent protect Coloradans from vaccine-preventable diseases and increase vaccine uptake. Much work remains. You can donate or discover other ways to get involved in supporting our commitment to healthy Colorado communities today!

Vaccine Misinformation Spilling Over To Pets Puts Us All At Risk

September 26, 2023 by Leann Springer

Vaccines for pets are critically important for several reasons. They’re essential to maintain the health and well-being of domesticated animals and to prevent the spread of diseases to humans. But in recent years there has been a decline in vaccination rates and trust by pet owners, especially those who own dogs.

The growing vaccine hesitancy in recent years is in no small part due to misinformation and disinformation about human vaccinations during the Covid-19 pandemic. But the hesitancy and misinformation is beginning to spill over to pet owners, who are delaying or refusing vaccines for their animals. This poses major public health concerns for humans and canines alike given that 45% of U.S. households own a dog and some diseases that affect dogs, called zoonotic diseases, can also affect humans.

RSV vaccines for both pregnant people and babies: Which should you get and when?

September 26, 2023 by Leann Springer

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended a vaccine for people in late pregnancy that will protect their babies from respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, after birth.

Last week’s guidance comes shortly after another RSV shot was approved and recommended by government agencies that protects infants and high-risk toddlers heading into their first or second RSV season.

“This is another tool we can use this fall and winter to help protect lives,” said Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the CDC. “I encourage parents to talk to their doctors about how to protect their little ones against serious RSV illness, using either a vaccine given during pregnancy, or an RSV immunization given to your baby after birth.”

Why the CDC recommends that everyone over the age of 6 months get the updated COVID vaccine

September 22, 2023 by Leann Springer

An independent panel of advisers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that everyone over the age of 6 months get the updated COVID vaccine this fall.

“Even children and adults with no underlying conditions can still experience severe illness due to COVID,” said Dr. Sandra Fryhofer, an adjunct associate professor of medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine.

Most infectious disease experts agree with the recommendations made by the federal health agency.

Where to Find Free COVID Vaccines Right Now—No Matter Your Insurance Status

September 20, 2023 by Leann Springer

COVID vaccines have been updated to include protection against new variants of the virus that are currently circulating, but that’s not the only thing that has changed. Equally significant is that the vaccine is largely no longer paid for by the federal government, now that the Public Health Emergency for the pandemic, in place from January 2020 until last May, has ended.

That means that most of the COVID shots will now be paid for by insurance, whether private insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid. Medicare and Medicaid pay the full cost, as do most private insurers.

Vaccines and effective treatments alleviate the need for COVID restrictions

September 19, 2023 by Leann Springer

More than three years since COVID-19 reached these shores, widespread misinformation continues to inhibit reasonable measures intended to keep the vulnerable safe and to protect public health.

The latest fiction riling folks up is the falsehood that a new COVID wave will usher in the return of statewide mask mandates, school closures or business restrictions. But this isn’t 2020 and it’s important those myths be dispelled.

It’s true that there are new variants of the virus widely circulating across the United States, including here in Virginia. This was expected and public health officials have been closely monitoring the spread of these mutations and their danger to the general population.

Covid-19 vaccination rates lag behind flu’s, but getting shots together may help

September 19, 2023 by Leann Springer

Every year since 2010, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that everyone in the country ages 6 months and older receive a flu vaccine.

But that has resulted in just fewer than half of all adults and about 58% of kids getting the shot each year, according to CDC data.

Covid-19 vaccines have a ways to go to catch up. Just 21% of US adults received a bivalent booster, the last version available before the US Food and Drug Administration authorized an updated Covid vaccine this month. Among kids, the numbers are much lower: less than 8% of everyone under 18.

COVID-19, flu and RSV in Colorado: Who should get which vaccine and when this fall?

September 18, 2023 by Leann Springer

Viral respiratory season is set to ramp up in the coming weeks and already, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is projecting this year will be a repeat of last.

While health officials still don’t know what this season is going to look like, the CDC is projecting that the triple threat of COVID-19, flu and RSV could place a significant strain on the nation’s healthcare system during the colder months.

Since the beginning of August, Colorado has seen an increase in the number of cases and hospitalizations for COVID-19, and state health officials can’t say for sure whether that’s going to level out and decline before we see another winter increase, or if we’re just going to continue to see a gradual increase into the winter season.

Hispanic Heritage Month: A conversation with Julissa Soto about the importance of community and advocacy

September 15, 2023 by Leann Springer

September 15 marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, an annual reminder and chance to honor the countless contributions made by members of the Hispanic community to the United States. This is always an opportunity both for celebration and reflection.

A great deal of important work must keep moving forward to tackle inequities in access to care and improve patient outcomes in Hispanic communities. This challenge is not only present in the long-term but must also be kept in mind and addressed now as we come up on both RSV as well as flu season. Furthermore, in this post-pandemic world, new strains of COVID remain concerning in this new normal.