#15,376
On Monday, in `Forward Looking' & `Aspirational' Vaccine Press Releases, I wrote about some of the rarely mentioned challenges to creating, manufacturing, and deploying a COVID-19 vaccine in the near term.
The bottom line: To immunize even half of the world's population within the 1st 12 months - during the midst of a pandemic - will require a gargantuan effort, and no small amount of luck.
For better or worse, however, this fall we are going to get a trial run.
Yesterday Sanofi Pasteur announced that Sanofi begins shipping flu vaccines in U.S. for 2020-2021 season, and while we don't normally start thinking about getting the flu shot until September or October, this year getting the jab may be a bit more complicated than normal.
Last year - long before COVID-19 emerged - we saw global shortages and delays in receiving the 2019-2020 flu vaccine in many Northern Hemisphere countries (see Taiwan CDC Expands Access To Influenza Antivirals Due To Vaccine Delay), with many places not receiving shipments until November or even early December.
While there has been very little published about seasonal flu vaccine production and delivery dates this summer, the UK medical trade publication PULSE reported late last month that GPs look set to face 'unprecedented' flu vaccine shortages again this year, and earlier this week that GPs will not receive third of flu vaccine stock from key supplier until November.
How widespread these shortages and/or delays might be this fall isn't immediately apparent.
But anything that compresses the `window of opportunity' for getting the public immunized against flu - particularly if access to GP offices and pharmacies is limited by the COVID-19 pandemic - is a matter of concern.
As the CDC explains, since the early symptoms of COVID-19 and seasonal flu can be hard to tell apart - and a bad flu season alone can overwhelm hospital resources - getting as many people vaccinated against flu is a priority this fall.
What is the difference between Influenza (Flu) and COVID-19?Influenza (Flu) and COVID-19 are both contagious respiratory illnesses, but they are caused by different viruses. COVID-19 is caused by infection with a new coronavirus (called SARS-CoV-2) and flu is caused by infection with influenza viruses. Because some of the symptoms of flu and COVID-19 are similar, it may be hard to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone, and testing may be needed to help confirm a diagnosis. Flu and COVID-19 share many characteristics, but there are some key differences between the two.While more is learned every day, there is still a lot that is unknown about COVID-19 and the virus that causes it. This table compares COVID-19 and flu, given the best available information to date.Will there be flu along with COVID-19 in the fall and winter?While it’s not possible to say with certainty what will happen in the fall and winter, CDC believes it’s likely that flu viruses and the virus that causes COVID-19 will both be spreading. In this context, getting a flu vaccine will be more important than ever. CDC recommends that all people 6 months and older get a yearly flu vaccine.Can I have flu and COVID-19 at the same time?Yes. It is possible have flu (as well as other respiratory illnesses) and COVID-19 at the same time. Experts are still studying how common this can be.
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Why is it important for influenza (flu) vaccines to be given during the COVID-19 pandemic?Efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19, such as stay-at-home and shelter-in-place orders, have led to decreased use of routine preventive medical services, including immunization services. Ensuring that people continue or start getting routine vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic is essential for protecting people and communities from vaccine-preventable diseases and outbreaks, including flu. Routine vaccination prevents illnesses that lead to unnecessary medical visits and hospitalizations, which further strain the healthcare system.For the upcoming flu season, flu vaccination will be very important to reduce flu because it can help reduce the overall impact of respiratory illnesses on the population and thus lessen the resulting burden on the healthcare system during the COVID-19 pandemic.A flu vaccine may also provide several individual health benefits, including keeping you from getting sick with flu, reducing the severity of your illness if you do get flu and reducing your risk of a flu-associated hospitalization.
Complicating matters, it is likely that some areas of the country will be seeing enhanced COVID-19 transmission this fall, which may impact the public's ability to access the vaccine.
The CDC has set up a Vaccination Guidance During a Pandemic web page, which addresses some of these challenges. You'll want to visit the site to view specific guidance, and any updates, but their primary goal are summarized below.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused healthcare providers to change how they operate to continue to provide essential services to patients. Ensuring immunization services are maintained or reinitiated is essential for protecting individuals and communities from vaccine-preventable diseases and outbreaks and reducing the burden of respiratory illness during the upcoming influenza season.The following are a collection of federal resources designed to guide vaccine planning during the COVID-19 pandemic:
Deliver vaccines safely during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Administration of vaccines is an essential medical service.
- Assess the vaccination status of all patients across the life span at every health care visit.
- Administer routinely recommended vaccines to children, adolescents, and adults (including pregnant women).
- Delay vaccination for persons with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
- Follow guidance to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in health care settings.
- Encourage vaccination at the patient’s medical home.
- Implement effective strategies for catch-up vaccination.
- Communicate with patients/families about how they can be safely vaccinated during the pandemic.
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Guidance has been developed for the administration of vaccines at pharmacies, temporary, off-site, or satellite clinics and mass influenza vaccination clinics. Other approaches to vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic may include drive-through immunization services at fixed sites, curbside clinics, mobile outreach units, or home visits.
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New and/or updated guidance is continually being developed, so stakeholders should check back with this web site often.
Typically, about half of all Americans (160 million) get the flu shot every year, and for the vast majority, they only require a single dose. A COVID-19 vaccination campaign - when it becomes available -would require anywhere to two to four times as many vaccinations.
All of which makes this fall's flu jab campaign our last best opportunity to test our vaccine delivery system under genuine pandemic conditions, and to identify - and hopefully eliminate - as many points of failure as possible.
I'll be doing my best to get my flu shot in late September, as I'm in a high risk group for both flu and COVID-19. Hopefully, things will run smoothly this fall, but even if it doesn't, what we learn from this fall's campaign could be critical for successfully deploying COVID-19 vaccine in 2021 or beyond.
