#16,090
With COVID Cases rising due to the the more transmissible Delta variant, and vaccination uptake slumping, the United States is facing another potentially devastating pandemic wave this fall and winter, which threatens both lives and the tenuous economic recovery.
Yesterday the CDC rolled back their ten-week-old face mask recommendations, urging the fully vaccinated to resume wearing face covers indoors (see The CDC's Updated (Jul 27th) Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People).
Over the past 48 hours the Administration has also doubled down on vaccines, with the VA announcing mandatory COVID vaccination for their staff, and media reports overnight that the Federal government may move to expand that to include all Federal employees later today.
While they may permit some alternatives to vaccination (e.g. frequent testing, face covers, etc.), and these edicts will undoubtedly be challenged in the courts, COVID vaccines - even if they aren't 100% effective - are viewed as the best tools we have to mitigate the effects of the pandemic.
Against this backdrop the CDC released a lengthy HAN Advisory last night, encouraging clinicians to promote vaccine uptake in both HCWs and the general public. Due to its length, I've only posted some excerpts. Follow the link to read it in its entirety.
Vaccination to Prevent COVID-19 Outbreaks with Current and Emergent Variants — United States, 2021
Distributed via the CDC Health Alert Network
July 27, 2021, 4:00 PM ET
CDCHAN-00447
Summary
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is issuing this Health Alert Network Health Advisory to notify public health practitioners and clinicians about the urgent need to increase COVID-19 vaccination coverage (i.e., the percentage of the population fully vaccinated) across the United States to prevent surges in new infections that could increase COVID-19 related morbidity and mortality, overwhelm healthcare capacity, and widen existing COVID-19-related health disparities. Increasing vaccination coverage is especially urgent in areas where current coverage is low.Unvaccinated persons account for the majority of new COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. Currently circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, especially the highly infectious Delta variant (B.1.617.2), are accelerating spread of infection. Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated people need to practice all recommended prevention measures until fully vaccinated. In areas with substantial and high transmission, CDC recommends that fully vaccinated individuals wear a mask in public indoor settings to help prevent the spread of Delta and protect others.(SNIP)
CDC recommends urgent action by all: CDC recommends continued efforts to accelerate primary vaccination efforts, especially in areas with lower vaccination coverage. Individuals who are not fully vaccinated need to maintain all recommended prevention measures. People who are immunocompromised should be counseled about the potential for reduced immune responses to COVID-19 vaccines and to follow current prevention measures to protect themselves against COVID-19 until advised otherwise by their healthcare provider. CDC recommends ensuring tailored, culturally responsive, and linguistically appropriate communication of vaccination benefits (see vaccine equity resources below).
Recommendations for Public Health JurisdictionsRecommendations for Clinicians
- Continue and increase efforts to reach and partner with communities to encourage and offer vaccination. Co-lead the conversation by participating in community education and outreach events.
- Leverage resources to promote vaccine equity.
- Encourage clinicians to offer and recommend COVID-19 vaccination to their patients and community members.
- Work with community partners to make vaccination easily accessible for unvaccinated populations.
- Implement additional prevention strategies when transmission is high and vaccination coverage is low (MMWR ).
- Continue to monitor community transmission levels, variant, and vaccination coverage levels, and focus vaccine efforts on populations with low coverage.
- Communicate vaccination coverage, variant, and transmission levels to key partners, including the key information on risk associated with the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant.
- If you are a clinical provider and are not fully vaccinated, get vaccinated as soon as possible to protect yourself, your family, and your patients.
- Increase patient outreach efforts to encourage, recommend, and offer COVID-19 vaccination.
- Remind patients that vaccination is recommended for all persons aged 12 years of age and older, even for those with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. Follow trusted sources carefully for any new recommendations and changes in vaccine guidance.
- Support efforts to ensure people receiving a first dose of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (i.e., Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) return for their second dose to complete the series.
- Communicate with unvaccinated staff, patients, and other individuals to increase confidence in vaccination. CDC has many resources for providers to help increase vaccine confidence .
- Recommend that fully vaccinated patients who are immunocompromised continue to practice all recommended prevention measures for unvaccinated persons.
Recommendations for Healthcare Facilities and Systems, Nursing Homes, and Businesses
- Recommend and offer COVID-19 vaccine to your staff and employees and establish policies to encourage uptake such as time off to receive the vaccine.
- Consider offering COVID-19 vaccine at your workplace (Workplace COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit).
- Evaluate whether your facility can implement vaccine requirements or vaccine incentives.
Broadly mandating the vaccine is a political `third rail' that few politicians are inclined to touch, and the vehement opposition to the COVID vaccine by a significant percentage of the population seems unshakeable, leaving us in uncertain waters.
Hopefully this latest push will encourage a greater uptake among the `on the fence' crowd, but whether that will be enough to make much of a difference this fall and winter, remains to be seen.
Stay tuned.
