New Resource for Vaccine Availability
  • The CDC and HHS have announced a service allowing people to find COVID-19 vaccines nearby via text message. Anyone can text their ZIP code to GETVAX in English, or VACUNA in Spanish, to get information on three locations near them with available vaccines.
  • Also announced was the conversion of VaccineFinder.org to a new site, Vaccines.gov, which will report information for all states. The website is currently available in English and Spanish.
  • The National COVID-19 Vaccination Assistance Hotline, a 1-800 number to be announced, will be available for people who prefer to use the phone. Assistance will be provided in English, Spanish and more than 150 other languages and will also include a teletype line for the hearing impaired.

 

  • CDC has provided more specific guidance for vaccine administration:
    • Intervals between first and second dose: “The second dose should be administered as close to the recommended interval as possible. However, if it is not feasible to adhere to the recommended interval, the second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines may be scheduled for administration up to 6 weeks (42 days) after the first dose. There are currently limited data on efficacy of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines administered beyond this window. If the second dose is administered beyond these intervals, there is no need to restart the series.”
    • Interchangeability of vaccine products: “Every effort should be made to determine which vaccine product was received as the first dose, in order to ensure completion of the vaccine series with the same product. In exceptional situations in which the first-dose vaccine product cannot be determined or is no longer available, any available mRNA COVID-19 vaccine may be administered at a minimum interval of 28 days between doses to complete the mRNA COVID-19 vaccination series.”
    • Vaccination of persons with a SARS-CoV-2 infection or exposure: Vaccination of persons with known current SARS-CoV-2 infection should be deferred until the person has recovered from the acute illness (if the person had symptoms) and criteria have been met for them to discontinue isolation. This recommendation applies to persons who develop SARS-CoV-2 infection before receiving any vaccine doses as well as those who develop SARS-CoV-2 infection after the first dose but before receipt of the second dose. While there is no recommended minimum interval between infection and vaccination, current evidence suggests that the risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection is low in the months after initial infection but may increase with time due to waning immunity. Thus, while vaccine supply remains limited, persons with recent documented acute SARS-CoV-2 infection may choose to temporarily delay vaccination, if desired, recognizing that the risk of reinfection, and therefore the need for vaccination, may increase with time following initial infection.
  • ACP and Annals of Internal Medicine hosted a virtual forum on January 22, assembling a panel of experts to provide their unique insights and strategies related to allocation and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. Watch the recording here.
  • The CDC updates the number of COVID-19 vaccines distributed and administered. Numbers are available for both individual states and nationally. 
  • Your state public health department website is the best source of information for how to obtain the vaccine and when doses are expected to be available.
  • Who will receive the vaccine first? The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) issued a framework for the equitable allocation of the vaccine (October 2, 2020) and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) provided similar guidance (November 23, 2020).
    • During their meeting on December 1, the ACIP recommended that healthcare providers and long-term care residents be included in phase 1A of vaccine distribution.
    • During a December 20 meeting, the ACIP recommended that adults age 75 and older and front line essential workers be included in phase 1B of vaccine distribution. Adults age 65-74 and individuals aged 16-64 with high risk medical conditions are included in phase 1C.
    • Vaccine allocation is determined by the states, and while the ACIP recommendations are not binding it is expected they will guide state’s decisions.