June 16, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused health care providers to change operations. Ensuring that immunization services are maintained or re-initiated 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 CDC’s recently released “Interim Guidance for Immunization Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic” can help your health center plan for safe vaccine administration during the COVID-19 pandemic. CDC will continue updating this guidance as the pandemic evolves.
Highlights include:
- Considerations for routine delivery of all recommended vaccinations for children, adolescents, and adults, including pregnant women.
- General practices for the safe delivery of vaccination services, including considerations for alternative vaccination sites.
- Strategies for catch up vaccinations.
Health centers play a critical role in protecting the most vulnerable patients from vaccine-preventable diseases. We encourage you to take every opportunity to educate both parents and patients. Research shows the strongest predictor of whether a patient gets vaccinated is a recommendation from their health care professional.