White House

• Expanding Access to COVID-19 Testing Supplies - As part of the Biden Administration's “Path Out of the Pandemic” COVID-19 Action Plan, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in partnership with the Department of Defense is making available to all HRSA-supported health centers, as well as Medicare-certified rural health clinics, free COVID-19 at-home self-testing supplies, authorized by the FDA for emergency use. Distribution of these self-tests at no cost to health center patients and community members will help to ensure and expand community-based COVID-19 mitigation efforts.

HRSA

• Health Center COVID-19 Therapeutics Program - Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) launched a HRSA Health Center COVID-19 Therapeutics Program to directly allocate a limited supply of several oral antiviral pills for the outpatient treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 to select HRSA-supported health centers. The federal government has secured a supply of these medications for distribution to the U.S. population following the issuance of Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) from the FDA. This program will supplement state/jurisdictional allocations and aims to ensure equitable access by providing an additional supply directly to HRSA-supported health centers.

CDC

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsed the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' (ACIP) recommendation for use of Moderna’s vaccine for people ages 18 years and older. This follow's FDA's approval early last week.
  • The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, which will be marketed under the brand name ‘Spikevax,’ will continue to be available under EUA for:
    • individuals 18 years of age and older for the administration of a 2 dose primary series,
    • a third primary dose in immunocompromised individuals, and
    • as a single booster dose at the recommended interval following the primary series.
  • Spikevax has the same formulation as the EUA Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and can be used interchangeably with the EUA Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Visit the CDC website on Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Overview and Safety.
  • FDA has updated factsheets for healthcare providers and recipients and caregivers.
• Updated: Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Healthcare Personnel During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic
  • Empiric use of Transmission-Based Precautions (quarantine) is recommended for patients who have had close contact with someone with SARS-CoV-2 infection if they are not up to date with all recommended COVID-19 vaccine doses.
    • In general, quarantine is not needed for asymptomatic patients who are up to date with all recommended COVID-19 vaccine doses or who have recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection in the prior 90 days; potential exceptions are described in the guidance. However, some of these patients should still be tested as described in the testing section of the guidance.
  • A test-based strategy and (if available) consultation with infectious disease experts is now recommended for determining the duration of Transmission-Based Precautions for patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection who are moderately to severely immunocompromised.
  • Updated to include additional examples when universal respirator use could be considered

• Updated: Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations to Prevent SARS-CoV-2 Spread in Nursing Homes
  • Empiric use of Transmission-Based Precautions (quarantine) is recommended for residents who are newly admitted to the facility and for residents who have had close contact with someone with SARS-CoV-2 infection if they are not up to date with all recommended COVID-19 vaccine doses.
    • In general, quarantine is not needed for asymptomatic residents who are up to date with all COVID-19 vaccine doses or who have recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection in the prior 90 days; potential exceptions are described in the guidance. However, some of these residents should still be tested as described in the testing section of the guidance.

• COCA
  • Ivermectin Products are Not Approved by FDA to Prevent or Treat COVID-19 - The CDC Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) has released an important message about Ivermectin products noting that, "the U.S. FDA has not authorized or approved using ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID-19 in humans and has cautioned about the potential risks of using ivermectin for COVID-19. This medication is FDA-approved to treat certain infections caused by internal and external parasites, but is not authorized or approved by the FDA to prevent or treat COVID-19.”

• For questions about VaxMaX and its functionality, please visit the VaxMaX Help website, which includes reference guides and tutorial videos.

Check out our complete list of COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic Best Practices and our Lightning Learnings: Best Practices for Busy Providers!

Upcoming Events

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• COCA Call - What Clinicians Need to Know About Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children - Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a rare but severe condition associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. CDC has been actively involved in MIS-C surveillance and research, and development of MIS-C resources to support the public health and healthcare community. During this COCA Call, presenters will discuss CDC’s surveillance of MIS-C, updated MIS-C resources for healthcare providers, research that informed those resources, and data related to COVID-19 vaccination and MIS-C.

• • Date: February 10, 2022
  • Time: 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm ET
  • Weblink Access
  • Webinar ID:160 617 0121
  • Passcode: 731625
  • Telephone: 1-669-254-5252

 

• Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee February 15, 2022 Meeting - The committee will meet in open session to discuss a request to amend the EUA of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA vaccine for administration to children 6 months through 4 years of age.
  • Date: February 15, 2022
  • Time: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm ET
  • To join: Click Here
  • Should this vaccine be authorized and recommended, and you are interested in ordering it, please reach out to your health district today.

VDH

• Template Letters for Daycare/School: The exposure, case, outbreak, and exclusion template letters were updated to include the new CDC isolation and quarantine guidance, optional 12-17 booster guidance, and updated VDH contact tracing for congregate settings updates. The letters were posted to the Child Care and Camps page under Resources for Child Care Providers and K-12 Education page under Resources for Administrators.

CDC

• COCA How to Talk With Parents and Caregivers About COVID-19 Vaccinations - This update includes a Quick Conversation Guide on COVID-19 Vaccines for Children to help answer common parent or caregiver questions about COVID-19 vaccines for children.