National Influenza Vaccination Week is here! If you haven’t received a flu shot yet, there’s still time. People with certain chronic conditions are more likely to develop serious flu complications. Together, we can all #FightFlu. Protect yourself and your loved ones by getting a flu shot.

A new COVID-19 information website, specifically for teens [ncdhhs.gov] launched this week. As COVID-19 rates are rapidly increasing across the state, particularly in young people, this is a useful tool for encouraging vaccination.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has a webpage dedicated to bringing you “What’s New & Updated”.  Content on the webpage includes significant changes such as new pages and guidance recommendations.  This webpage is one of several ways you can stay updated on the most current information around COVID-19.  You can also stay updated by signing up for email updates, syndicating available content, and subscribing to the COVID-19 RSS Feed. 

A study from April 2021 sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation revealed some startling facts about ways we are missing the mark to address vaccine hesitancy among adults aged 18-64.  

On July 9, 2021, an addendum to COVID-19 Bulletin #168 was released in SPECIAL BULLETIN COVID-19 #170: Update on Vaccination Counseling Code Reimbursement. Read highlights below. 

On Monday May 10, 2021, the FDA amended the December 11, 2020 emergency use authorization (EUA) of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine authorized for use in adolescents 16 or older to include adolescents 12 -15 years of age.   The FDA has determined that Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine has met the statutory criteria to amend the EUA, and that the known and potential benefits of this vaccine in individuals 12 years of age and older outweigh the known and potential risks, supporting the vaccine’s use in this population.  

Pediatric Practices who have not already signed up for the COVID-19 Vaccine Management System (CVMS) should have received an email from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) with important updates on the COVID-19 vaccine program.  See below for more details. 

Pediatric Practices who have not already signed up for the COVID-19 Vaccine Management System (CVMS) should have received an email from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) with important updates on the COVID-19 vaccine program. See below for more details.

On April 16th, 2021 NC Department of Health and Human Services hosted a webinar to announce the new allocations process for the COVID-19 vaccine.  North Carolina will be shifting to a new allocations process where providers are asked to request the number of first doses of vaccine they would like for the coming week. Click here to download PDF of webinar slides.

Out of an abundance of caution, the CDC and FDA announced a recommendation [ncdhhs.us4.list-manage.com] to pause use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Therefore, NCDHHS is following the recommendation of the CDC and FDA and has asked vaccinating providers to pause the administration of the J&J COVID-19 vaccine until we learn more.