Category: Covid-19 Vaccine

Florida’s surgeon general on Wednesday officially called for a halt “to the use of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines,” citing a discredited theory that has been debunked by federal and global health officials. 

In a statement released by the Florida Department of Health, Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said he previously raised questions about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but the agency provided “no evidence” to refute his claims. 

Last month, Ladapo wrote to the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) alleging that DNA fragments from the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines could “integrate” with the DNA of the person they’re injected into, causing a host of harmful side effects. 

“DNA integration poses a unique and elevated risk to human health and to the integrity of the human genome,” Ladapo said, alleging the FDA did not adequately assess those risks. 

“If the risks of DNA integration have not been assessed for mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, these vaccines are not appropriate for use in human beings. … It is my hope that, in regard to COVID-19, the FDA will one day seriously consider its regulatory responsibility to protect human health, including the integrity of the human genome,” Ladapo said.

In a letter responding to Ladapo, the FDA refuted each of his assertions and noted that there have been over one billion shots administered worldwide, and no safety concerns related to residual DNA have been identified. 

Peter Marks, director of FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, essentially accused Ladapo of spreading misinformation. 

“On first principle, it is quite implausible” that the vaccines could contaminate someone’s DNA, Marks wrote. “Perpetuating references to this information about residual DNA without placing it within the context of the manufacturing process is misleading.” 

Marks said the FDA stands by the safety and efficacy of the vaccines, and there is substantial evidence they reduce severe disease and death. He warned that false and misleading information leads to low uptake. 

“The challenge we continue to face is the ongoing proliferation of misinformation and disinformation about these vaccines which results in vaccine hesitancy that lowers vaccine uptake,” Marks wrote. “Given the dramatic reduction in the risk of death, hospitalization and serious illness afforded by the vaccines, lower vaccine uptake is contributing to the continued death and serious illness toll of COVID-19.” 

Ladapo was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in 2021 and has been vocal about his opposition to federal health policies. He has previously cast doubt on the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 shots.  

This is also not the first time he has clashed with federal health officials.  

In 2022, Ladapo recommend against healthy children receiving the COVID-19 vaccines. Last year he recommended against anyone younger than 65 getting new COVID-19 vaccine boosters. In response, the CDC and FDA warned Lapado that he was fueling vaccine hesitancy and harming Florida’s seniors.  

DeSantis is running for president and has made a name for himself on the national stage by publicly feuding with the Biden administration’s top health officials over COVID-19 policy.  

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Florida surgeon general recommends against mRNA COVID shots, cites discredited theory - The Hill

Two hurdles mRNA drugs face are a short half-life and impurities that trigger immune responses. BlackJack3D/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Vaccines have been reliably and affordably protecting people from diseases worldwide for centuries. Until the COVID-19 pandemic, however, vaccine development was still a long and idiosyncratic process. Traditionally, researchers had to tailor manufacturing processes and facilities for each vaccine candidate, and the scientific knowledge gained from one vaccine was often not directly transferable to another.

But the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines brought a new approach to vaccine development that has far-reaching implications for how researchers make drugs to treat many other diseases.

I am a biochemist, and my lab at UMass Chan Medical School focuses on developing better ways to use mRNA as a drug. Although there are many possibilities for what researchers can use mRNA to treat, some important limitations remain. Better understanding how mRNA-based drugs interact with the immune system and how they are degraded in human cells can help lead to safe, durable and effective treatments for a wide range of diseases.

Messenger RNA, or mRNA, is made of four building blocks denoted by the letters A, C, G and U. The sequence of letters in an mRNA molecule conveys genetic information that directs how a protein is made.

An mRNA drug comprises two essential components: mRNA molecules, which code for desired proteins, and the lipid molecules such as phospholipids and cholesterol that encapsulate them. These mRNA-lipid nanoparticles, or LNPs, are tiny spheres about 100 nanometers in diameter that protect mRNA from degradation and facilitate its delivery into target cells.

Once inside cells, mRNA molecules instruct the cells machinery to produce the target protein required for a desired therapeutic effect. For example, the mRNA in the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines directs cells to produce a harmless version of the virus spike protein that trains the immune system to recognize and better prepare for potential infection.

From a drug development perspective, mRNA drugs offer significant advantages over traditional drugs because they are easily programmable. Hundreds of pounds of mRNA can be made from readily available DNA templates, such that producing a different mRNA drug is as simple as changing the corresponding DNA templates.

More importantly, different mRNA drugs produced by the same set of methods will have similar properties. They will be delivered to the same tissues, trigger similar levels of immune responses and degrade in similar ways. This predictability significantly reduces the development risks and financial costs of developing mRNA drugs.

In addition to being easy to program, mRNA drugs have several other unique properties. For example, just like the mRNAs your body naturally produces, therapeutic mRNAs have a short half-life in cells: about one day. As a result, current mRNA technology is ideal for treatments that arent meant to last long in the body.

This is why vaccines are popular candidates for mRNA technology: They provide long-term protection against disease after brief exposure to the drug with few side effects. There are currently more than 30 mRNA vaccine candidates, not including vaccines for COVID-19, in clinical trials.

Another critical feature of mRNA drugs is their intrinsic ability to stimulate the immune system. This may sound paradoxical after all, your cells already contain large amounts of mRNAs. Why would other mRNAs activate your immune system? How does your immune system distinguish between self and nonself mRNAs?

The first reason involves location. Therapeutic mRNAs enter cells using endosomes sacs made of the cells membrane that take in materials from the cells environment. Your immune system can detect mRNA in endosomes because this is usually a sign of an RNA virus infection cellular mRNAs normally dont enter endosomes. When your immune system labels therapeutic mRNAs as viral material, it triggers a strong inflammatory response that can lead to severe side effects.

One solution to this problem is to modify mRNAs building blocks specifically, changing the U, or uridine, to its chemical cousins, pseudouridine and N1-methylpseudouridine. This subtle chemical change prevents the unwanted immune response while allowing the therapeutic mRNA to direct the cell to make the protein it encodes. The 2023 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine was awarded to the scientists who made this breakthrough discovery. Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 mRNA vaccines use this technique.

The second source of unwanted immune response is impurities from mRNA production. To prepare mRNA from a DNA template, scientists use a protein called RNA polymerase that tends to make a small amount of side product called double-stranded RNA. Unlike mRNA, which is single-stranded, double-stranded RNA has two chains that form a double helix. RNA viruses also form double-stranded RNA when they replicate, and exposing cells to double-stranded RNA can lead to a strong immune response.

Removing double-stranded RNA is challenging, especially at the industrial scale. Fortuitously, for mRNA vaccines, the residual amount of double-stranded RNA can stimulate the immune system to enhance antibody responses. However, for applications other than vaccines, a cleaner RNA product is necessary to reduce side effects.

Although mRNA has the potential to transform drug development for various medical purposes, careful consideration is required to identify targets that align with the technologys strengths.

For example, because there is currently a limit to how long mRNA can last in the body, treatments that need a protein to be present for only a short period of time to achieve a lasting therapeutic effect are ideal. One promising example in development is using mRNA that encodes CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing proteins to knock out genes that cause specific diseases.

Researchers are exploring this strategy to develop a single-dose treatment for hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis, a rare genetic disease caused by the accumulation of misfolded proteins in the heart and nerves. This disease is an ideal target for mRNA-based CRISPR gene therapy because the target protein is produced by the liver. Because most drugs pass through the liver, this makes it easier to deliver CRISPR-Cas9 mRNA to its target. In the next few years, a new generation of more precise mRNA-based genome editing therapies will enter clinical trials.

For treatments that need a specific protein to be present in the body for long periods of time or need to prompt little to no immune reaction, further advancements in mRNA technology are necessary to extend mRNAs half-life and eliminate immune-triggering contaminants. Notable new developments in these areas include using computational algorithms to optimize mRNA sequences in ways that enhance their stability and engineering RNA polymerases that introduce fewer side products that may cause an immune response.

Further advancements have the potential to enable a new generation of safe, durable and effective mRNA therapeutics for applications beyond vaccines.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Drugs of the future will be easier and faster to make, thanks to mRNA - UMass Medical School

Significance of Vaccination in Mitigating COVID-19 Severity in Young People

A recent study has underscored the importance of COVID-19 vaccination in reducing the severity of the disease in children and teens. The research found that those who received the vaccine demonstrated high protection against moderate and severe COVID-19 cases throughout the duration of the pandemic. This proves the efficacy of the vaccines in curbing not only the spread but also the severity of the disease among the younger population.

Notably, the research also revealed a reduced risk of cardiac complications in the vaccinated group, particularly in the context of the Omicron variant. This is a crucial finding that further underscores the benefits of vaccination, as it suggests that vaccines can help to prevent potential heart issues that could arise as a result of a COVID-19 infection.

Many parents and guardians have questions and concerns about the impacts of the COVID-19 vaccine on their children. However, health experts emphasize the necessity of vaccination in young children to prevent severe disease. The COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the U.S. have undergone rigorous testing and have been found to be safe and effective for use in children.

While vaccination significantly reduces the risk of severe disease, some children may be more prone to severe COVID-19 infection due to certain risk factors. A study in Germany identified obesity, Trisomy 21, being between five and 11 years of age, neurological neuromuscular diseases, and coinfections as factors that increased the risk of severe infection in children and adolescents. The study noted a decrease in hospitalization and ICU admission rates during the Omicron variant circulation, which was attributed to reduced virulence and higher vaccination coverage.

Despite the increased transmissibility of newer variants such as the JN1, infections have generally been causing less severe disease than earlier in the pandemic. However, the threat of long COVID remains significant, with some recovering patients experiencing persistent symptoms months after their initial infection. This further emphasizes the importance of vaccination to guard against severe disease and potential long-term health complications.

In the United States, the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) provides liability protections to vaccine manufacturers and administrators under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986. However, COVID-19 vaccines are covered under the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP), not the VICP. The CICP provides benefits to individuals who sustain a covered serious physical injury as a direct result of the administration or use of covered countermeasures.

In conclusion, with the available data, it is clear that vaccination plays a pivotal role in mitigating the impact of COVID-19, especially in children and teenagers. It not only aids in reducing the severity of the disease but also lowers the risk of cardiac complications. Hence, vaccination should be considered a crucial part of the global strategy against COVID-19.

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Significance of Vaccination in Mitigating COVID-19 Severity in Young People - Medriva

Unveiling the Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccines for Young People

As the world continues to grapple with the ongoing pandemic, the role of COVID-19 vaccines in safeguarding our children and adolescents has been a topic of much discussion and study. A real-world study spearheaded by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia has shed significant light on this crucial issue. The study, which examined the effects of the COVID-19 vaccines on children and adolescents, found that these vaccines provide significant protection against the illness and do not increase the risk of cardiac complications in these young recipients.

The study spanned the periods when the delta and omicron variants were dominant and encompassed a sample of 250,000 patients, about half of whom had received at least one dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine. The results were rather encouraging. Vaccinated young people were found to be 98% less likely to contract the delta variant and 86% less likely to be infected with the omicron variant. Furthermore, there was no indication of increased cardiac risks during either variant phase, countering some of the concerns raised about potential cardiac complications from the vaccines.

While the vaccines effectiveness did decline slightly against the omicron variant, it still offered substantial protection. Even amidst the rise of the omicron variant, vaccinated individuals maintained a lower risk of cardiac complications. This highlights the vaccines continued relevance and necessity, despite the emergence of new variants.

The study underlines the critical role that vaccinating children and adolescents plays in controlling the viruss spread and safeguarding public health. Besides providing direct protection to the vaccinated individuals, it also contributes to building the community-wide immunity necessary to curb the pandemic.

The researchers are not stopping here. They are carrying out additional work to assess the direct and indirect impacts of vaccination on outcomes tied to long COVID, a condition where COVID-19 symptoms persist for weeks or even months after the acute illness has resolved. Also, they believe that further research is necessary to understand how well the vaccines continue to protect their recipients, especially considering the newer variants. As our knowledge about the virus and its variants continues to evolve, so will our strategies to combat it. Vaccination remains a potent tool in our arsenal, and studies like this underscore its effectiveness and importance in our fight against this global health crisis.

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Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccines for Young People: Study Details & Significance - Medriva

Cases of three major respiratory viruses — the flu, COVID-19 and RSV — are surging in the U.S., pushing the country toward a feared “tripledemic” during its first post-pandemic respiratory viral season. 

Optimism was high this autumn as the U.S. headed into the viral season. The national arsenal against these viruses had vaccines against RSV for the first time, newly updated COVID-19 vaccines, and the flu “immunity debt” that plagued children in 2022 was history.

But now, confidence is waning. Accessing the vaccine for RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, has been a struggle for many, and enthusiasm for the new COVID-19 vaccines turned out to be abysmal. COVID-19 hospital admissions have been rising since November and wastewater detection indicates most sites — 69 percent — are seeing large increases in virus levels. 

Flu activity across the country is currently “elevated and continues to increase in most parts of the country,” according to the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And vaccine uptake for the flu seems to be lagging, with the CDC saying nearly 8 million fewer people got the shot by mid-December compared to the same period in 2022. 

During the first couple of years of the pandemic, flu activity remained low, attributed to the precautionary measures that communities took to mitigate the viral spread of COVID. The 2022-23 flu season appeared to mark a return to normal flu levels.

Only about a fifth of U.S. adults say they’ve received the newest COVID-19 shot, according to polling from KFF. Uptake for the previous bivalent shots was similarly low and many Americans likely haven’t been immunized since receiving their first doses in 2020 or 2021. 

“We’re definitely seeing an increase in the number of flu cases, COVID-19. They’re both surging right now,” said Luis Ostrosky, chief of infectious diseases and epidemiology with UTHealth Houston and Memorial Hermann. 

Speaking on the RSV cases he’s seen in the Houston area, Ostrosky said infections appeared to surge earlier in December, though he is still seeing a “steady” number. 

“This is so alarming that it prompted CDC to send out a health alert towards the end of December reminding all clinicians to really work on getting patients vaccinated and, when they have symptoms, tested so that they can access therapy if they need it,” Ostrosky noted. 

Available RSV data from the CDC does seem to suggest test positivity peaked toward the end of November, with the positivity rates for antigen and PCR tests just beginning to drop in recent weeks. 

Hopes were high that the approval of two RSV vaccines for seniors and a preventive monoclonal antibody for infants would help keep cases low this season. 

But Sanofi, the maker of the monoclonal antibody Beyfortus, said in October that “unprecedented demand” had led to short supply, leading the CDC to advise doctors to reserve doses for their highest-risk patients. 

And RSV vaccine uptake among seniors appears rather lackluster, with CDC data suggesting only about 10 percent of nursing home residents had gotten immunized against the virus by mid-December. 

“The numbers are not looking good,” said Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, of the three circulating viruses. 

“I think when we get some new numbers for the last week, it’s going to be sort of continued trends in the same direction and increased activity across all of those conditions,” added Plescia. 

A holiday “bump” in cases is to be expected following weeks of year-end travel. AAA estimated in December that more than 115 million people in the U.S. would be traveling 50 miles or more from home during the festivities. 

Amid all the travel, Plescia lamented that social norms which he hoped became commonplace following the pandemic appeared to have been largely abandoned. 

“I think we’re kind of going back to, you know, the old approach of people don’t stay home when they’re sick,” said Plescia. “And they think it’s sort of a minor thing and the thought that they might infect somebody else just doesn’t really occur to them.” 

Masking has also become rare once again, though Plescia noted many hospital systems are bringing back mask requirements amid the rise in respiratory viruses. These hospital-enacted requirements may be more easily accepted by communities than those issued by the government, and Plescia expects to see more like them in the future. 

While cases are rising, Plescia said his organization hasn’t yet heard of any health systems around the country being unduly stressed by the respiratory viral situation. 

“That is sort of the first concern with some kind of ‘tripledemic’ is that we would have so many people getting sick that hospitals would become overwhelmed either because they didn’t have enough beds or they didn’t have enough staff to care for that number of people. We’re not hearing that we’re approaching that, but that is the thing that we’re most concerned about,” he said.

Ostrosky is optimistic case rates will begin to go down soon after a potential holiday bump, with past winter peaks indicating a drop sometime in early January. He emphasized it is still worthwhile to get tested if you experience symptoms because there is now a plethora of therapeutics available for treating these infections. 

Going forward, Plescia also recommended that more focus be placed on vaccinations among health care workers. 

“That’s important not just because we don’t want health care workers to get sick and give it to their patients but also, you know, when you have a lot of health care workers getting sick, this whole capacity thing becomes problematic,” Plescia said.

“Because what we’re hearing now is that hospitals are less concerned about not having enough beds. They’re more concerned about having enough health care workers to staff those beds.” 

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Why fears over a tripledemic are surging - The Hill

The Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation announced today that it's investing up to $5 million in Ohio-based Clarametyx Biosciences to develop a drug that could help CF patients clear difficult-to-treat bacterial infections.

The money will support development of CMTX-101, a monoclonal antibody that has shown the ability to disrupt biofilm formation across several species of bacteria, including the species that tend to cause chronic infection in CF patients, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Burkholderia cepacia, and nontuberculosis mycobacteria.

CF patients with chronic P aeruginosa infections are currently being enrolled in a phase 1b/2a clinical trial that will investigate the safety and tolerability of CTXM-101 in combination with inhaled tobramycin.

Because of the mucus that builds up in their lungs, CF patients are prone to bacterial infections that can exacerbate their condition. Most of those infections involve bacteria that form biofilmscommunities of microbes that can grow on human tissue, medical devices, and prosthetic joints and form a protective layer around the bacteria, shielding them from the immune system and antibiotics.

CTXM-101 is designed to collapse biofilms by targeting a region of proteins that help stabilize and maintain biofilm integrity. Without the protection of the biofilm, the bacteria causing the infection become more susceptible to antibiotics. CF Foundation officials say the approach may also reduce the inflammation that results from chronic infections in CF patients.

"We hope that this potential therapy will ultimately help people with CF clear many different types of difficult-to-treat infections," JP Clancy, MD, senior vice president of clinical research at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, said in a press release. "This could provide a crucial new tool that could be used alongside traditional antibiotics in the fight against antimicrobial resistance."

CTXM-101 is among the antibacterial candidates that have received pre-clinical funding from CARB-X (the Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator).

This could provide a crucial new tool that could be used alongside traditional antibiotics in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.

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Updated COVID vaccine 71% effective against hospitalization for older adults - University of Minnesota Twin Cities

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Originally posted here:

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: assessing the prevalence, predictors, and effectiveness of a community pharmacy based ... - BMC Public Health

A German man has been hit with a $3,300 fine after expressing some unconventional views on COVID-19 vaccines. Deutsche Welle reports that the unnamed vocational-college teacher, a 62-year-old from Berlin, heard his financial fate on Thursday from the Tiergarten Local Court, where a presiding judge slammed him for comparing coronavirus vaccinations to the Holocaust. The man had posted footage online that showed the Nazi slogan "Arbeit macht frei" ("work sets you free"), often found posted at World War II concentration campsexcept he'd altered it to sarcastically read "Vaccination sets you free."

In a second video, he attacked his home country's government for its COVID mitigation measures, also comparing them to the Holocaust. Deutsche Welle notes it's illegal in Germany to deny the Holocaust, in which about 6 million Jewish people died, or to minimize it or spread Nazi propaganda. The man's actions were "a trivialization," the presiding judge said Thursday before handing down the consequences. "Any other interpretation is far-fetched."

The teacher had hauled his case before a labor court after he was let go from his job in August 2021. That court decided the city of Berlin no longer had to employ him, though he was awarded a severance payout of nearly $80,000. (We've had similar instances of comparing vaccines, vaccine mandates, and COVID restrictions to the Holocaust or Nazi Germany here in the States.)

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Man Finds Out Not to Compare COVID Shots to Holocaust - Newser

Flu is a common illness during the winter. But it can be severe, especially in children younger than age 5 and adults ages 65 and older, pregnant women, and those with compromised immune systems and chronic conditions, such as diabetes or asthma. It attacks the respiratory system, causing fever, body aches, cough, headache, and sore throat.

How to prevent the flu: Get the annual flu shot, which is available to everyone ages 6 months and older. Although the CDC recommends getting the shot by the end of October for peak protection, it is given throughout the season, which usually peaks between December and February, and can extend until May.

Most people ages 6 months and older need only one dose of the flu vaccine; however, some children, ages 6 months through 8 years, may require two doses for the best protection.

Some people will still get the flu after getting the vaccine, Dr. Gleeson says. But data suggests that if you do, the vaccine decreases the risk of severe disease and hospitalization. You might feel bad, but not as dramatically ill as you would have been if you didn't get the vaccine.

This year, special measures for flu vaccination are no longer recommended for people with egg allergies, regardless of the severity of a previous reaction to egg. This is based on studies that show those severe allergic reactions are rare, according to the CDC, which also recommends all vaccines be given in settings where allergic reactions can be recognized and treated quickly. People with allergies to other vaccine ingredients should talk to their providers.

If you get the flu: The CDC recommends staying home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone. The fever should go away on its own without over-the-counter medication, according to the CDC. Also, children and teenagers should not take aspirin or products that contain salicylate to treat flu symptoms, since that ingredient can cause a rare condition called Reyes syndrome in people 18 and younger.

You can talk to your doctor about getting a prescription for an antiviral drug, such as Tamiflu, especially if you are 65 or older, pregnant, or have a medical condition such as asthma or heart disease. Children can take these medications as well. Antiviral drugs, including pills, inhaled powders, and solutions delivered intravenously, fight the flu virus in your body, and they work best when you start taking them early, one or two days after symptoms start. Antivirals can help reduce symptoms, shorten your illness by one or two days, and prevent pneumonia and other serious complications, including death.

Link:

Flu and COVID Cases Are Surging: How to Protect Yourself - Yale Medicine

Secretary Becerra reminded leaders of their obligations to offer and educate residents and staff on vaccines in order to increase low COVID-19 vaccination rate among nursing home residents and staff

On Wednesday, January 3, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra met virtually with long-term care facility (LTCF) leaders to express concerns about low vaccination rates among nursing home residents and remind industry leaders of their obligations to offer the COVID-19 vaccine to residents and staff.

Todays conversation was a follow-up call from a previous HHS virtual meeting on December 21 with LTCF leaders to discuss the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) December 2023 report finding that just 33% of long-term care facility residents were up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requires all nursing homes to offer COVID-19 vaccines to residents and staff and educate them on their benefits.

During the call, Secretary Becerra expressed his appreciation to long-term care providers for understanding the urgency of this issue and requested that member facilities share their best practices with HHS and any information that they could as to why residents or their guardians may be declining COVID-19 vaccinations this season. Secretary Becerra underscored that older Americans who are not vaccinated face greater risk of serious illness. He also stressed that it is imperative that these leaders do their part by offering vaccinations and education on vaccine protections. Secretary Becerra also reiterated that HHS would continue to work with leaders on this issue.

The Biden-Harris Administration has made historic progress in our nations ability to manage COVID-19 so that it no longer meaningfully disrupts the way we live our lives. For the first time, vaccines are available to protect older adults in the United States against all three winter respiratory illnesses: COVID-19, flu, and RSV.

HHS continues to work closely with the CDC and other federal, state, and local partners to ensure that all providers are encouraging uptake amongst their populations particularly amongst older Americans who are not vaccinated and at greater risk of serious illness. HHS has supported vaccination efforts in long-term health care facilities through:

The following representatives participated in the meeting:

Read the original:

Readout of HHS Secretary Becerra's Meeting with Long-Term Care Facility Leaders - HHS.gov