April 23, 2021
ACIP Votes to End Pause on J&J Vaccine
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met today to discuss Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 Vaccine and the recommendations for use in the United States following a nationwide pause earlier this month. After discussing the benefits and risks associated with the vaccine, ACIP voted to recommend the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine for persons 18 years of age and older in the U.S. population under the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's (FDA) Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).
 
Initially the Committee discussed the following policy options and recommendations for the Janssen vaccine:
  • Recommend against use for all persons.
  • Reaffirm recommendations for all age and sex; FDA to include warning statement with EUA.
  • Recommend vaccination only for adults 50 years of age and older.
  • Reaffirm recommendations for use; women younger than 50 years should be aware of the increased risk of thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) and may choose another COVID-19 vaccine (i.e., mRNA vaccines).
 
After discussion, the Committee vote narrowed the recommendation to the following two options:
  1. The Janssen COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for persons 18 years of age and older in the U.S. population under the FDA’s EUA.
  2. The Janssen COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for persons 18 years of age and older in the U.S. population under the FDA’s EUA. Women younger than 50 years should be aware of the increased risk of thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) and may choose another COVID-19 vaccine authorized for use in the United States (i.e., mRNA vaccines).
 
A vote on the first option resulted in ten members voting in favor, four opposing and one abstaining. The language for option one was then passed.
 
Next steps:
The FDA will put out newly approved EUA language to include the new thrombosis and thrombocytopenia risk of the J&J COVID vaccines. A CDC Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) call will take place early next week. In addition to the COCA call, the FDA and CDC will issue an update in a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), as well as communications and education materials as early as next week.

MPA will provide additional information when available.
MDHHS to Hold Next 'Noontime Knowledge' Webinar May 6
'This Week's Presentation Available: Current Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 Vaccine Update'
Click on the above image to download the presentation from Thursday's "Noontime Knowledge" webinar.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) hosted a “Noontime Knowledge” webinar Thursday. The topic was “Current Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 Vaccine Update.”

The following resources were used:
 
On May 6, MDHHS will host another "Noontime Knowledge" Webinar, topic to be determined.
MDHHS Starts COVID-19 Vaccine Education Corner
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is starting a weekly COVID-19 Vaccine Education Corner, as a result of the volume of questions the department is receiving. MDHHS plans to pick a “HOT TOPIC” question for the week and provide the answer to everyone with clinical resources. This weekly education piece will be emailed every Friday. Information from today's inaugural email is below.

COVID-19 Vaccine Education Corner from MDHHS:
Question: If my patient has recently had a COVID-19 infection, when can I vaccinate them?
There is no interval between infection and vaccination. Here are some key points to remember:
  • Vaccination with COVID-19 vaccine should be deferred until the person has recovered from acute illness and they have met criteria to discontinue isolation. This also applies to those who experience COVID-19 infection after the first dose of an mRNA vaccine but before a second dose.
  • Clinical trial data indicates that COVID-19 vaccine can be given safely to people with evidence of a prior COVID-19 infection.
  • People should be offered vaccination regardless of history of prior COVID-19 infection.
  • Current evidence suggests that risk of infection is low in the months following initial infection but will increase over time due to waning immunity, thus people with a recent documented acute COVID-19 infection may choose to temporarily delay vaccination. However, it is important to recognize that the risk of reinfection may increase as the time following initial COVID-19 infection increases, so vaccination should be considered.

Bonus Question: What if my patient received monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma as part of COVID-19 treatment?
  • Based on the estimated half-life of such therapies, evidence suggests that reinfection is uncommon in the 90 days after initial infections and vaccination should be deferred for at least 90 days.
  • This recommendation applies to people who receive passive antibody therapy before receiving any vaccine dose and to those who receive passive antibody therapy after the first dose of an mRNA vaccine but before the second dose, in which case the second dose should be deferred for at least 90 days following receipt of the antibody therapy.
  • Receipt of passive antibody therapy in the past 90 days is not a contraindication to receipt of COVID-19 vaccine.
  • COVID-19 vaccine doses received within 90 days after receipt of passive antibody therapy do not need to be repeated.

All this information and much more can be found in CDC’s Interim Clinical Consideration for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines Currently Authorized in the United States. Please review this guidance document and bookmark this site for future use. This guidance is being continually evaluated and updated. It contains the most current information and will answer many of your questions. CDC has also created a Summary Document for Interim Clinical Considerations which can be a quick way to review CDC’s clinical considerations guidance.

Another great resource to help address COVID-19 vaccine questions is the Immunization Action Coalition Ask the Experts COVID-19.

We cannot stress enough how important it is to use these great resources to help with any questions you have regarding vaccine administration and to help prevent vaccine administration errors. If you have any questions regarding vaccine administration, you may always reach out to us at CHECCimms@michigan.gov.