A publication of the Immunization Action Coalition of WA (IACW) and WithinReach
January 2022
|
|
Greetings!
Happy New Year! Starting off the new year serves as a reminder to continue to keep our communities safe and healthy by getting vaccinated and boosted, wearing a mask, and getting tested before gathering.
Everyone five and older are currently eligible to receive the primary COVID-19 vaccine series. People who have not yet been vaccinated or boosted when eligible are highly encouraged to make an appointment today to protect themselves. Lastly, the flu vaccine is your best protection against flu and is available now throughout the winter. Learn more about getting a flu vaccine on Washington State Department of Health's website.
This month's newsletter includes important community vaccine announcements, webinars and vaccination news. Please feel free to share this newsletter with your networks.
Stay safe, healthy and protect your community!
WithinReach
|
|
|
|
Vaccinate Your Family has developed a suite of educational resources for flu in English and Spanish. To address the decline in flu vaccination rates this season (especially for children and pregnant people), please feel free to use these resources to communicate the importance of annual flu vaccination to your audiences.
|
|
|
|
Given what we currently know about COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, CDC is shortening the recommended time for isolation and quarantine for the public. The change is motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after.
|
|
|
|
Cases are rising sharply, driven by the omicron variant, which is believed to be more contagious than previous variants, including delta. Tracking cases and preventing further spread of disease starts with testing; anyone with any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 or known exposures should get tested, regardless of vaccination status or prior infection.
|
|
|
|
The COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Collaborative is a community engagement initiative launched by the DOH to ensure an equity and social justice lens is incorporated in the agency’s vaccine planning and implementation. The Collaborative centers the needs, requests and recommendations of communities and sectors that have been most disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. If you are interested in joining the Collaborative, please fill out an interest form.
|
|
Upcoming Webinars & Events |
|
|
|
January 12, 2022, 12:00 PM- 2:00 PM PST
Join us for our virtual January 2022 IACW Meeting! Presentations and a recording of this meeting will be made available after the event.
- IACW announcements from WithinReach
- Updates from the Washington State Department of Health
- 2022 Political Landscape & Background presented by Carrie Glover, WithinReach
- Panel on Addressing Vaccine Uptake in Children and Young Adults
|
|
|
|
January 12, 2021, 6:00PM - 7:00 PM PST
This webinar will provide parents and caregivers with an overview of the COVID-19 Vaccine for children 5-11. Together, we’ll discuss: the risks vs. the benefits of vaccinating your children against COVID-19, the impact COVID-19 has had on children, and the safety of the COVID-19 Vaccine.
|
|
|
|
January 14, 2021, 10:30 AM - 5:30 PM ET
|
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will convene a virtual workshop to examine changes to diagnostic paradigms in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to consider the lessons learned and opportunities for improving diagnosis within the U.S. health care system.
|
|
|
|
January 27, 2022 11:30 AM - 1:00PM PST
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health Region 10 (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington) and Pacific Northwest immunization partners will convene stakeholders for a series of three 90-minute meetings to promote adult immunizations. The meetings will focus on building trust in communities and boosting vaccine confidence.
|
|
Vaccine Information Resource Assistant, or VIRA, is designed to support and meet people where they are with simple answers to common COVID-19 vaccine questions. VIRA is adaptive, learning by listening to your questions and feedback to help scientists respond to emerging questions.
|
|
Vaccination is the single best decision we can make to protect our children’s health. Given the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s more important than ever to talk to your child’s doctor about getting them back up to date with their immunizations, especially as children return to school and begin to gather again.
|
|
The Washington State Department of Health produced this educational video to address misinformation and disinformation on social media; encourage proper use of VAERS (the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System) and promote trusted sources of information related to vaccines.
|
|
|
|
Check out our free immunization e-courses on our Immunity Community website! These courses can be started and completed at any time. Courses are available for professionals who work in the immunization field.
|
|
QUESTIONS OR SUGGESTIONS?
|
|
Making the connections Washington families need to be healthy and safe. Promoting, protecting & supporting immunization as a vital part of the health and development of children and families. |
|
Founded in 1994, the Immunization Action Coalition of Washington (IACW), a program of WithinReach, works to improve the health of the community by minimizing the incidence of vaccine preventable diseases through the optimal use of immunizations across the lifespan.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
