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NJIN Monthly Newsletter
December 2023
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On behalf of NJIN and NJAAP, we wish all of our members and their families a wonderful Holiday season and happy New Year!
In this edition of the NJIN monthly newsletter, we present several
vaccine-related articles and updates related to topics such as RSV, Flu, and COVID-19.
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Featured Articles and Resources | |
Recommended Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule: United States, 2024 | |
The 2024 recommended childhood and adolescent immunization schedules have been approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American College of Nurse-Midwives, American Academy of Physician Associates, and National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. The schedules are revised annually to reflect current recommendations for the use of vaccines licensed by the US Food and Drug Administration. | |
Current Epidemic Growth Status (Based on Rt) for States and Territories
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This interactive tool from the CDC allows users to view the current COVID-19 and flu epidemic growth status for all US states and territories.
Key Points:
- As of December 2, we estimate that COVID-19 infections are growing or likely growing in 25 states and territories, declining or likely declining in 0 states and territories, and are stable or uncertain in 26 states and territories.
- As of December 2, we estimate that influenza infections are growing or likely growing in 34 states and territories, declining or likely declining in 2 states and territories, and stable or uncertain in 4 states and territories.
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Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report
(CDC FluView)
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Key Points
- An annual flu vaccine is the best way to protect against the flu and vaccination helps prevent infection and can also prevent serious outcomes in people who get vaccinated but still get sick with flu.
- Seasonal influenza activity continues to increase in most parts of the country, with the southeast and south-central areas of the country reporting the highest levels of activity.
- CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older get an annual flu vaccine, as there are still vaccines available. Now is still a good time to get vaccinated if you haven’t already.
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Flu viruses are among several viruses that contribute to respiratory disease activity. CDC is providing updated, integrated information about COVID-19, flu, and RSV activity on a weekly basis.
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Weekly US Map: Influenza Summary Update (CDC) | |
This interactive map from the CDC allows users to view Influenza-like-illness (ILI) activity levels across the United States over time. Users can explore a number of features, including the ability to click on any state and be redirected to state-level surveillance tools and other resources. | |
Update on SARS-CoV-2 Variant JN.1 Being Tracked by CDC | |
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Key Points:
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The virus that causes COVID-19 is constantly changing over time. Sometimes these changes allow new variants to spread more quickly or effectively. If that occurs, the new variant may become more common relative to other variants that are circulating.
- CDC projects that the variant JN.1 comprises an estimated 15–29% of in the United States as of December 8, 2023.
- CDC projects that JN.1 will continue to increase as a proportion of SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences. It is currently the fastest-growing variant in the United States.
- The continued growth of JN.1 suggests that it is either more transmissible or better at evading our immune systems.
- There is no evidence that JN.1 presents an increased risk to public health relative to other currently circulating variants.
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CSL Seqirus Influenza Season Insights | |
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For an in-season influenza slide deck that looks at the prevalence of influenza cases, the distribution, and immunization rates, click the button below.
*Updated November 25th
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US to Offer More Free COVID Tests Nationwide | |
The U.S. government on Monday will start taking orders for another round of free COVID-19 tests for delivery across the country, a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spokesperson said.” Those “households that had ordered four free tests through COVIDTests.gov when they were offered again in September are eligible to order four more, while those that did not can submit two orders for a total of eight free tests. | |
COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Parents:
A Qualitative Study
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Parents/caregivers have expressed hesitancy about vaccinating their children against COVID-19, especially among rural non-Hispanic white, both rural and urban Black, and rural and urban Spanish-speaking groups.
This study examines some of the reasons for decreased vaccine uptake among these populations and adds knowledge about parental attitudes toward the vaccine by race/ethnicity and rurality.
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Wed, January 10, 2024
NJIN General Membership - New NJIN Co-Chair Announcement
12:00pm - 1:00pm
Wed, January 17, 2024
NJIN General Membership Meeting
12:00pm - 1:00pm
Presentation: The Viruses Have It! RSV, COVID-19 & Influenza Vaccination in 2023.
Robert H. Hopkins, Jr., MD, MACP, FAAP
Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Chief, Division of General Internal Medicine, UAMS College of Medicine, Little Rock, AR.
Wed, January 24, 2024
NJIN Education and Events Committee
1:00pm - 1:30pm
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We Want to Hear From You! | |
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We at NJIN would like to encourage input from our newsletter readers. Any suggestions on topics, resources, or other ideas that you'd like to see included going forward are welcome!
Please share your feedback with NJIN Director Maria Sciancalepore via email at msciancalepore@njaap.org.
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