The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced in their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) revised schedules of routinely recommended vaccinations on Thursday, including the COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccination schedules describe current vaccine recommendations for children, teens, and adults.
Immunization schedules summarize CDC vaccine recommendations to assist healthcare practitioners in making vaccination decisions. They are not required, and no immunization requirements for businesses or schools are established; however many schools apply these suggestions to their kids.
Stickers for children are seen ahead of full approval from the CDC for children to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut on November 2, 2021.
Key Changes in Immunization Guidelines
As per the announcement, the CDC vaccination schedule website has a summary of Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations, including significant modifications from the 2022 immunization schedule on the front page, tables, notes, and appendix.
It is recommended that healthcare workers utilize the tables, remarks, and appendices together to identify recommended immunizations for patient populations.
These key changes in immunization guidelines published in the CDC's MMWR include the addition of the COVID-19 primary vaccine series and recommendations on booster dose vaccination, updated guidelines on influenza and pneumonia vaccines, as well as new vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella (MM), and hepatitis B.
Moreover, the schedule suggests giving additional doses of MMR vaccination during a mumps outbreak and giving inactivated poliovirus vaccine to those at a higher risk of infection.
But perhaps the biggest change is incorporating COVID-19 vaccines into both schedules, the authors told CNN. That means the COVID-19 vaccine is presented routinely and not just in a special "call out" box like in previous years.
It helps normalize COVID-19 vaccines and sends a powerful message to healthcare workers and the public that everyone should stay up to date with their vaccination. However, it does not mean that vaccination will be required by schools.
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Healthcare Urges Parents To Vaccinate Their Children
As childhood vaccination coverage has dropped in recent years, public health professionals underscore the need for yearly vaccines. CBS News reports that vaccination coverage for kindergarteners declined to 93% for needed immunizations in the 2021-2022 school year, falling short of the total target of 95% established by the US Department of Health and Human Services under the Healthy People program.
Experts ascribe the drop in vaccine coverage to healthcare interruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and healthcare professionals are working hard to return to and exceed pre-pandemic levels.
Dr. William Schaffner, a professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, explains that it is a matter of concern because it opens up opportunities for these pathogens to be reintroduced into the country and cause outbreaks. Healthcare professionals urge families to make sure their children are up to date with their vaccines to prevent this.
Dr. Sean O'Leary, chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases and a vaccine adviser to the CDC, added that vaccines are essential for the health of the whole society and that everyone has the responsibility to ensure that all have access to vaccinations. The vaccination schedules provide a roadmap to help children get vaccines to improve their immune systems and resist diseases.
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