Dear all,
Here comes the June update focusing mostly on COVID-19 vaccines and Monkeypox outbreak response.
NITAG publications and updates:
COVID-19 additional Booster doses:
- ATAGI (Australia) recommends a first booster dose for adolescents (12-15 years old) who are severely immunocompromised, who have a disability with significant or complex health needs and those who have complex and/or multiple health conditions that increase the risk of severe COVID-19, using the Comirnaty (Pfizer) COVID-19 vaccine. ATAGI does not recommend that a first booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine be given to all adolescents aged 12-15 years. There is insufficient evidence of severe disease in otherwise healthy adolescents in this age group who have already received two primary doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. More here.
- In Sweden, the public health agency published the knowledge base for recommendations of Vaccination against covid-19 during the second half of 2022. The Swedish Public Health Agency recommends an additional booster dose, an autumn dose, to certain groups from 1 September 2022. The number of doses may differ depending on previous recommendations. Furthermore, the Swedish Public Health Agency recommends that all others between the ages of 18 and 64 be offered the opportunity for vaccination with the "autumn dose".
- NIAC (Ireland) updates the section on second booster dose in the COVID-19 chapter of the immunization guidelines and advises that a second booster dose be given 65 years and older + 12 years and older with immunocompromise: https://www.hse.ie/eng/health/immunisation/hcpinfo/guidelines/covid19.pdf
- Brazil NITAG issued recommendations on the second booster dose, which is extended for the population over 60 years of age. The committee also advised to eliminate the need for a medical prescription for vaccination of pregnant women.
COVID-19 children vaccination:
- ACIP met on June 18th and several presentations were made on COVID-19 pediatric vaccination, including on implementation, mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in young children, and clinical considerations for pediatric vaccination.
- ACIP voted in favor of A single Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster dose for persons ages 5-11 years at least 5 months after completion of a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine primary series. The revised Evidence to Recommendations framework for a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Booster in Children Ages 5-11 Years is available here.
- Conain (Argentina) issued recommendations on vaccination of children, available here
- Maintain homologous schedules using the vaccines authorized for the different age groups (Sinopharm for children aged 3 and 4 years, Pfizer for those aged 5 to 11 years).
- Administer an additional dose in cases of immunocompromised hosts using the same vaccine as the one used previously.
- Wait for further evidence before recommending a booster dose in the 3 to 11 years age group.
- Co-administration with other vaccines is recommended.
- Implement strategies for the recovery of coverage for routine vaccines schedule vaccines.
Monkeypox:
- The Canadian NITAG, Naci, issued an Interim guidance on the use of Imvamune in the context of monkeypox outbreaks in Canada, available here.
- The Spanish NITAG published their Vaccination recommendations during the current monkey pox outbreak (in Spanish), available here
- The Belgian NITAG posted their scientific advisory report on the Vaccination strategy against Monkeypox (available in English, French and Dutch), available here
- Decision of the STIKO (Germany) for the recommendation to vaccinate against monkeypox with Imvanex (MVA vaccine): STIKO recommends the smallpox vaccine Imvanex for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) after exposure to monkeypox and for the indication vaccination of people with an increased risk of exposure and infection (e.g. during a monkeypox virus outbreak). Read more here.
Children vaccination:
The Caribbean NITAG (CiTAG), representing 22 countries and territories, uses their voice to alert Caribbean Health Ministries On Decline In Childhood Vaccination: CiTAG alerts Caribbean Health Ministries on decline in childhood vaccination
SAGE resources:
COVID-19:
- WHO issued the Interim statement on hybrid immunity and increasing population seroprevalence rates, available here.
- WHO published an interim statement on decision-making considerations for the use of variant updated COVID-19 vaccines. Key messages:
- Current COVID-19 vaccines, which are based on the ancestral strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, continue to exhibit strong protection against severe disease and death across all virus variants seen to date. Achieving high coverage rates with the primary series and first booster doses in the highest and high priority-use groups in every country remains the priority.
- However, the emergence of variants of concerns has resulted in a rapid decline of the protection against symptomatic illness. There is therefore a need to assess whether variant-updated COVID-19 vaccines, especially to Omicron, would improve vaccine performance. Such vaccines should aim to provide even greater and more durable protection against severe disease and death, and broader protection against future variants that may be even more antigenically distant to the index virus.
- Variant-updated vaccines are under clinical development and will in due course be assessed by regulatory authorities. Once these vaccines have received WHO emergency use authorization or approval by a stringent national regulatory authority, they will be considered by SAGE for policy recommendations. Policy recommendations will address different use-case scenarios for Omicron-updated vaccines and include consideration of programmatic aspects.
- The full public health benefit of variant-updated vaccines and their value proposition over current vaccines can only be quantified once vaccine effectiveness data have been obtained.
- This statement goes hand in hand with the TAG CO-VAC interim statement on the composition of current COVID-19 vaccines.
Monnkeypox:
WHO published the Clinical management and infection prevention and control for monkeypox: Interim rapid response guidance: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-MPX-Clinical-and-IPC-2022.1.
Other topics:
Please find the link to the April 2022 SAGE meeting report.
All relevant documentation of the meeting is here.
WHO resources:
WHO EURO developed the Guidance on an adapted evidence to recommendation process for National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups. This document is a really great resource for NITAG secretariat, NITAG members or even partners to understand the different standardized steps leading to the recommendation. It can also be used a training resource.
Partners resources:
ECDC launches an e-learning course on how to address online vaccination misinformation, more info here.
Meeting:
SAGE is tentatively planning an extra-ordinary meeting on August 11th to discuss COVID-19 vaccines.
Happy summer and best wishes to you all,
Louise