News & Views: What Changed on the 2022 Immunization Schedules? Test Yourself!

Have you had a chance to review the 2022 immunization schedules? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated versions of both the childhood and adult schedules in February.

Childhood and adolescent schedule changes

See if you know the answers to these three questions based on the updated childhood immunization schedule:

1. What two new elements were added to the 2022 version of the schedule?
2. What vaccine was added to the schedule? (Hint! This was the topic for the February 2022 "Technically Speaking" article.)
3. A clarifying note was added related to giving which two vaccines at the same visit but in different anatomical locations (if indicated)?

Answers

1. Both the adult and childhood schedules now include a QR code and an appendix. The QR code was added to increase ease of accessing the schedule online. The appendix highlights precautions and contraindications for each vaccine.
2. Dengue vaccine was added to the childhood schedule. “Dengue It All!” was the title of the February 2022 Technically Speaking article discussing this vaccine.
3. The notes for meningococcal ACWY were updated to clarify that the meningococcal B vaccine can be given at the same visit, but in different anatomical sites, if both vaccines are needed.

Summary of other updates

Per the CDC’s “Schedule Changes & Guidance” page, the following additional changes were made to the childhood and adolescent schedule (location of change):

• Recommendations for using Vaxelis^® for routine and catch-up vaccination (Hib notes)
• Clarification of the recommended age for routine hepatitis A vaccination (hepatitis A notes)
• Clarification of the recommendation for hepatitis B post-vaccination serologic testing and revaccination (hepatitis B notes)
• Clarification of the number of doses of HPV vaccine for persons with immune-compromising conditions (HPV notes)
• Relocation of “contraindications and precautions” information related to influenza vaccine to the new appendix and condensing of “Special situations” section in notes (influenza notes)
• Information on recommendations for use of MMRV (MMR and varicella notes)

Check out the “2022 Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule for Ages 18 Years or Younger.” This page also includes downloadable versions of the schedule and additional resources.

Adult schedule changes

See if you know the answers to these two questions based on the updated adult immunization schedule:

1. Which pneumococcal vaccine(s) are now listed on the adult schedule?
2. Which vaccine is now universally recommended for adults 19 to 59 years of age?

Answers

1. PCV15 and PCV20 were added, and PCV13 was removed, so the adult immunization schedule now references three pneumococcal vaccines: PCV15, PCV20 and PPSV23.
2. Hepatitis B vaccine is now routinely recommended for adults up to 59 years of age. Adults 60 and older may be recommended to get the vaccine based on risk, but the recommendation also states that those adults may opt to receive the vaccine even without being in a risk-based category.

Summary of other updates

Per the CDC’s “Schedule Changes & Guidance” page, the following additional changes were made to the childhood and adolescent schedule (location of change):

• Addition of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) as an approving partner on the schedule (page 1 of schedule)
• Clarification of notes related to HPV vaccination (HPV notes)
• Clarification of the age as “19 years or older” for influenza vaccination (to be consistent with the schedule), updates to hyperlinks and bullets as well as moving information to the new appendix related to precautions and contraindications (influenza notes and appendix)
• Addition of a new note related to administering MenACWY and MenB on the same day in different anatomic sites if indicated (meningococcal notes)
• Addition of CD4 percentages in addition to CD4 counts in the bullet related to HIV infection (MMR and varicella notes)
• Updates related to pneumococcal vaccination recommendations (pneumococcal notes)
• Clarification of text related to delaying zoster vaccination during pregnancy (zoster notes)

Check out the “2022 Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule for Ages 19 Years or Older.” This page also includes downloadable versions of the schedule and additional resources.

Bonus question!

Do you know how many pages the print-friendly version of each schedule is?

Answer

The print-friendly version of the childhood schedule is 10 pages. The print-friendly version of the adult schedule is 8 pages. Keep copies handy! These documents contain a plethora of valuable information.

Additional resources

• “Interim COVID-19 Immunization Schedule for Ages 5 Years and Older”
• Parent-friendly version for birth through 6 years of age
• Parent-friendly version for 7 to 18 years of age
• Schedule app for provider phones
• Syndicated schedule for provider websites