Vaccine Resources: Special “It’s Not All about COVID-19” Resources Post

With so much attention on the current situation with COVID-19, other important efforts may be overlooked. So, the June “Resources” section is devoted to non-COVID-19-related resources that should not be overlooked:

• An analysis of Medicare expenditures between 2016 and 2018 found that more than $106 billion (with a “b”) were spent treating diseases that could be prevented with existing or candidate vaccines. Completed by Avalere, the analysis also evaluated influenza vaccine uptake between 2009-2010 and 2017-2018, and although they found an increase in vaccination rates, the percent change over nine seasons was less than 10%. And, the percent of eligible recipients who received influenza vaccine was only slightly more than 50% in the most recent year analyzed. Uptake for other vaccines routinely recommended for those 65 years and older was even more dismal. Check out the summary report and figures.
• The Lancet Infectious Diseases recently published a systematic review of vaccine safety. The review updates the 2012 Institute of Medicine and 2014 Agency for Healthcare and Quality reports. Check out the article summary.
• The International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC), based at the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, recently released a new “Value of Immunization Compendium of Evidence,” or VoICE, report on the benefits of maternal immunizations. Check out the content, including several useful graphs.