The following is a message from the National Center for Disease Control and Immunization, and the Centers for Disease Control.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused healthcare providers to change how they operate to continue to provide essential services to patients. Ensuring that immunization services are maintained or reinitiated is essential for protecting individuals and communities from vaccine-preventable diseases and outbreaks and reducing the burden of respiratory illness during the upcoming influenza season.

CDC has issued “Interim Guidance for Immunization Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic” to help immunization providers in a variety of clinical settings plan for the safe vaccine administration during the COVID-19 pandemic. This guidance will be updated as the COVID-19 pandemic evolves.

Highlights include:

  • Considerations for routine vaccination of all recommended vaccinations for children, adolescents, and adults, including pregnant women
  • General practices for the safe delivery of vaccination services, including considerations for alternative vaccination sites
  • Strategies for catch up vaccinations

We encourage you to share this guidance with local public health departments, VFC providers, healthcare providers, professional organizations, and other partners.

Thank you for your support of public health during this challenging time.