Influenza Vaccines

COVID vaccine uptake at Minnesota workplace rose after $1,000 incentive

The rate of full COVID-19 vaccination among employees of a private Minnesota medical device manufacturer rose 10.4 percentage points after the company began offering $1,000 incentives for immunization, finds a study published late last week in JAMA Network Open.

COVID vaccine uptake low in young US kids in first months of availability

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said COVID-19 vaccine uptake among children 5 to 11 years old in the United States remained low during the first 11 weeks of vaccine eligibility, especially in high social vulnerability index (SVI) areas. The research was published today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

WHO advisors switch 2 strains for next Northern Hemisphere season

World Health Organization (WHO) flu vaccine strain selection advisors met this week to recommend the strains to include for the Northern Hemisphere's 2022-2023 flu season, swapping out the components for the H3N2 and influenza B Victoria lineage strains.

Babies born with Zika at greater risk of dying than those without

Mortality rates among children born with congenital Zika syndrome up to 3 years of age were more than 11 times higher than those without Zika, researchers reported today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Large study finds supports safety of COVID-19 vaccination in pregnant women

A large multistate cohort study of more than 40,000 pregnant women and their nonpregnant peers found no link between COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy and preterm or small-for-gestational-age births.

US flu activity shows another jump, first two peds deaths reported

United States flu activity jumped again the week ending Dec 18, with eight states reporting high or very high activity and the first two pediatric flu deaths reported for the season, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its regular update.

Flu vaccine uptake low among those with no regular doctor, minorities

A new study presented at an American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) meeting finds that influenza vaccination rates are low for people without a regular healthcare provider, at just 20.5%, as well as among minority groups.

Vaccine coverage among American adults with a regular provider was 44.5%, according to the research, which was presented yesterday at the society's midyear conference.

COVID-19, flu vaccines safe to give at the same time, study shows

A UK study yesterday in The Lancet finds that flu and COVID-19 vaccines can be safely co-administered.

Rapid test linked to improved antibiotic therapy for bloodstream infections

Use of a rapid diagnostic test in patients with bloodstream infections (BSIs) was associated with shorter times to optimal antibiotic therapy and antibiotic de-escalation, researchers reported yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Remdesivir linked to lower COVID-19 mortality

Hospitalized COVID-19 patients who were treated with remdesivir within 2 days of admission had lower mortality rates than their matched cohort, according to a study today in Clinical Infectious Diseases. The observational cohort consisted of US adults hospitalized with COVID-19 from August to November 2020; 28,855 received remdesivir and 16,887 did not.