COVID-19 Bulletin

September 28, 2021

It's not too late!  Register for the Clinical Quality Symposium with keynote speaker Jessica Halem, MBA - "It Starts Here: Addressing Bias and Trauma in Healthcare" There are several other excellent sessions planned for the day, including a presentation on the Long-term Effects of COVID-19 on Cognition and Brain Function.”  

Here is today’s COVID-19 update. 
Bi-State continues to keep our website updated with the latest on the Bi-State COVID-19 Resources webpage. This links to various credible COVID-19 resources, archives all Bi-State COVID-19 Bulletins, and holds a section of resources for patients.

Vaccine Education Efforts

Bi-State is working with our Coalition of over 50 health care providers and advocates on educating our elected officials and the public on why vaccines are important. 

We need your help!  

• Signing Letters to the Editor: Bi-State is writing Letters to the Editor and looking for your medical directors and/or other providers to sign on. 
• Calling key legislators: Bi-State is drafting talking points for CEOs to use to call your legislators. 
• Creating short videos: In anticipation of the approval of vaccines for younger children by Halloween, we are starting a collection of pediatrician vaccine videos to help boost confidence that vaccines for kids are safe. This can include videos to boost vaccine confidence in general. 

Please let Kristine or Colleen know if you are willing to participate! 

NH Epidemiologist Team Calls 

Here is the website where info is posted for the Thursday at 12:00 pm Epi Team Healthcare Providers and Public Health Partner calls, which occur on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month. The next call will be October 14th.  

Here are the Epi Team's slides from the 9/23 call, which include info on: 

• HAN Update #45: Monoclonal antibodies
• FDA & ACIP Updates: Vaccine Boosters
• Studies on Vaccine Effectiveness

Here is the website where info is posted for the School & Childcare Epi calls Wednesday at 3:30 PM  on the 1st & 3rd Wednesday of each month.

Here are the Epi Team's slides and YouTube video from the 9/15 call, which include info on: 

• K-12 school clusters over the last 2 weeks
• General comments about prevention strategies
• When can a symptomatic person return to school or child care?
• Reporting individual cases to Public Health
• Why aren't the numbers on the School Data Dashboard accurate?

NH HAN #46

This includes NH-HAN COVID-19 Pandemic Update #46 on Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster dose recommendations released Friday evening. This HAN summarizes the recommendations from the FDA and CDC for a third dose of Pfizer vaccine at least 6 months after individuals complete their primary series.

NH DPHS will discuss these updated recommendations on an ad-hoc Healthcare Provider and Public Health Partner webinar September 30th, from 12:00 – 1:00 pm. Call-in details are on page 2 of the HAN.

VDH Guidance on Boosters

Dr. Levine outlined the booster plans for Vermont on the regular Tuesday press conference (9/28). We expect written guidance soon.  

HRSA Booster Resources

MMWR Comparative COVID Vaccine Effectiveness

On September 24, 2021 the CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published Comparative Effectiveness of Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) Vaccines in Preventing COVID-19 Hospitalizations Among Adults Without Immunocompromising Conditions — United States, March–August 2021.  This report adds to the current body of knowledge for adults without immunocompromising conditions that Moderna was the most effective against COVID-19 hospitalization March - August 2021.  

Weitzman COVID ECHO Returns Weekly October 6th - December 1

The Weitzman Institute is bringing back the COVID ECHO for a limited series! Join them as they discuss updates to the pandemic, how organizations have shifted their workforce, vaccine boosters, and promising practices moving forward.

They will be joined again by Dr. Stephen Scholand to give a COVID-19 (and variant) updates at the beginning of each session.

Time will be reserved at the end of the session to answer your questions. If you cannot make the live session, the slides and recordings will be sent to all who register for the series, and posted here: https://www.weitzmanlearning.org/coronavirus/1590-2

Topics will include:

• Fundamentals of Team-Based Care Within the Setting of COVID-19 – Review & Reintroduction
• Boosters for Immunocompromised and Patients at High Risk
• Pediatric Vaccines in the Team-Based Care Model
• Community Engagement Pathways
• Supporting Staff & Sharing Best Practices in Navigating COVID-19

Questions for Bi-State