ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Briefing: Controlling COVID-19 Surges and Preparing for the Fall
- BBC Worldwide News Health Check Story on “Double Threat of COVID-19 and Flu”
- CDC COVID-19 Partner Update: What You Need to Know about Cloth Face Coverings
- Announcement from GSK regarding Shingrix Vaccine
- From our European Partners at One Health: Webinars on “Managing a Raging Pandemic While Preparing for the Next One”
- Summit Planning Two More Virtual Meetings in July and August
REMINDERS
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Briefing: Controlling COVID-19 Surges and Preparing for the Fall
The Infectious Diseases Society of America, the HIV Medicine Association, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, and the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society are inviting stakeholders to a virtual briefing to learn from infectious diseases experts about what’s needed to strengthen the U.S. response to COVID-19 now and in preparation for flu season in the fall.
Panelists for Controlling COVID-19 Surges and Preparing for the Fall are:
- Buddy Creech, MD, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (TN)
- George Diaz, MD, Providence Regional Medical Center, Everett (WA)
- Dial Hewlett, MD, FIDSA, Westchester County Department of Health-Disease Control (NY)
- Francesca Lee, MD, UT Southwestern Medical Center (TX)
- Moderator: Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, FIDSA, Massachusetts General Hospital
The briefing will be held on Wednesday, July 8, from 3pm – 4pm ET. Registration information, including the opportunity to submit questions, is available online. Please email Lisa Cox or Jose Rodriguez with questions regarding the briefing.
BBC Worldwide News Health Check Story on “Double Threat of COVID-19 and Flu”
L.J Tan was featured in an interview that ran on BBC Worldwide News on July 1. L.J spoke to influenza vaccination in relationship to COVID-19.
CDC COVID-19 Partner Update: What You Need to Know about Cloth Face Coverings
CDC will provide a partner update, What You Need to Know about Cloth Face Coverings, on Monday, July 6 at 3pm ET.
During the update, Dr. John Brooks (Chief Medical Officer for the COVID-19 Response, CDC) will share updates on CDC’s COVID-19 response, including the latest scientific information and what everyone should know about protecting themselves and others. In addition, Dr. Michael Bell (Deputy Director for the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, CDC) will review CDC’s Considerations for Wearing Cloth Face Coverings, which will focus on their effectiveness and how they can protect you and others in the workplace and out in public. Afterwards, Dr. Brooks and Dr. Bell will answer questions from the audience.
Registration information is available online. The call also will be recorded and posted on CDC’s website.
CDC encourages participants to submit questions in advance via email. Please include “Partner Call 7/6” in the subject line.
Announcement from GSK regarding Shingrix Vaccine
From the launch of Shingrix in 2017 through March 2020, approximately 17 million people in the US had been vaccinated with Shingrix.
National “stay at home” measures prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in a significant decrease in patients seeking routine health care, including immunizations. This reduction in demand for vaccination has resulted in improved inventory of Shingrix. Presently, GSK reports that inventories of Shingrix are available to meet demand across all distribution channels.
As pandemic-related restrictions are lifted and patients resume in-person visits to pharmacies and physician offices, GSK expects immunization rates to begin to rebound.
To support and encourage return to the robust pace and progress of immunization before the pandemic and timely second dose completion, GSK has announced that it will:
- Remove ordering caps.
- Begin the introduction of direct-to-patient education via mass media, i.e., television and digital.
GSK states that they will continue to monitor the demand for Shingrix and will be prepared to reinstate inventory management measures, if needed, as demand for the vaccine increases. GSK also states that they will continue to support and closely monitor second dose completion rates, which had been at 80 percent prior to the pandemic, but have begun to drop as a result of the pandemic.
From our European Partners at One Health: Webinars on “Managing a Raging Pandemic While Preparing for the Next One”
COVID-19 has clearly shown why One Health, the core of which is the recognition of the existential interconnectedness of humans, animals and their shared environment, is key to ensuring the healthy and sustainable future of the planet.
We all know that there has been, and continues to be, a significant increase in the emergence of infectious agents and in the potential risk of new pandemics, as exemplified by the emergence and spread of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 has also clearly demonstrated that a previously unknown pathogen can emerge from a wildlife source at any time in any place and without warning, threatening the health, well-being and economies of all societies. There is therefore a clear need for countries to have the capability and capacity to maintain an effective alert and response system to detect and quickly react to outbreaks of international concern, and to share information about such outbreaks rapidly and transparently.
Responding to pandemic threats requires global cooperation and global participation. Combined with the growing globalization of health risks and the importance of the human-animal interface in the evolution and emergence of pathogens, the only solution is a One Health approach.
Two webinars, chaired by Ab Osterhaus, Director of the Research Center for Emerging Infections and Zoonoses (RIZ) and Co-Chair of the One Health Platform, will be presented in July.
- Managing A Raging Pandemic: A Steep Learning Curve
Monday, July 13, 2020
10am – 12pm ET (16:00 – 18:00 Central European Time)
Registration
- Risks of Future Pandemic Threats and How to Prepare
Thursday, July 16
10am – 12pm ET (16:00 – 18:00 Central European Time)
Registration
Summit Planning Two More Virtual Meetings in July and August
The Summit is planning at least two more virtual meetings this coming July and August.
One will focus on data from our manufacturing partners on the decline on routine immunizations in the adult population and the lack of recovery this summer, and how we might tackle that problem as a Summit. The second will be a follow-up to the Summit/BIO COIVD-19 virtual meeting that took place on May 12.
As a reminder, two previous Summit virtual meetings, Influenza Prevention in the Era of COVID-19 and Developing COVID Vaccines in Record Time, are archived on the Summit website.
REMINDERS
Summit Website Offers Wonderful Resources on Adult and Influenza Vaccination
Remember to visit the Summit website for the latest on adult and influenza immunization resources. You also can find archived copies of The Summit Buzz there.
Summit Call Schedule
Summit calls are usually held weekly on Thursday at 3 PM ET throughout the influenza season, unless cancelled. Call information and an agenda generally are sent the morning of the call.
Please be aware that, during the current urgent response to COVID-19 and due to the reduced incidence of influenza in the United States, Summit calls are being reduced in frequency for the time being. Weekly call summaries are available on the Summit website shortly after each call. Pressing announcements will be sent out directly to partners, while less urgent stories will be sent out through The Buzz.
Please email L.J Tan or LaDora Woods if you have any updates on activities to provide to the Summit.
