Thread by @HelenBranswell

1. #ACIP is meeting today to discuss the changes to the #Covid vaccination schedule announced yesterday by @US_FDA. statnews.com/2023/04/18/fda…
I will live-tweet, though don't expect a flurry of tweets.
No votes today. @CDCDirector is expected to approve the changes later today.

2. @CDCgov's Georgina Peacock just told #ACIP that when the national public health emergency ends in May, there will be some loss of capacity to get #Covid data from the states. CDC is trying to sign extensions to data-sharing agreements with states, but expects some won't sign.

3. @CDCgov's Tom Shimabukuro, who leads efforts to study #Covid vaccine safety, is updating on the question of whether there was an increased risk of stroke among people 65 & older who got the Pfizer bivalent booster last fall. The data to date suggest not. #ACIP

4. @CDCgov's Ruth Link-Gelles up now on #Covid vaccine effectiveness. Among kids, it's hard to come up with good estimates because 1. vax rates in kids are low, 2. vaxed kids & unvaxed kids could be significantly different, 3. high rates of infections could make the VE look lower

5. We hear so much about waning of protection of the mRNA #Covid vaccines, but this is some good news. People who had 2-4 doses of monovalent Covid vaccine (mRNAs) but no bivalent still have pretty good protection against the worse outcomes of Covid infection. #ACIP

6. The goal of the changes to #Covid vaccination policies @US_FDA announced yesterday is to simplify the schedule — something that's badly needed. But these changes are only a start, @CDCgov's Sara Oliver tells #ACIP. Think of it as a journey, she said.

7. How badly needed is simplification of the #Covid vaccination schedule? This slide says it all.
This will make things MUCH simpler for pharmacies & doctors' offices where Covid vaccines are given. Reduces risk of vaccination errors. #ACIP

8. This cool slide is a snapshot of types of immunity in the population. Thing to note: The portion of the population with hybrid immunity (blue) is rising and the percentage of the population with no immunity (green) is shrinking. #ACIP

9. There's a lot of #Covid vaccine fatigue; that's clear in the low rate of uptake of the bivalent booster. (only 42.6% of seniors have received one)
But there is a population of people who really, really want access to additional doses. #ACIP

10. The new #Covid vaccination schedule also attempts to simplify how many doses children under 4 should get. But the situation isn't currently simple, hence this schematic that tries to talk parents through what they should know for their children.
#ACIP

11. Here's the slightly simpler schematic for vaccination of 5 year olds. #Covid #ACID

12. Tons of confusion among #ACIP committee members re: the new recommendations around how many doses of #Covid vaccine young children should get, and confusion and concern around the options for young children who are immunocompromised.

13. #ACIP is now adjourned.
General takeaway: The simplified recommendations for young kids need a lot more work.
There's a fair amount of interest in offering pregnant people access to a booster during pregnancy.