Creating a Safer Work Environment Through Vaccination
Summa Health
A patient-centered population health management organization that provides integrated and coordinated care.
What You Need to Know
As we enter the fall and winter virus season, there is an increased risk of getting sick. There are three viruses that cause the most hospitalizations this time of year:
All three can potentially cause severe infections in adults, especially those with underlying conditions such as heart or lung disease, diabetes or other chronic or immune-compromising conditions. The best protection for yourself and others is vaccination. Vaccination can contribute to a safer work environment for everyone, particularly vulnerable populations.
How do Vaccines Work?
Vaccines teach your body’s immune system to fight specific viruses and bacteria. They contain or induce small pieces of the virus or bacteria, but not enough to make you sick. Please note: the mRNA vaccines insert genetic code to build the viral protein to which your immune system responds by producing antibodies.
When you get a vaccine, your immune system learns to recognize and attack these viruses. If you are ever exposed to the virus or bacteria, your immune system will be ready to fight it off and prevent you from getting sick or lessen any illness from infection.
Vaccine Availability
The flu and COVID-19 vaccines are universally available for adults, while the RSV is licensed for adults older than 60.* The RSV vaccine is licensed for adults older than 60, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends persons discuss the decision to receive it with their healthcare providers.
*In addition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Pfizer’s RSV vaccine in pregnant individuals to help protect infants as old as six months old, marking a new way to protect babies—a group at higher risk for complications from this virus.
Vaccine Information – Flu and COVID-19
Both flu and COVID-19 change their genetic structure over time, so it is essential to be up to date on the latest version of the viruses. Notably, the newer vaccines for these viruses should not be considered ‘boosters’ since they target new versions of the viruses for which prior vaccines are no longer effective.
Recommended by LinkedIn
The flu vaccine targets four virus strains (two for Influenza A and two for Influenza B). This year, there is a change for one of the A strains (H1N1), which is included in the vaccine.
COVID-19 has had many variations since the original strain was detected in 2019. The latest variants are of the Omicron lineage and laboratory data suggest that the new vaccine has better protection against the latest variants, including the recently identified ones, EG.5 and BA.2.28.
The CDC supports the broad use of the new COVID-19 vaccine as cases have recently risen; those who have received a prior bivalent COVID-19 vaccine must wait two months before receiving the new vaccine. Two COVID-19 vaccines were approved for usage: COMIRNATY (Pfizer) and SPIKEVAX (Moderna). For more information regarding the FDA’s approval, click here.
Vaccine Information – RSV
Two RSV vaccines were recently licensed (one by Pfizer and the other by GlaxoSmithKline) for adults 60 and older, especially for those at greater risk of complications from infection, as indicated above. Both vaccines use traditional platforms—similar to a flu shot and not to be confused with the mRNA technology. The RSV vaccine is a one-time injection shown to protect for up to two years.
Vaccine Co-administration
Per the CDC, co-administration with all three vaccines at the same visit is acceptable. However, there is currently limited data on the effectiveness of the co-administration of RSV and other vaccines. A reasonable strategy for those eligible for all three vaccines is to consider co-administration of the flu and COVID-19 vaccines together if you can and receive the RSV vaccine separately, perhaps waiting a couple of weeks afterward to ensure any reactions have gone away.
The goal is to be as healthy as possible, and while these vaccines may not prevent mild infection, they prevent severe illness and complications such as hospitalization or death. Furthermore, the COVID-19 vaccine has been observed to reduce the chance of ‘Long COVID.’
Vaccines are a safe and effective way to protect yourself, your loved ones and our community from serious illness.
Authors:
Dr. Thomas File, Summa Health Infectious Diseases
Dr. Shanu Agarwal, Chair, Summa Health Infection Control
Nancy Reynolds, MSN, RN, CIC, FAPIC, System Director, Infection Prevention and Control