The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has added COVID-19 vaccines to its list of routine vaccines for children adolescents and adults. The revised schedules were recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The CDC worked closely with pharmacists, physicians and nurses to ensure the recommendations are comprehensive and up-to-date.
The new schedules, published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, outline the recommended COVID-19 primary vaccine series and booster doses, as well as revised guidance for influenza and pneumococcal vaccines and new vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) and hepatitis B.
William Schaffner, an ACIP member and professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, highlighted the importance of booster doses for mumps, stating: “The vaccine for measles does not need a booster. Mumps vaccine, however, does wane in its protection. And so if there’s a mumps outbreak, then we would use MMR.”
The CDC’s new schedules of recommended vaccines are available for public viewing and can be found on their website. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact communities, the CDC’s updated recommendations aim to keep families and communities safe through effective and routine vaccination.