The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently published new pneumococcal vaccine recommendations for adults 19 years or older who have not previously received a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine or whose previous vaccination history is unknown. CDC now recommends PCV15 or PCV20 for adults 19 through 64 years old with certain underlying medical conditions or other risk factors and all adults 65 years or older. You can read the complete policy note to see all the details, including clinical guidance.
Highlights from the new recommendations include:
- Everyone 65 years or older should receive a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, either PCV15 or PCV20. If PCV15 is used, this should be followed by a dose of PPSV23. This means there is no longer a shared clinical decision-making recommendation for this age group.
- Everyone 19 through 64 years or older with certain underlying medical conditions or other risk factors should receive a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, either PCV15 or PCV20. If PCV15 is used, this should be followed by a dose of PPSV23. There is no longer a complex set of recommendations that depend on which condition a patient has; the same recommendation applies regardless of which underlying medical condition or other risk factor is present.
- These new recommendations apply to all adults who have not previously received a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine or whose previous vaccination history is unknown.
CDC has updated its pneumococcal vaccine web content to reflect these new recommendations and the PneumoRecs VaxAdvisor app will be updated shortly. The 2022 Adult Immunization Schedule, to be released February 18, will reflect these changes.