Vaccine News:

• Although it’s uncommon, vaccinated people can spread measles. (CIDRAP)
  
  
• Despite vaccines, most U.S. adults are not immune to Hep A or B. Researchers say there’s a missed opportunity to boost protection. (MedPage Today)
  
  
• Vaccine makers are unlikely to split the MMR vaccine, despite President Trump’s Executive Order. (AP)
  
  
• Years of data show that COVID vaccines are not linked to miscarriage. (NY Times)

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Health News: 

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• Cyclospora outbreaks that aren’t linked to an identified source are still growing. Meanwhile, Maine and Massachusetts were added to the outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce. (Hill)
  
  
• As school starts again across the country, states are bracing for more measles outbreaks. (CIDRAP)
  
  
• The South and West are still leading a small but growing expected summer COVID wave. (YLE)
  
  
• The FDA reclassified the egg recall due to Salmonella as Class I, meaning there’s a reasonable probability of “serious adverse health consequences or death.”  (NY Times)
  
  
• Ticks that carry Lyme disease are expanding south. (MMWR)
  
  
• FDA granted an emergency use authorization for another New World screwworm treatment. (CIDRAP)
  
  
• Some good news: worldwide rubella cases have dropped significantly, despite a big uptick in 2024. (CIDRAP)

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Best Question:

Will fall flu and COVID shots be available and covered this year? 

It’s very late for us to be unsure about the answer to this question, but here we are. 

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By now, we normally have fall vaccine recommendations and we’re positive that they’re available and covered by insurance. The reason for the holdup this year is a complicated legal battle happening with the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee, the ACIP, which cancelled its March and June meetings. 

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The FDA made recommendations for flu and COVID shots by May, but the next step is usually the ACIP making recommendations about age groups, additional doses for certain high-risk groups, etc. But because they’re barred by a court from meeting while this legal battle about replacing members plays out, we don’t have that, or clear federal guidance about what happens without it. 

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Let’s be very clear: this hold up is political and legal in nature, not scientific. It’s not due to any missing information or changes to our understanding of the science or the safety of the shots. Major medical groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (and many more) have issued their own guidance, and insurers have pledged to cover all vaccines through the end of next year, at least. 

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Ultimately, we feel confident that you’ll be able to get your flu and COVID shots this fall the same way you always have, and that they’ll be covered by insurance. Whether you’ll have access to Moderna’s new mRNA flu vaccine that just got approved is another story (we’ll tackle it in an upcoming Best Question). 

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Our hope is that people will still go out and get their fall vaccines starting next month, despite the confusion. But we also know that uptake is getting lower and lower each year, and this drama doesn’t help. 

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Employers play a role here as trusted messengers. Remind your employees how easy it is to get vaccinated (if you have paid time off for that, make it super clear!), and that it’s free. Direct them to good sources if they have questions (we’re happy to help). 

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Sources: MedPage Today, CNN, CIDRAP

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Best Read:

We’re always fascinated by creative solutions to staffing issues, because they absolutely do impact employee health. When an employee can’t get to work because they don’t have transportation, or can’t find someone to watch their kids, that puts staffing pressure on their managers, which in turn might lead to employees working while they’re sick.

Missed shifts were costly to this McDonald's. An app has fixed the problem - NPR