Vaccine co-administration in adults: An effective way to improve vaccination coverage.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic highlights that complications and mortality associated with infectious diseases increase with age. Various vaccines are recommended for adults, but coverage rates remain suboptimal. Although co-administration would improve vaccine uptake and timely immunization, this is not routine practice in adults. We review key data on co-administration of vaccines in children and adults to reassure healthcare providers about its safety and advantages. In European countries and the United States, combined tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis boosters as well as meningococcal and human papillomavirus vaccines are recommended for healthy adolescents and adults of certain ages. Vaccination against influenza (annually), pneumococcal disease, and herpes zoster is recommended for older adults and specific risk groups. While co-administration is well established in children, it is less common in adults. Travelers can also receive multiple co-administered vaccines. Pediatric and travel vaccine co-administration has a well-established positive benefit-risk profile and is an efficient and cost-saving strategy to improve coverage. Healthcare providers could more often recommend and practice vaccine co-administration; this would not risk patient safety and health, would improve protection against vaccine-preventable diseases, and would help comply with national vaccination calendars. Recommending bodies may consider revising vaccination schedules to reduce the number of visits.

Uptake of HPV vaccination among boys after the introduction of gender-neutral HPV vaccination in Germany before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: HPV vaccination has been recommended and reimbursed for girls in Germany since 2007. In June 2018 the German Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) recommended the gender-neutral vaccination of adolescents aged 9 to 14 years with catch-up through age 17. Objectives of this study were to describe the uptake of vaccination in boys before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The study used data from a proprietary electronic medical record database and a database with information on nationally dispensed vaccine doses. The monthly number of first doses of HPV vaccinations in boys and girls aged 9-17 years in the period from 01/2018 to 12/2021 was determined. In addition, for boys the cumulative vaccination rates were calculated for initiated and completed vaccination series. RESULTS: Four months after the introduction of mandatory reimbursement for boys, the monthly numbers of first doses were comparable to that of girls. Compared to the same month in 2019, the number of first doses declined by up to 49% (girls) in 2020 and 71% (boys) in 2021. At the end of 2021, the vaccination rate for 15-year-old boys (2006 birth cohort) reached 44.4% for initiated and 26.4% for completed series. CONCLUSION: After an initial dynamic increase in HPV vaccinations in boys, the impact of COVID-19 was particularly strong in the second year of the pandemic. At the end of 2021 vaccination rates were still low. Efforts are needed to catch-up on adolescents that missed doses during the pandemic and to increase uptake.

A comparison of coronavirus disease 2019 and seasonal influenza surveillance in five European countries: France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.

BACKGROUND: In response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak that unfolded across Europe in 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) called for repurposing existing influenza surveillance systems to monitor COVID-19. This analysis aimed to compare descriptively the extent to which influenza surveillance systems were adapted and enhanced and how COVID-19 surveillance could ultimately benefit or disrupt routine influenza surveillance. METHODS: We used a previously developed framework in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom to describe COVID-19 surveillance and its impact on influenza surveillance. The framework divides surveillance systems into seven subsystems and 20 comparable outcomes of interest and uses five evaluation criteria based on WHO guidance. Information on influenza and COVID-19 surveillance systems were collected from publicly available resources shared by European and national public health agencies. RESULTS: Overall, non-medically attended, virological, primary care and mortality surveillance were adapted in most countries to monitor COVID-19, although community, outbreak and hospital surveillance were reinforced in all countries. Data granularity improved, with more detailed demographic and medical information recorded. A shift to systematic notification for cases and deaths enhanced both geographic and population representativeness, although the sampling strategy benefited from the roll out of widespread molecular testing. Data communication was greatly enhanced, contributing to improved public awareness. CONCLUSIONS: Well-established influenza surveillance systems are a key component of pandemic preparedness, and their upgrade allowed European countries to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, uncertainties remain on how both influenza and COVID-19 surveillance can be jointly and durably implemented.

[Vaccination against influenza: International inventory and perspectives for Germany]. / Impfen gegen Influenza ­ Internationale Bestandsaufnahme und Perspektiven für Deutschland.

BACKGROUND: The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic requires high influenza vaccination rates for the chronically ill in order to avoid additional strain on the health care system. Despite clear evidence of the safety and effectiveness of influenza vaccination, vaccination coverage has internationally remained at inadequate levels in recent years. The general practitioner is of central importance for the care of this population. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review was to evaluate various measures in general practice to increase seasonal influenza vaccination rates for the chronically ill, taking into account various international health systems. METHODS: A systematic literature search was carried out in MEDLINE, CENTRAL, EMBASE and ERIC as well as manually in trial registers and literature lists. Only randomized controlled studies were taken into account. The methodology was defined in advance in a study protocol and published (PROSPERO CRD42018114163). RESULTS: A total of 14 studies within the framework of a national health service (United Kingdom), a state (Australia) and social (Switzerland) health insurance system and a private health care system (USA) were included in our review. Analog patient reminders and automated physician reminders as well as changes in professional roles have led to a significant increase in influenza vaccination rates, but only in the private health care system. In the national health service, none of the interventions we analyzed achieved a significant increase in vaccination rates, although the National Health Service in the United Kingdom documented relatively good basic influenza vaccination rates before the studies were carried out, regardless of the intervention. Good results were achieved in the social and state health insurance systems of Switzerland and Australia by training events for practice teams and SMS reminders. CONCLUSIONS: In Germany, training events for medical teams and centrally organized invitation and monitoring systems might improve vaccination rates among the chronically ill. That the federal government pays for the vaccination costs seems to ensure a good basic influenza vaccination coverage for indicated patients in various health systems.

[COVID-19 in GP Practice and Emergency Rooms - Update 2021]. / Update 2021: COVID-19 aus Sicht der Praxen und Notaufnahmen.

COVID-19 continues to pose major challenges for GP practice and emergency rooms across Germany. Even if there is now a certain routine, the optimal treatment of patients is still difficult. This article provides an overview of the aspects of caring for COVID-19 patients in GP practice and emergency rooms and the changes since the beginning of the pandemic.

Adaptation of an international virtual patient collection to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic posed new global challenges for teaching. We met these challenges as an international collaboration by adapting a collection of virtual patients for clinical reasoning training to this novel context.

[COVID-19 in GP Practice and Emergency Rooms]. / COVID-19 aus Sicht der Praxen und Notaufnahmen.

COVID-19 challenges GP practice and emergency rooms across Germany. In addition to hygiene, the correct assignment of patients to outpatient, inpatient or intensive care management is difficult. This article provides an overview of aspects of initial care, management and risk assessment in COVID-19 patients. The care of corona infected patients can be improved at the interface between outpatient and inpatient care. There can be no "business as usual" after the crisis! Age, male sex and overweight are among the most important risk factors for serious corona disease. Poor oxygen saturation (< 88 %) and increased signs of inflammation (CRP > 97 mg/l and/or IL-6 > 80 pg/ml) indicate a critical course and should be determined in symptomatic patients. Only through regular dialogue between hospital and practice can meaningful decisions be made to slowly move from individual cases to a basic care structure.