Pneumococcal vaccination-A literature review and practice guideline update.

Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) remains a significant cause of both mild infections such as otitis media, sinusitis, and bronchitis and more severe manifestations such as bacteremia, pneumonia, and invasive pneumococcal disease. Several key serotypes have been targeted in vaccine development due to their association with increased infectivity. Pneumococcal vaccines are available in two formulations, the unconjugated purified polysaccharide (PPSV) and the conjugated formulation (PCV), which leads to a more robust and prolonged immune response. There have been dramatic reductions in mortality attributed to invasive pneumococcal disease over the past 2 decades due to improved vaccination rates and improved serotype coverage with the existing arsenal of vaccines (PCV13 and PPSV23). Utilizing both conjugate and purified polysaccharide modalities in series has produced greater and lasting immunity. The development of both the PCV15 and the PCV20 vaccines provides an opportunity to use conjugated vaccines against a wider spectrum of pneumococcal serotypes. National guidelines have been updated to incorporate the new pneumococcal vaccines into clinical practice.

Adaptation of clinical pharmacy services to meet patient care needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has challenged health systems to find innovative ways of delivering patient care while protecting staff from infection with the virus. As the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to evolve establishing "hot spots" in various areas of the country, clinicians have learned more about caring for these patients. This has required the Department of Pharmacy at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital to constantly update the approach it has taken during this time, and the guidance which is provided for the pharmaceutical care of these patients. Because Philadelphia was in the initial stages of the pandemic within the United States, operations within the Department of Pharmacy at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital needed to be redesigned. This brief report provides an example of the swift changes that were made in the pharmacy practice model at a large academic medical center. Herein we describe the impact of the pandemic on the Department of Pharmacy at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital with a focus on clinical and operations aspects. The areas that will be highlighted in this report represent areas that required rapid and transformational change to the operations and/or clinical care in order to protect the health of pharmacists and allow them to continue to provide the necessary level of patient care.