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Understanding COVID-19 Vaccine in Communities of Color

Click here to view the archived webinar recording.

Understanding COVID-19 Vaccine in Communities of Color.   Medical mistrust, a result of systemic racism, is prevalent among communities of color and may play a role in COVID-19 inequities. With the recent Emergency Use Authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, public health officials are dealing with combating vaccine hesitancy.   Many Black Americans have expressed reluctance to take the vaccine, a wariness some attribute to the enduring legacy of the egregious Tuskegee syphilis study.  As a trusted source of information about vaccines, public health professionals play a key role in establishing trust and educating the community on the important role vaccines play in protecting against serious diseases.  Guest speakers Dr. Brenda Robinson and Barry Walston will lead us through a discussion on how public health professional can help Overcoming COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Communities of Color.

Guest Speakers:

Brenda Robinson DPN, MSN, FNP-s, RN
CEO, Black Nurses Coalition, Inc: City of Albany Human Rights Commission Chairperson

Barry Walston, MSW
NAACP – Youth Advisor and New York State Department of Health

Learning Outcome:

As a result of participation in this activity, learners will expand their knowledge and competence on vaccine hesitancy in communities of color.

Objectives:

At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

  1. Discuss the African American experience and culture.
  2. Demonstrate the understanding of cultural relevance and cultural responsiveness.
  3. Explain the barriers that contribute to health disparities.
  4. Identify the correlation between health disparities, COVID-19 and vaccine skepticism.

Event Details:

  • Original Air Date:  February 25, 2021
  • Target Audience:  LHD  immunization staff, LHD Commissioners & Public Health Directors, LHD Risk Communication and Emergency Preparedness Staff, and NYSDOH Bureau of Immunization Staff.

ENDURING MATERIAL – Continue Education Credits are available for this event.  Please see below for details on what credits will be available.  To receive credits, please go to  https://www.ualbanycphp.org/eval/SPHeval.cfm?id=483 to take the post-test and evaluation.

Continuing Medical Education Credits
The School of Public Health, University at Albany is accredited by the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The School of Public Health, University at Albany designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity

Continuing Nurse Education Contact Hours
The University at Albany School of Public Health is approved as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the Northeast Multistate Division, an accredited approver of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

This offering is approved for _1.0_ nursing contact hour(s).

Certified Health Education Specialist Contact Hours

Sponsored by the School of Public Health, University at Albany, SUNY, a designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. This program is designated for Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES®) and/or Master Certified Health Education Specialists (MCHES®) to receive up to 1.0 total Category I contact education contact hours. Maximum advanced-level continuing education contact hours available are 0. Continuing Competency credits available are 1.0.  Provider ID# 99086.

Certified in Public Health Credits

This event is sponsored by School of Public Health, University at Albany, an approved provider of CPH Renewal Credits by the National Board of Public Health Examiners.

This offering is approved for 1.0 Certified in Public Health Renewal Credit(s).

How to Enroll to be a COVID-19 Vaccine Provider

Providers that want to enroll to be a provider should go to https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-vaccine-information-providers.  This website includes links on how to register for the Immunization Information System, how to enroll in the COVID-19 Vaccination Program, and how to order/receive/administer vaccine.

Any questions  about the enrollment process  should be sent to COVID19Vaccine@health.ny.gov

Contact NYSIIS Program staff at (518) 473-2839 or NYSIIS@health.ny.gov for additional information.

ACIP Recommends First COVID-19 Vaccine for Use in U.S.; IAC Summarizes Guidance from December 11–12 Meeting December 14, 2020

After holding nine formal meetings since June and hearing more than 70 presentations on COVID-19 vaccine, on December 12 the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to recommend the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for persons 16 years of age and older in the United States. This historic vote followed issuance of the Food and Drug Administration’s Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the vaccine on December 11 [see story above].

The ACIP recommendations and additional guidance for the vaccine’s use became official when adopted by CDC and published as ACIP’s Interim Recommendation for Use of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine—U.S, December 2020 in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Early Release issued on December 13.

While the MMWR publication should always be consulted for official guidance, additional highlights of ACIP’s clinical guidance discussed at the committee’s December 11–12 meeting are provided below:

  • Administration – The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is administered intramuscularly as a 2-dose series separated by 21 days. Although the 21-day separation should be followed as closely as possible, the standard 4-day grace period (allowing a 17–20 day interval between doses) is acceptable. If more than 21 days elapse between doses, vaccine should be administered at the earliest opportunity, but doses do not need to be repeated due to a longer interval. Both doses are necessary for protection. COVID-19 vaccines are not interchangeable, and care should be taken to ensure the same vaccine is used for both doses. However, if different mRNA vaccines are inadvertently administered, no additional doses of either vaccine are recommended at this time. A minimum interval of 14 days should be maintained before or after administration of this COVID-19 vaccine with any other type of vaccine.
  • Persons with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection or exposure – Persons should be offered vaccine regardless of a prior history of infection. However, if they are currently infected, vaccination should be deferred until their recovery from acute illness. To avoid exposure to healthcare personnel, vaccination should be deferred for persons with a known SARS-CoV2 exposure until after their quarantine period has ended, with the exception of those who live in congregate settings (e.g., long-term care, correctional facilities, homeless shelters). Vaccination should be deferred for 90 days following receipt of monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma used as part of COVID-19 treatment.
  • Special populations – Unless otherwise contraindicated, persons with underlying medical conditions or who are immunocompromised may receive COVID-19 vaccine. Pregnant or lactating women may choose to be vaccinated after discussion with their healthcare provider to assess their risk of infection, to make an informed decision. Routine testing for pregnancy before vaccination is not recommended.
  • Patient vaccine counseling – All patients should be counseled about the importance of receiving both doses of vaccine, as well as expected local and systemic post-vaccination symptoms.
  • Interpretation of SARS-CoV-2 test results in a vaccinated person – Prior receipt of vaccine will not affect results of viral tests. Vaccination could affect anti-spike antibody test results, but not antibody tests based on nucleocapsid.

ACIP also voted to add descriptive text and a link to current COVID-19 vaccine recommendations within the 2021 U.S. Adult and Child/Adolescent Immunization Schedules, which will be published in February.

CDC is updating the COVID-19 information on its web pages frequently, with several key resources listed below.

Related Links

Where do I send ITPH Requests?

ITPH request to Howard Zucker howard.zucker@health.ny.gov and CC: Santilli, Loretta A (HEALTH) loretta.santilli@health.ny.gov

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