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Vaccination Resources

Vaccine Updates Heading into the Fall Respiratory Season 

As we quickly move into the fall respiratory virus season, stay updated on the latest ACIP recommendations by completing the Quick Updates for Fall 2024 Respiratory Vaccinations virtual continuing education course to ensure you accurately and effectively immunize your patients this fall. You may complete the education now. However, credits cannot be claimed until September 24. We will email those who complete the training prior to the credits becoming available to remind you to claim your credits!

Based on ACIP guidance, the CDC recommended the updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 and flu vaccines for this fall and winter and updated their recommendation for the RSV vaccine.  

  • COVID-19: The updated 24-25 COVID-19 vaccine is recommended by the CDC for everyone ages 6 months and older and will be available from Moderna, Novavax, and Pfizer later this year.  

  • Influenza: The CDC recommends the updated 24-25 flu vaccine for everyone 6 months and older, with rare exceptions. All updated 24-25 flu vaccines will be trivalent vaccines, protecting against H1N1, H3N2, and a B/Victoria lineage virus.  

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV): The CDC now recommends the RSV vaccine for everyone 75 years and older and for people 60–74 who are at increased risk of severe RSV, meaning they have certain chronic medical conditions, such as lung or heart disease, or they live in nursing homes. This recommendation is for adults who did not get an RSV vaccine last year; it is not an annual vaccine. Eligible adults can get an RSV vaccine at any time, but the best time to get vaccinated is in late summer and early fall before RSV usually starts to spread in communities.

Funding Available for KYIR Connections

Increasing the number of vaccination providers that utilize the Kentucky Immunization Registry (KYIR) is vital to enriching the health data that is confidentially and privately collected across our state, ultimately improving patient care and closing gaps in care. 

The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky will grant up to $10,000 per location to immunization providers who wish to connect their software to KYIR via KHIE. These funds may only be used to cover charges from the provider’s software and the cost of staffing needed to complete the data integration.  

Please note: these funds are only for new connections and not pre-existing connections. Providers who are already in the process of connecting to the KYIR are not eligible for funding.  

Funding Process:  

Download the application from https://healthy-ky.org/kyir-grants.  Fill out the application, attach the invoice from your EHR, including costs to connect to the KYIR, and email it to hbruner@healthy-ky.org.   If approved, you will be sent a contract to read, sign, and return.  Provider staff and software then complete the electronic record connection.  The Immunization Branch will confirm with the Foundation when participating providers have a live connection.  The Foundation will mail checks for the reimbursements to the vaccination providers upon confirmation of completed integration.  

For any questions, please contact Heather Bruner at hbruner@healthy-ky.org.  


Increase of Pertussis (“Whooping Cough”) Across the Commonwealth
 
Kentucky's Cabinet for Health and Family Services recently notified KPhA of the increase of pertussis (“whooping cough”) across the Commonwealth. Click here to read the entire Kentucky Department of Public Health Alert. In addition, new parent and prenatal provider toolkits are now available to support immunization outreach efforts for pregnant Kentuckians. Pertussis can be life-threatening in young infants. Prenatal Tdap and prompt initiation of DTaP vaccines starting at two months of age are the best prevention against severe pertussis. Additional pertussis resources can be found on the KDPH website. As always, thank you for your efforts to protect the health of Kentuckians! 


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