As vaccine uptake remains low among children, and with the recent authorization of updated booster shots for children five and older, the COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project convened a webinar aimed at addressing parents’ lingering questions about COVID-19 vaccines. The panelists – including pediatricians to epidemiologists – brought their perspectives as parents along with their medical expertise for an open dialogue aimed at building trust and increasing awareness about the importance of keeping children up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations.

Panelists included:

• Dr. Uché Blackstock, Founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity
• Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, Founder and Author of Your Local Epidemiologist
• Dr. Ilan Shapiro, Chief Health Correspondent and Medical Affairs Officer, AltaMed

With EUAs recently granted for new, bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccines, the COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project convened a webinar with CDC and FDA experts to discuss the rationale for updated shots and address questions around eligibility, effectiveness and the current outlook for managing the virus.

Panelists included:

• Dr. Peter Marks, Director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER)
• Dr. Sarah Meyer, Chief Medical Officer, CDC’s Immunization Services Division

The conversation was moderated by Chana Davis, PhD, contributor at Dear Pandemic and founder of Fueled by Science.

As new variants of COVID-19 continue to circulate and vaccine uptake among children remains low, the COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project (CVEEP) and HealthyWomen recently convened a discussion with parents and a grandparent discussing why they chose to vaccinate their children. The conversation also included panelists’ perspectives about common questions related to the COVID-19 vaccine for children and how their children handled the vaccination process.

Panelists included:

• Pamela Price, mother
• Charlotte Stephenson, grandmother and guardian
• Beth Battaglino, RN-C, mother and CEO of HealthyWomen and Co-Convener of CVEEP

The discussion was moderated by Stefanie Williamson, HealthyWomen’s Director of Media Relations/Director of Women’s Health Advisory Council.

As new variants of COVID-19 continue to circulate and vaccine uptake among younger children remains low, the COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project held a webinar on August 18th via Facebook Live aimed at addressing parents’ ongoing questions since the EUAs were granted, and discussing ways to increase confidence in the shots for the latest eligible children.

Featured speakers included:

• Dr. Sarah Meyer, Chief Medical Officer, CDC’s Immunization Services Division
• Dr. Ada Stewart, Board Chair, American Academy of Family Physicians
• Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez, Pediatrician at Columbia University-New York Presbyterian Hospital, Executive Committee Member, American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Communication and Media
• The discussion was moderated by Jessica Herndon, editorial director of CafeMom.

The Adult Vaccine Access Coalition (AVAC) and the COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project (CVEEP) hosted an engaging discussion with leading healthcare experts and advocates on the latest in vaccine policy and opportunities to address the need for improved uptake of routine vaccinations among children and adults.

Participants included:

• Dr. Georgina Peacock, Director, Division of Immunization Services, CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
• Claire Hannan, Executive Director of the Association of Immunization Managers (Moderator)
• Abby Bownas, Manager, Adult Vaccine Access Coalition
• Sue Peschin, COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project Convener and President and CEO of the Alliance for Aging Research

The COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project hosted a Facebook Live event to address key questions and considerations related to younger children and the vaccine. The event featured a panel of CDC and FDA experts to discuss how the clinical trials were conducted for this age group, the regulatory approval process and address parents’ top questions to help build confidence in the vaccine for children 6 months-4 years old.

Participants included:

• Dr. Peter Marks, Director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER)
• Dr. Sara Oliver, ACIP Work Group lead, Medical Officer in the Division of Viral Diseases, National Center for Immunizations and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD)
• Patsy Stinchfield, MS, CPNP, past voting member and current liaison to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) representing the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP), President-Elect of National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID)

Pandemic Fallout: A Dangerous Decline in Vaccination for America’s Children

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Health disparities existed before the pandemic and continue today, but there are lessons to be learned from the COVID-19 experience to inform an approach to help close the gaps. The COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project recently hosted a LinkedIn Live discussion around how health groups can incorporate successful approaches to improve both COVID-19 rates and address longstanding vaccination inequities, which have led to lower vaccination rates for many and to a higher incidence of vaccine-preventable disease in vulnerable populations.

Featured speakers included:

• Dr. Ernest Grant, President of the American Nurses Association (ANA)
• Dr. Tim Putnam, member, Biden-Harris COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, former president and CEO of Margaret Mary Health and past president of the Indiana Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Association
• Dr. L.J. Tan, Chief Strategy Officer, Immunization Action Coalition

The conversation was moderated by Dr. Uzma Syed, Chair of the COVID-19 Task Force for Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center.

Given the Omicron surge, developments around vaccines for younger children, and the ongoing questions around booster eligibility and timing, the COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project held a virtual townhall aimed at educating and clarifying these and other relevant topics with CDC and FDA experts.

Featured speakers included:

• Dr. Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, Director, CDC, and Administrator, ATSDR
• Dr. Peter Marks, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) at the Food and Drug Administration
• Dr. Sara Oliver, ACIP Work Group lead, Medical Officer in the Division of Viral Diseases, National Center for Immunizations and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD)

The conversation was moderated by Karyne Jones, President & CEO of the National Caucus and Center on Black Aging, Inc and a co-convener of the COVID-19 Vaccine Education and Equity Project.

Watch highlights here and here.

Project Issue Brief: Vaccination Equity in the COVID-19 Era

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