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COVID-19 Vaccine

COVID-19 vaccines offer high levels of protection against severe disease, hospitalization, and death — especially for people who receive vaccine boosters. The American Academy of Family Physicians is committed to enhancing awareness among family physicians and primary care teams of the significance of COVID-19 vaccinations. Family physicians and other primary care clinicians are trusted sources of health information. As you care for your patients of all ages, it is important to strongly recommend COVID-19 vaccinations.

CDC's COVID-19 Vaccination Clinical & Professional Resources

The AAFP looks to the CDC as the primary source for family physicians. You'll find Interim Clinical Considerations, information on each COVID-19 vaccine, provider support, vaccine counseling guidance, and COVID-19 tracking.

COVID-19 Vaccines for Kids Under 5

How to talk with parents and caregivers about their concerns

Now that the COVID-19 vaccines are widely available for children and adolescents 6 months and older, parents and caregivers may have questions for you. Answering their questions and providing your expert opinion about COVID-19 vaccines can help reassure them about the safety of vaccinating their children.

To guide you and your practice team in these conversations, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has provided common questions, quick answers, and resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to assist you in these important discussions.

Virus mutations are common, and SARS-CoV-2 variants continue being detected. The CDC is monitoring these variants and tracking spread across the U.S., as well as the effect on infection and disease. Researchers are also checking vaccine effectiveness against the different variants.

As of Nov. 30, the CDC recognized Omicron as a new variant of concern. There aren't a lot of details at this time. They will continue tracking the mutation and its impact.

This past summer and fall, the Delta variant spread faster and caused more infections. According to the CDC, it has

Increased transmissibility²⁹
Potential reduction in neutralization by some EUA monoclonal antibody treatments ^{7, 14}
Potential reduction in neutralization by post-vaccination sera ²¹

It is important to note that all the variants appear to have increased efficiency in spreading from person to person so the use of mitigation measures like masks, ventilation, hand washing, physical distancing, and quarantine are paramount. A Variant Classification scheme that defines classes of SARS-CoV-2 variants has been developed and information for the different variants is provided at the CDC's variant page.

The B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), P.1 (Gamma), B.1.427 (Epsilon), B.1.429 (Epsilon), and B.1.617.2 (Delta) variants circulating in the United States are classified as variants of concern. Use the CDC's map to see where the different variants are found in the U.S.

COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy Is Key to Saving Lives: This joint statement reinforces that pregnant individuals are at increased risk of severe COVID-19 infection, ICU admission, and death, as well as adverse pregnancy outcomes. If an individual is pregnant, the best way to protect themselves and their pregnancy against the potential harm.
COVID-19 Vaccines in Pregnancy: With more than 20 health care organizations, the AAFP strongly urges individuals who are pregnant, recently pregnant, planning to become pregnant or lactating to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Coding and Payment

The American Medical Association continues publishing COVID-19 vaccine and administration codes. Their unique structure allows for tracking and accommodating multiple COVID-19 vaccines.

How to Code Third Doses of COVID-19 Vaccines: These codes are only to be used for third doses for immunocompromised individuals, which are different than booster shots.
COVID-19 Vaccine Coverage Requirements and Preliminary Payment Guidance: Information on coverage for vaccine administration and related services.

CDC's COVID-19 Vaccine Resources

Check out information on the CDC's COVID-19 site, including:

COVID-19 Vaccine Training Module

Expect updates to this site, plus CDC’s Vaccination and Immunization site, as more information is available. It's critical that jurisdictions and federal entities receiving vaccine have information to implement an effective COVID-19 vaccination program.