scholarly journals Measuring the Success of the US COVID-19 Vaccine Campaign—It’s Time to Invest in and Strengthen Immunization Information Systems

2021 ◽  
pp. e1-e3
Author(s):  
Jade Benjamin-Chung ◽  
Arthur Reingold
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Vaccine Coverage ◽  
Herd Immunity ◽  
The United States ◽  
Time Estimates ◽  
The Us ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
State And Local

With the recent US Food and Drug Administration approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, the United States has begun COVID-19 vaccine dissemination. The vaccination program is historic in its massive scope and complexity. It requires accurate, real-time estimates of vaccine coverage to assess progress toward achieving herd immunity. Under Operation Warp Speed, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has constructed a federal database, or “data lake,” to monitor vaccine coverage nationwide and ensure that recipients receive both of the necessary doses. The data lake will be managed separately from existing state and local immunization information systems (IISs), which house vaccine data in all 50 states, five cities, the District of Columbia, and eight territories. In an open letter to the Director of the CDC in late 2020, four organizations representing immunization managers and public health officials expressed concerns about the plan to include vaccine recipients’ personal identifier information in the data lake.1 They also urged stronger coordination with IISs. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print Feburary 18, 2021: e1–e3. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306177 )

scholarly journals The Check and Report Ebola (CARE+) Program to Monitor Travelers for Ebola After Arrival to the United States, 2014-2016

2019 ◽  
Vol 134 (6) ◽  
pp. 592-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather A. Joseph ◽  
Abbey E. Wojno ◽  
Kelly Winter ◽  
Onalee Grady-Erickson ◽  
Erin Hawes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Care Program ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Government ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Control And Prevention

The 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa influenced how public health officials considered migration and emerging infectious diseases. Responding to the public’s concerns, the US government introduced enhanced entry screening and post-arrival monitoring by public health authorities to reduce the risk of importation and domestic transmission of Ebola while continuing to allow travel from West Africa. This case study describes a new initiative, the Check and Report Ebola (CARE+) program that engaged travelers arriving to the United States from countries with Ebola outbreaks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employed CARE ambassadors, who quickly communicated with incoming travelers and gave them practical resources to boost their participation in monitoring for Ebola. The program aimed to increase travelers’ knowledge of Ebola symptoms and how to seek medical care safely, increase travelers’ awareness of monitoring requirements, reduce barriers to monitoring, and increase trust in the US public health system. This program could be adapted for use in future outbreaks that involve the potential importation of disease and require the education and active engagement of travelers to participate in post-arrival monitoring.

After September 11: Rethinking Public Health Federalism

2002 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy E. Parmet
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Public Health System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Federal State ◽  
The Public ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Local Officials ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Effective Public Health ◽  
Suspicious Case

In the fall of 2001, the need for a vigorous and effective public health system became more apparent than it had been for many decades. With the advent of the first widescale bioterrorist attack on the United States, the government's obligation to respond and take steps to protect the public health became self-evident.Also obvious was the need for of an effective partnership between federal, state, and local officials. Local officials are almost always on the front lines of the struggle against bioterrorism. They are the first to recognize a suspicious case and to provide testing and treatment for the affected population. At the same time, state officials are needed to support and coordinate local efforts, providing an expertise that may be lacking in many communities, especially smaller ones.But few would doubt that the federal government has a key role to play. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is expected to lead the epidemiological investigation and provide expertise on how to cope with diseases that remain unfamiliar to most physicians.

scholarly journals A Report Card on Prevention Efforts of COVID-19 Deaths in US

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 1175
Author(s):  
Ramalingam Shanmugam ◽  
Lawrence Fulton ◽  
Zo Ramamonjiarivelo ◽  
José Betancourt ◽  
Brad Beauvais ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
The Public ◽  
Analysis Methodology ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
The Government

COVID-19 (otherwise known as coronavirus disease 2019) is a life-threatening pandemic that has been combatted in various ways by the government, public health officials, and health care providers. These interventions have been met with varying levels of success. Ultimately, we question if the preventive efforts have reduced COVID-19 deaths in the United States. To address this question, we analyze data pertaining to COVID-19 deaths drawn from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For this purpose, we employ incidence rate restricted Poisson (IRRP) as an underlying analysis methodology and evaluate all preventive efforts utilized to attempt to reduce COVID-19 deaths. Interpretations of analytic results and graphical visualizations are used to emphasize our various findings. Much needed modifications of the public health policies with respect to dealing with any future pandemics are compiled, critically assessed, and discussed.

Different Responses to COVID-19 in Four US States: Washington, New York, Missouri, and Alabama

2021 ◽  
pp. e1-e5
Author(s):  
Paul C. Erwin ◽  
Kenneth W. Mucheck ◽  
Ross C. Brownson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
New York ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
United States Public Health ◽  
H1n1 Influenza ◽  
The United States ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Constitution ◽  
State And Local

In the United States, public health is largely the responsibility of state governments’ implementing authority specified in their constitutions or reserved to states under the 10th Amendment to the US Constitution. The public health–related powers granted to the federal government are substantially less and derive primarily from the Commerce Clause (Article 1, Section 8) of the US Constitution. In public health emergencies over the past several decades, however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has played a major role in providing guidance, resources, and other support to state and local public health departments, for example, in large foodborne disease outbreaks, in response to major natural disasters, and especially in response to large-scale infectious disease threats (e.g., West Nile virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome, and H1N1 influenza).1 (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print January 28, 2021: e1–e5. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.306111 )

Preparing for SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines in US Immigrant Communities: Strategies for Allocation, Distribution, and Communication

2020 ◽  
pp. e1-e5
Author(s):  
Eva H. Clark ◽  
Karla Fredricks ◽  
Laila Woc-Colburn ◽  
Maria Elena Bottazzi ◽  
Jill Weatherhead
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Department Of Defense ◽  
Population Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Immigrant Communities ◽  
Private Partnership ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Government ◽  
Control And Prevention

Widely administered efficacious severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines are the safest and most efficient way to achieve individual- and population-level immunity, making SARS-CoV-2 vaccination the most viable strategy for controlling the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the United States. To this end, the US government has invested more than $10 billion in “Operation Warp Speed,” a public-private partnership including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the US Department of Defense. Operation Warp Speed funded the development of several SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and aimed to deliver 300 million doses of a vaccine by the ambitious date of January 2021. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print December 22, 2020: e1–e5. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.306047 )

scholarly journals Determinants of workplace perceptions among federal, state, and local public health staff in the US, 2014 to 2017

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathon P. Leider ◽  
Katie Sellers ◽  
Jessica Owens-Young ◽  
Grace Guerrero-Ramirez ◽  
Kyle Bogaert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Intent To Leave ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Health Workforce ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Local Health ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Government ◽  
State And Local

Abstract Background The governmental public health workforce in the United States comprises almost 300,000 staff at federal, state, and local levels. The workforce is poised for generational change, experiencing significant levels of retirement. However, intent to leave for other reasons is also substantial, and diversity is lacking in the workforce. Methods Workforce perception data from 76,000 staff from Health and Human Services (HHS) including 14,000 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were analyzed across 2014 and 2017. Additionally, data from 32,000 state and local health department staff in 46 agencies reporting in both years. Estimates were constructed accounting for survey design and non-response. Results In 2017, women made up 43% of the total US government workforce and 33% of supervisors or higher, compared to 73 and 68% generally in State Health Agencies (p < .0001); and 62% vs 52% in HHS (p < .0001). Among state staff, intent to leave increased from 22 to 31% (p < .0001), but fell in 2017 from 33 to 28% for HHS (p < .0001). Correlates of intent to leave included low job satisfaction, pay satisfaction, and agency type. Federal entities saw the highest proportion respondents that indicated they would recommend their organization as a good place to work. Conclusions While intent to leave fell at federal agencies from 2014 to 2017, it increased among staff in state and local health departments. Additionally, while public health is more diverse than the US government overall, significant underrepresentation is observed in supervisory positions for staff of color, especially women.

scholarly journals Employer-Mandated Vaccination for COVID-19

2021 ◽  
pp. e1-e4
Author(s):  
Mark A. Rothstein ◽  
Wendy E. Parmet ◽  
Dorit Rubinstein Reiss
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Drug Administration ◽  
The United States ◽  
Political Polarization ◽  
Kaiser Family Foundation ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
The Us ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
New Phase

When the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided to grant emergency use authorization (EUA) for the first two vaccines for COVID-19, the United States’ response to the pandemic entered a new phase. Initially, the greatest challenge is having enough doses of vaccine and administering them to all who want it. Yet even while many wait expectantly for their turn to be vaccinated, a significant minority of Americans are hesitant. Lack of information or misinformation about the vaccine, a long-standing and well-entrenched antivaccination movement, distrust of public health officials, and political polarization have left many people ambivalent or opposed to vaccination. According to a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation taken in late November and early December 2020, 27% of respondents surveyed stated that they would “probably” or “definitely” not be willing to be vaccinated.1 Reflecting the sharp partisan divide that has characterized views about the pandemic, Democrats (86%) were far more likely than Republicans (56%) to be vaccinated. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print February 4, 2021: e1–e4. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.306166 )

A review of policy, practices, and players governing and involved in the United States vaccine and immunization enterprise

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 138-151
Author(s):  
Angela K. Shen ◽  
Alice Y. Tsai ◽  
Guthrie S. Birkhead
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
The United States ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Usa ◽  
State And Local

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to outline the organization and governance of the US vaccine and immunization enterprise. It describes the major components of the US system including the various relationships between major federal government entities, stakeholders, and advisory committees that inform government policymaking at various points in the system. Design/methodology/approach The authors describe the complex interdependent network of partners that engage in a wide range of activities such as disease surveillance, research, vaccine development, regulatory licensure, practice recommendations, financing, service delivery, communications, and post-licensure monitoring. Findings The US system of governance is highly participatory and focuses on a transparent and open engagement, with input from a wide range of partners to inform decision-making. This collaborative framework allows many inputs to be heard and helps support the US vaccine and immunization system as it evolves to meet the continued public health needs in the USA through the optimal use of safe and effective vaccines. Originality/value This is an invited article on the US vaccine and immunization enterprise. The development and availability of vaccines in the USA has had profound impact on mortality and morbidity and public health (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). The success of this enterprise is a result of a blended public and private sector system with partnerships at the federal, state, and local levels of government to optimize the use of safe and effective vaccines. Governance structures have been established to support the interaction and decision-making among the federal and non-federal actors toward the common goal of controlling and preventing infectious diseases.

scholarly journals Controlling Tuberculosis in the United States: Use of Isolation and Other Measures Throughout the Country

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 337-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Katz ◽  
Andrea Vaught
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Community Support ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Evidentiary Standards ◽  
Depth Interviews

AbstractObjectivesWe sought to better understand the tools used by public health officials in the control of tuberculosis (TB).MethodsWe conducted a series of in-depth interviews with public health officials at the local, state, and federal levels to better understand how health departments around the country use isolation measures to control TB.ResultsState and local public health officials’ use of social distancing tools in infection control varies widely, particularly in response to handling noncompliant patients. Judicial and community support, in addition to financial resources, impacted the incentives and enablers used to maintain isolation of infectious TB patients.ConclusionsInstituting social distancing requires authorities and resources and can be impacted by evidentiary standards, risk assessments, political will, and community support. Awareness of these factors, as well as knowledge of state and local uses of social distancing measures, is essential to understanding what actions are most likely to be instituted during a public health emergency and to target interventions to better prepare health departments to utilize the best available tools necessary to control the spread of disease. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:337–342)

scholarly journals Impacts of social distancing policies on mobility and COVID-19 case growth in the US

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory A. Wellenius ◽  
Swapnil Vispute ◽  
Valeria Espinosa ◽  
Alex Fabrikant ◽  
Thomas C. Tsai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
State Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Mobility Data ◽  
The Us ◽  
Public Health Officials

AbstractSocial distancing remains an important strategy to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. However, the impacts of specific state-level policies on mobility and subsequent COVID-19 case trajectories have not been completely quantified. Using anonymized and aggregated mobility data from opted-in Google users, we found that state-level emergency declarations resulted in a 9.9% reduction in time spent away from places of residence. Implementation of one or more social distancing policies resulted in an additional 24.5% reduction in mobility the following week, and subsequent shelter-in-place mandates yielded an additional 29.0% reduction. Decreases in mobility were associated with substantial reductions in case growth two to four weeks later. For example, a 10% reduction in mobility was associated with a 17.5% reduction in case growth two weeks later. Given the continued reliance on social distancing policies to limit the spread of COVID-19, these results may be helpful to public health officials trying to balance infection control with the economic and social consequences of these policies.

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