The best offense is a good defense. Here’s my approach to vaccinating patients with the recombinant zoster vaccine to avoid shingles infection, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here’s why I think the COVID-19 pandemic is the perfect time to overturn the old practice of avoiding the shingles vaccine in our patients with immunocompromising conditions or who are taking immunosuppressive medications.
Implementing a shingles vaccine protocol in a busy outpatient practice is hard enough as it is—but during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is overwhelming. Here are my thoughts on how to meet this challenge.
What puts your patients at risk for shingles? Review the risk factors for shingles and the complications that can occur in unvaccinated people.
Review these slides on the epidemiology, risks, and complications of shingles in older patients and patients with immunosuppression.
Who should receive the shingles vaccine and when? Review updated indications for the recombinant zoster vaccine and guidance on its use.
Review these slides on expert guidance and recommendations on vaccination against shingles with the recombinant zoster vaccine.
What are the potential complications of shingles, and how can they best be avoided? What should you recommend to patients who have missed or delayed vaccines due to the pandemic lockdown? Review expert guidance on shingles vaccination to prevent shingles and its complications in the COVID-19 era.
Review these slides on expert guidance and recommendations on vaccination to prevent shingles and its complications, in the COVID-19 era
What are the barriers to shingles vaccination, and how can healthcare professionals overcome them, especially during COVID-19? Which strategies have been shown to increase vaccination rates and reduce disparities? Review expert guidance here.
Review these slides on expert guidance and recommendations on shingles vaccination rates and increasing vaccine uptake in the COVID-19 era.
What puts your older patients at risk for shingles? What is their risk of developing postherpetic neuralgia? Listen to expert insights from Tracy Zivin-Tutela, MD, on risk factors and complications of shingles.
What is the interplay between shingles and COVID-19 vaccination? At what age should your patients receive the RZV? Should your patient be vaccinated after an episode of shingles? Listen to expert insights from Tracy Zivin-Tutela, MD, on shingles vaccination guidelines and how to implement them during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What are common complications of shingles? How effective is shingles vaccination at preventing postherpetic neuralgia? Listen to expert insights from Dalilah Restrepo, MD, on shingles complications and how healthcare professionals can help their patients catch up on shingles vaccinations delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
What are the barriers to shingles vaccination? What strategies are known to be effective at increasing routine vaccine uptake? Listen to expert insights from Dalilah Restrepo, MD, on shingles vaccination and how healthcare professionals can help their patients catch up on vaccinations delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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