By Karen Kier, Pharmacist
On behalf of the ONU HealthWise team

On September 15, 1980, American rocker Pat Benatar released her single Hit Me With Your Best Shot. Eddie Schwartz, who wrote and produced the song, was inspired after he started using bioenergetics. His therapy was punching a pillow. Bioenergetics involves improving well-being while releasing blocked energy.  

This song was Benatar’s first top 10 hit in the United States. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in November of 2022.  She no longer includes this song in her concerts as a protest to mass shootings.

Shot, vax, immunization and inoculation are all terms used to refer to vaccines.  

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met on October 23 and 24, 2024 to make recommendations.  The ACIP has 12 voting members who are all physicians with no affiliation to the CDC, but are experts in their fields. There are 39 liaisons to the committee representing nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians, pharmacists, and public health experts. 

The ACIP made some significant recommendations for vaccines for pneumonia, meningitis, and COVID-19 at the meeting. 

Pneumococcal pneumonia is a bacterial infection caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae.  This pneumonia can be more serious in older adults and those with chronic lung, kidney, heart, and liver disease.  Individuals with diabetes or who smoke have an increased risk.  It is a serious infection with a high hospitalization and death rate. 

Previously, the vaccines to help prevent pneumococcal pneumonia were only approved for those individuals 65 years and older or in individuals 19 to 64 that have a high-risk condition such as a weak immune system, lung disease, or diabetes.  The new ACIP recommendation has lowered the age from 65 years to 50 years. Children under the age of 5 years and those 5 to 18 years with high-risk conditions should receive a 4-dose series. 

The recommendation is specific for the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. There are multiple conjugate vaccines on the market, but the two best conjugate vaccines contain 20 and 21 serotypes. The vaccines are Prevnar20® and CAPVAXIVETM.  

If you have received a pneumonia vaccine with 13 or 15 serotypes, you could be eligible to receive the newer 20 or 21 conjugate vaccines. Talk to your healthcare professional. 

The ACIP issued a new advisory on the meningitis vaccine. For those 16-23 years old, the new recommendation is a 2-shot series given 6 months apart. A 3-dose series is suggested for those 10 years and older who have a higher risk of developing meningitis. 

The ACIP provided guidance on the new 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax.  The 2024-2025 vaccine contains the omicron variants specific to the KP.2 and JN.1. In the United States, the predominant variant is the KP.3.1, which is related to the KP.2 and JN.1 variants.  The 2024-2025 vaccine has activity against circulating strains in the U.S. and can help prevent serious infections, hospitalization, and deaths from COVID-19. 

The ACIP is recommending a first dose of the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine for anyone 6 months and older with a second dose 6 months later.  You should wait 2 months before getting the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine if you had an active COVID-19 infection in the last 2 months.  The CDC reports a very low uptake of the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine in adults with only 11.5% receiving the vaccine. 

We want you to know about the best shot!

ONU Healthwise is offering the and COVID-19 vaccine clinics Monday - Friday from 2:00-6:00 p.m. For more information, call 419-772-3784.