Pneumonia Vaccination Update

What You Need to Know

On October 20, 2021, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to revise its adult pneumococcal vaccination recommendations.

Hackensack Meridian Health supports the updated ACIP recommendations and encourages providers to vaccinate patients with Prevnar 20 TM (Pneumococcal 20-valent Conjugate Vaccine) for both the age-based as well as condition-based categories.

Click here for more information about Prevnar 20, including full prescribing information, and more.

This means, for our adult population aged 18 and older, Prevnar 13 will be phased out of use and we will replace Pneumovax (PPSV23) in series with Prevnar 13 (old rule), or PCV 15 (new rule) with solely Prevnar 20. There is evidence that the single dose schedule offers much higher immunization rates, is more convenient and is non-inferior in effect.

For our pediatric population the usually recommendations apply of using Prevnar 13 or with the new CDC/ACIP provisional recommendation of Pneumococcal 15-valent conjugate vaccine – Vaxneuvance.