The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices provides consolidated, summarized information in its 2023 immunization schedule for adults aged 19 years or older, published in this issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. The schedule assists practitioners by bringing diverse recommendations to a single document that is easy to use over the course of the vaccine year. The adult and pediatric schedules are also available on the CDC website. This year, APhA was added to the list of partnering organizations that have approved the document.
The 2023 adult schedule provides new guidance for the vaccines against COVID-19, hepatitis B, influenza, pneumococcal disease, and zoster. Tables in the document are organized by age group (Table 1) and medical condition/other indications (Table 2). “Each recommended vaccine for adults in Tables 1 and 2 is accompanied by a note, which is designed to provide additional information on routine vaccination and recommendations in special situations,” the authors write. “The COVID-19 note is a new addition to the 2023 adult immunization schedule. Guidance on COVID-19 primary series recommendations is provided in addition to other information that providers may find helpful regarding COVID-19 vaccination. Additionally, a new polio vaccination note was added describing vaccine recommendations for adults who are at increased risk for exposure to poliovirus. New or revised language for influenza and pneumococcal vaccines has been added to their respective notes.”
