Protect Children from COVID-19 and the
Flu this Winter
After rigorous review and safety testing,
the COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized for kids ages 5 and up by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is recommended by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The approval and availability of the
vaccine for children is an exciting and long-awaited moment in the nation’s
fight against the pandemic, as the COVID-19 vaccine is the best way to
protect children and families from the virus.
Children are being infected with COVID-19, and case rates are increasing as
the holidays approach. As of November 18, 2021, child cases had risen 32%
compared to the previous two weeks. Some children are experiencing
serious illness, but even children who do not get severely ill could face
long-term health issues or pass the virus on to others, including vulnerable
family members. Since the start of the pandemic, 6.8 million children
have tested positive for COVID-19, representing 16.9% of all cases.
As families get ready to gather over the holidays, let them know that the
COVID-19 vaccine is the best way to keep everyone safe, and the vaccine is
available for free in every state. Share how to find a COVID-19 vaccine within your
community. Families can go to www.vaccines.gov to find the vaccine in
their area, or they can call their child’s health care provider to schedule a
COVID-19 vaccine and check in on other critical vaccinations like flu
vaccine, which is crucial to keeping children healthy this
winter. The flu sickens millions of children each year and is more dangerous
than the common cold.
The flu vaccine is recommended for children 6 months and older, and can
protect the individual receiving the shot and help stop the spread to family
members and peers. Flu vaccines have also been shown to reduce the severity
of illness in those who get vaccinated.
If your organization is looking for resources to encourage vaccinations in
your community, please visit InsureKidsNow.gov for digital videos that
highlight the importance of flu vaccine and are available in English and Spanish. Please note, these digital videos
can be used in outreach indefinitely, but only as produced by the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Register Today for the
Pediatric COVID-19 and Flu Vaccines Webinar
On December
9th from 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET, the CMS Office of
Minority Health and the Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign
will host a webinar to discuss childhood vaccination and provide information
and resources for partners and providers encouraging vaccinations in their
community. The webinar will focus on COVID-19 vaccines and will also include
information about flu shots for National Influenza Vaccination Week.
Speakers and panelists will highlight newly released recommendations on the
COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11, federal COVID-19 resources, flu shot
information, and more. Speakers include Dr. LaShawn McIver, Director, Office
of Minority Health, CMS; Rebecca Siegel, We Can Do This Campaign, HHS; Erin
Hemlin, We Can Do This Campaign, HHS; Jessica Beauchemin, Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign,
and additional community guest speakers. Register here.
Reminder: Renew Medicaid and
CHIP Coverage
Families can apply for Medicaid and CHIP coverage at any time
of the year, but coverage does need to be renewed. During the COVID-19
pandemic however, states have been required to maintain enrollment (commonly
referred to as the “continuous enrollment” requirement) of nearly all
individuals enrolled in Medicaid as one of several conditions of receiving
the temporary 6.2% Federal Medical Assistance Percentage increase under the
Families First Coronavirus Response Act. When the continuous enrollment
requirement expires, states will generally have up to 12 months to return to
normal eligibility and enrollment operations. This will include conducting a
full renewal for all individuals enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP, as well as
processing pending applications, and conducting routine verifications and
changes in circumstances.
To ensure states have what they need so that eligible individuals enrolled in
Medicaid and CHIP can maintain their healthcare coverage, CMS has released
two new tools. The first, Strategies States and U.S.
Territories Can Adopt to Maintain Coverage of Eligible Individuals as they
Return to Normal Operations, will help states consider and
implement policy and operational strategies to maintain coverage for eligible
individuals once states return to regular eligibility and enrollment
operations.
CMS has also released the Connecting Kids to Coverage:
State Outreach, Enrollment and Retention Strategies to share
effective and practical strategies to improve state Medicaid and CHIP
outreach, enrollment, and renewal activities.
Current & Upcoming
Observances
- National Influenza Vaccination Week (December 5-11)
- New Year’s Eve (December 31)
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 17)
- National Children’s Dental Health Month (February)
Stay Connected with the
Campaign
- Share our Campaign materials. Our ever-growing, multi-lingual Outreach Tool Library features a
variety of targeted resources to use in your outreach and enrollment
efforts, available in multiple formats.
- Contact us.
To get more involved with the Campaign, contact us via email at ConnectingKids@cms.hhs.gov.
- Follow the Campaign on Twitter. Remember to re-tweet or share our messages from @IKNGov with your social network and be
sure to use our #Enroll365 and #KidsEnroll hashtags in your posts.
Subscribe to the
“Campaign Notes” eNewsletter
The Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign eNewsletter
“Campaign Notes” is distributed throughout
the year and provides updates on Campaign activities. If a friend or
colleague forwarded this email to you, we invite you to sign up to receive this eNewsletter directly
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