You are here

For Covid-19 vaccine recipients, CDC to roll out cell phone-based monitoring system

Primary tabs

(CNN) Once a Covid-19 vaccine becomes available in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to monitor vaccine recipients for any health problems through text messages and online surveys, as part of a new program called V-SAFE

"V-SAFE is a new smartphone-based active surveillance program for Covid-19," Dr. Tom Shimabukuro, deputy director of the CDC's Immunization Safety Office, said during a meeting of the US Food and Drug Administration's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee on Thursday.
During the early phase of distributing a Covid-19 vaccine, initial doses may be given to specific groups, such as healthcare personnel and other essential workers, and so they likely would be the first to use V-SAFE. CNN has contacted the CDC for comment.
 
Through V-SAFE, which stands for "vaccine safety assessment for essential workers," health checks can be conducted via text messages and email daily in the first week after a person receives the vaccine and then weekly thereafter for six weeks, according to the CDC's website.
 
If a vaccine recipient reports any adverse events, the program will help submit a report to the US Department of Health and Human Services' Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System or VAERS.
 
"It includes active telephone follow-up," Shimabukuro said. It's a more active way to monitor for adverse events, instead of merely waiting for patients to report them. ..
 
Country / Region Tags: 
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Groups this Group Post belongs to: 
- Private group -
howdy folks