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Background Two SARS-CoV-2 waves in Israel ended while a substantial number of individuals remained unvaccinated or partially vaccinated. The indirect protective effect of the first BNT162b2 vaccination campaign in Israel was evaluated between 22 December 2020 and 18 May 2021. Methods The daily percentage of new polymerase chain reaction (PCR)–confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases among unvaccinated individuals was analyzed for trends. Major shifts were identified using piecewise linear regression analysis. At these shifts, the percentage of naturally vaccinated (past SARS-CoV-2 cases) and the percentage of actively vaccinated (by inoculation) individuals were weighted and summed to determine the percentage of natural and active vaccination (NAV). Results A first decline among unvaccinated individuals occurred during a lockdown period, when the percentage of NAV was 8.16%. The major decline occurred after the end of the lockdown when the percentage of NAV reached 52.05%. SARS-CoV-2 cases ultimately declined among unvaccinated individuals when the percentage of NAV reached 63.55%. During the study period, the Alpha variant was prevalent and the use of nonpharmaceutical interventions, including social distancing, existed to varying degrees. Conclusions The vaccination campaign played a major role in the decline of SARS-CoV-2 infection among unvaccinated individuals, leading to the end of the first 2021 SARS-CoV-2 wave (Alpha variant) in Israel. Infection in unvaccinated individuals stopped when two-thirds of the population were naturally or actively vaccinated. Any change in characteristics of the virus or the population can lead to a new outbreak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Potential care gaps in the cervical cancer screening process among women diagnosed with cervical cancer in an era with increased human papillomavirus (HPV) testing have not been extensively evaluated. Methods: Women diagnosed with cervical cancer between ages 21 and 65 at four study sites between 2010 and 2014 were included. Screening histories were ascertained from 0.5 to 4 years prior to cervical cancer diagnosis. We identified potential care gaps in the screening history for each woman and classified them into one of three mutually exclusive types: lack of a screening test, screening test failure, and diagnostic/treatment care gap. Distributions of care gaps were tabulated by stage, histology, and study site. Multivariable nominal logistic regression was used to examine the associations between demographic and cancer characteristics and type of care gap. Results: Of 499 women evaluated, 46% lacked a screening test in the time window examined, 31% experienced a screening test failure, and 22% experienced a diagnostic/treatment care gap. More than half of the women with advanced cancer and squamous cell carcinoma lacked a screening test compared to 31% and 24% of women with localized cancer and adenocarcinoma, respectively. Women aged 21–29 at diagnosis were more likely to experience screening test failure and diagnostic/treatment care gap, while those aged 50–65 were more likely to lack a screening test, compared to women aged 30–39. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate a continuing need to develop interventions targeting unscreened and under‐screened women and improve detection and diagnosis of adenocarcinoma in women undergoing cervical cancer screening and diagnostic follow‐up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Therefore, changing screening practices from cytology alone to primary HPV screening is essential and may have a different set of challenges than the transition faced by programs performing cotesting, such as access and cost considerations. For a successful transition to the widespread use of primary HPV screening, the I Insurance Coverage/Payors Workgroup i is providing support for billing and coding for primary HPV screening. Keywords: cervical neoplasms; cytopathology or cytotechnology; gynecologic oncology; obstetrics and gynecology; prevention EN cervical neoplasms cytopathology or cytotechnology gynecologic oncology obstetrics and gynecology prevention 458 460 3 09/06/23 20230901 NES 230901 In July 2020, the American Cancer Society (ACS) released an updated cervical cancer screening guideline calling for primary human papillomavirus (HPV) screening as the preferred strategy.[1] I Primary HPV screening i refers to cervical cancer screening with an HPV test alone as the initial screening modality. [Extracted from the article]