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Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, announced on May 15, 2021, 'We’re excited to enhance your Universal experience with the latest safety updates from local health and government officials.'

Visitors to Universal were informed face coverings are not mandatory while outdoors but are required at all attractions—from the moment the queue begins until the exit of the experience.

And face coverings are still required in all indoor locations, including shops and restaurants.

As always, we remain focused on maintaining the highest cleanliness and sanitization stand, stated Universal's website.

Please note the U.S. CDC advises that older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions might be at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. Guests should evaluate their risk in determining whether to attend.

Universal Orlando Resort is an American theme park and entertainment resort complex operated by Universal Parks & Resorts, a division of Comcast's NBCUniversal.

In September 2019, the American Immunization Registry Association (AIRA) was awarded a cooperative agreement with the U.S. CDC to inform strategies for improving awareness and utilization of immunization information systems (IIS) among adult health care providers.

By the end of 2020, all US states and jurisdictions had a functional lifespan IIS with the capability and authority to collect and capture adult immunization data.

Data from the 2019 IIS Annual Report (IISAR) indicate that approximately 60% of adults aged 19 years and older are represented in an IIS with one or more recorded vaccinations compared to approximately 95% for children and 82% of adolescents, respectively.

While findings from the AIRA adult IIS capture survey indicated that approximately 63% of jurisdictions actively and routinely capture adult vaccination data.

Several immunization / IIS programs have chosen to prioritize adult vaccination activities and successfully use their IIS to support and facilitate these efforts, whereas some jurisdictions have done very little.

Documenting receipt of a vaccine has also been included as a Healthy People 2030 developmental objective to “increase the proportion of people with vaccination records in an information system.”

This new Landscape Analysis Report provides the insight needed to establish a Strategic Road Map for prioritizing and advancing adult data capture and utilization nationally across all jurisdictions.

Located in Washington DC, the American Immunization Registry Association exists to support and promote the use of immunization information to ensure healthy communities through the development and implementation of immunization information systems as a crucial tool in preventing vaccine-preventable diseases.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) urges early detection of congenital disabilities and continuous support and care to newborns and their families. In Latin America and the Caribbean, approximately 1 in 5 deaths during the first 28 days of life are due to congenital disabilities.

The anomalies, which can be structural or functional, occur during gestation. The most common and serious are congenital heart defects, neural tube defects, and chromosomal abnormalities such as Down syndrome. 

In 2016, Congenital Zika Syndrome was added to the list of congenital defects.

Zika can cause microcephaly, a birth defect where a baby’s head is smaller than expected compared to babies of the same sex and age. Babies with microcephaly often have smaller brains that might not have developed properly, says the U.S. CDC.

"Congenital defects are today one of the main causes of death of newborns in the region. However, they are mostly preventable," said Dr. Pablo Duran, regional advisor for PAHO's Latin American Center for Perinatology/Women’s Health and Reproductive Health (CLAP).

"In order not to leave any child behind, it is essential to have timely and quality information on these anomalies in all countries," he said in a press statement.

The recent publication, “Present and Future of Birth Defects Surveillance in the Americas,” produced by PAHO and the World Bank with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), indicates that it is fundamental for countries to have a birth defects surveillance system.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela have a birth defects surveillance system. 

PAHO has been working for years to raise awareness of the problem and implement surveillance actions in the health and government sectors. However, there is still a long way to go. 

PAHO's CLAP is collaborating with creating a regional registry of congenital defects using reports from the countries' surveillance systems.

"Preventing children from dying and ensuring that they thrive is our priority,” said Dr. Duran. “Birth defects account for a significant proportion of neonatal deaths in the region, and we must do more to prevent them."