Author: Aimee Lin

Mpox Website

The PDPH Mpox website is here! Visit the page for everything you need to offer Mpox vaccine at your site. The page includes information on:

Enrolling as a provider
Ordering vaccine
Vaccine administration
Reporting wastage

Visit the Mpox Page

Why the name change?

The World Health Organizations (WHO) announced this week that they are phasing out the use of the term “monkeypox.” The change was prompted by observation of racist and stigmatizing language online, in other settings, and in some communities when the outbreak expanded earlier this year.

In line with the WHO recommendation, the Philadelphia Immunization Program and CDC is phasing out use of the term “monkeypox” and will use the new term “mpox” going forward. This change from the WHO will enhance the U.S. response to mpox by using a less stigmatizing term. We appreciate your understanding as our team works to implement this change throughout the related documents, forms and webpages.

Have questions?

Please contact Kenya Mack, our Adult Coordinator, at Kenya.Mack@phila.gov.

Updates to Pfizer Ordering Quantity

The minimum ordering quantity of monovalent and bivalent Pfizer for ages 12 and up has been reduced from 300 doses to 180 doses in PhilaVax. Monday.com ordering quantities have also been updated to reflect this. Orders exceeding 20 vials of these vaccines should be placed through PhilaVax instead of Monday.com.

Additional VFAAR Flu Vaccine Now Available for Ordering

The CDC has allotted additional doses of flu vaccine to the Immunization Program. VFAAR flu is now available for ordering. Due to the limited capacity, orders are limited to 200 doses per site to ensure everyone has access to flu vaccine.These flu vaccines are now available to order for your VFAAR patients:

VFAAR
- Flulaval prefilled syringes
- Flucelvax prefilled syringes

Please visit our flu ordering page for more information on the available vaccines.As a reminder, VFAAR flu vaccine can be administered to all adults regardless of insurance status during the 2022-2023 flu season. This is a special allowance by the CDC during flu season this year. While flu is available for everyone, continue to vaccinate insured adults with flu from your privately purchased flu supply. However, if private doses are not available (because you’re waiting for your shipment or your supply is depleted), do not miss an opportunity; remember everyone is eligible to receive a dose from the VFAAR supply. For more information, visit our website.

Have questions?Contact Christine Wilson at 215.685.6728 or christine.wilson@phila.gov or Charma Miller at 215.685.6667 or charma.miller@phila.gov for assistance.Thank you for keeping Philadelphia healthy by fighting flu! For more information about influenza in Philadelphia, visit our flu page.

MPOX Eligibility: Anyone At Risk Can Be Vaccinated

Monkeypox (mpox) vaccine eligibility has expanded. Anyone who feels they are at risk for acquiring monkeypox is now eligible for vaccination. They do not need to meet any further eligibility criteria. Outreach should continue to those who are most at risk, including gay, bisexual, transgender, other men who have sex with men, or non-binary persons who meet the following criteria:

Have had multiple or anonymous sex partners in the past 14 days.
Have had any newly diagnosed STI in the past 12 months, including gonorrhea, chlamydia, early syphilis, or HIV.
Have recently attended or plan to attend any venue where anonymous sex or sex with multiple partners will occur (e.g. saunas, bathhouse, sex clubs, sex parties).
Have met recent partners or plan to meet new partners through social media platforms (such as Grindr, Tinder or Scruff), or at clubs, raves, sex parties, saunas).

In addition, anyone with known close contact (skin-to-skin) with someone with monkeypox in the past 14 days should be vaccinated immediately.

Remember to give your patients a Monkeypox Vaccine Information Statement (VIS) before vaccinating.

Vaccine Shipment Delays During the Holiday Season

Submit orders by Wednesday, December 7.

During the holiday season – from mid-December to early January – the distribution center that ships vaccine provided through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) and Vaccines for Adults At Risk (VFAAR) programs will have reduced shipping capacity. Orders submitted during this time will take longer than usual to ship.To make sure that you have the vaccines you need during this time, submit orders by 3:00 PM on Wednesday, December 7. These will be processed and shipped out as usual. Be sure to check the status of your order within 2 business days of submitting.Continue to check for tracking information daily as FedEx and UPS shipping delays continue. Use this job aid to assist you with reviewing this information.Orders submitted after Wednesday, December 7 may not be delivered until the week of January 2, at the earliest. The distribution center will return to normal operations on January 2.For assistance with completing your reconciliation or submitting your order, email our team at DPHProviderhelp@phila.gov.

Storage & Handling Checkup: Temperature Monitoring

Vaccines are temperature sensitive and must be stored in specific temperature ranges to preserve their viability. Vaccines that are exposed to out of range temperatures can lose potency, and people vaccinated with these vaccines will not get the protection they need.

To ensure that every dose of vaccine that is administered at your site is viable, it is critical to monitor unit temperatures in two ways:

Digital Data Logger (DDL) – records temperatures, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Why? This provides documentation that every dose in your unit has been stored at the right temperature from the time you received it until it is administered to a patient.
Paper Temperature Logs – records twice daily temperature checks.
- Why? This provides a chance to visually check the unit and ensure that the temperatures have not been out out range.

Check Up: Review, Evaluate, and Update!

Make sure that your clinic is recording, reporting and documenting your temperate data the right way.

1. Download and submit your DDL data and send it to our team every 28 days, when ordering vaccine or experiencing a temperature excursion.

2. Fill out the paper temperature log twice each clinic day. When filling out the paper log, always use the DDL as your reference.

Make sure you have the most up-to-date logs:Fridge Temperature Log (Fahrenheit)Freezer Temperature Log (Fahrenheit)Fridge Temperature Log (Celsius)Freezer Temperature Log (Celsius)3. Keep your paper and DDL (electronic) temperature logs on file for 3 years for VFC and VFAAR providers and for 7 years for COVID providers. Our team will review your paper temperature logs during the next site visit to your clinic.

All of our Storage and Handling resources can be accessed here.

Have questions? Reach out to our team at TempCheck@phila.gov for assistance.

Limited Single Dose Vials of Pfizer Bivalent Becoming Available

On Monday, November 14 through Tuesday, November 15, PDPH will open pre-ordering in Philavax for a limited amount of the updated (bivalent) Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people 12 years of age or older in single-dose vials. Deliveries will begin several days later. Single dose vials will not be available for ordering through Monday.com – partial ordering – or pickup.This limited rollout is intended to expand the number of locations that offer the updated vaccine. Only sites that would otherwise not be able to utilize the standard six-dose per vial bivalent Pfizer will be approved to order single dose vials. Large health systems and sites with regular patient volumes/throughput should continue to order the six-dose per vial bivalent Pfizer.Ancillary kits will not be distributed with orders of single-dose vials. Single-dose vials do not require the use of low-dead-volume (LDV) syringes.Quick Facts:Single-Dose Vial Pfizer Bivalent Booster (Ages 12+)• NDC: 59267-1404-02• Configuration: 10 single-dose vials/carton• Minimum quantity per order: 50 doses• Maximum quantity per order: 150 doses• Product dimensions: 1.457 in length × 1.535 in width × 3.504 in height• Storage and handling: Same as other Pfizer tris products (e.g., store at ultra-low temperature until expiry, may refrigerate up to 10 weeks within expiry period)• No ancillary kits included with single-dose vial orders

Moderna Shelf Life Extension

FDA has approved a shelf-life extension for the following Moderna10 products, which have been extended by three months. Below, find a table with updated expiration dates for the specific lots impacted by the extension. For the most current information, please visit the Moderna website.

With the Moderna Vial Expiration Checker, Moderna also allows vaccine providers to look up expiration dates by lot number, which includes the new expiration dates listed above. To find the expiration date, locate the lot number printed on the carton and/or vial and enter it into the lot number search field on the website, then press “submit.”

For additional information, view the CDC overview of Moderna vaccine.

Matchmaking Program Coming to an End

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 Matchmaking Program would like to send a huge thank you for your time, commitment, and expertise you’ve given in partnering with vaccination clinics to provide vaccine. After careful consideration, we have determined to end the program effective November 4, 2022. 57 vaccination clinics were successfully matched for the duration of PDPH’s COVID-19 Matchmaking Program, and 77 providers were enrolled. These vaccinations clinics included community-based clinics, health fairs, and cultural events to name a few!If patients are looking to get vaccinated at their earliest convenience, you may direct them to use this link to find a facility in close proximity to them. Again, we thank you for your contributions and efforts to partner with vaccinations clinics to serve vaccine. You have made an immense difference through your dedication and continued support!

Monkeypox Provider Survey

The Philadelphia Health Department is looking to identify provider offices and clinics that administer monkeypox JYNNEOS vaccine to non-patients and offer walk-in hours. If you are a monkeypox vaccine provider, please fill out the brief survey.