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Author: Rishi Sharma

RSV Townhall to Discuss Nirsevimab

RSV Townhall to Discuss Nirsevimab

Come learn about the newly approved monoclonal antibody, nirsevimab (Beyfortus), to prevent RSV in neonates and young infants at a townhall hosted by the Philadelphia Immunization Program. 

The townhall will take place over Zoom on Tuesday August 29 at 12pm.

Nirsevimab will be available to order through the VFC Program this fall. Prepare your practice for ordering and administration of the product at next week’s townhall. 

Register today!

View past email advisories and keep up with important events on our website. We look forward to seeing you soon!

VFC & VFAAR Flu Ordering Will Open 8/28/23

VFC & VFAAR Flu Ordering Will Open 8/28/23

VFC & VFAAR providers can order flu for the 2023-24 season starting Monday, 8/28/23. Make sure your site is ready!

  • Account for any unused 2022-23 VFC/VFAAR flu vaccine still at your site using PhilaVax:
    • Process a return for the unopened vials online in the Vaccines Returns module. A job aid with step by step instructions can be found here.
    • Complete an adjustment for any open MDVs in the Inventory Module. A job aid with step by step instructions can be found here.
    • Complete these steps today to avoid delays in processing your site’s 2023-24 flu season orders. If you have questions, contact DPHProviderHelp@phila.gov.
  • Order flu materials for your office. Get the conversation started about the importance of flu vaccination with these free posters.
  • Make sure that your EHR/EMR is set-up to report this year’s flu products. These are the vaccine available this year:

Visit our Flu Page on our website for more information on what vaccines are available and to gain access to flu resources and free print materials.

Bridge Access Program Pre-Enrollment is Live

Bridge Access Program Pre-Enrollment is Live

Please complete the pre-enrollment survey below. This survey will provide our team with key information to determine if your site is eligible for enrollment.  

The survey does not generate a confirmation email automatically. Our team will review your responses and reach out to you within 48 hours to provide next steps and/or to request additional information as needed.

As a reminder, the Bridge Access Program allows providers who see underinsured and uninsured adults 19+ to continue receiving government funded COVID-19 vaccine following commercialization. 

If you have additional questions about enrollment you may email the COVID-19 Coordinator, nyandra.mcfadden@phila.gov.  

Pre-enrollment Survey

COVID-19 Vaccine Update

COVID-19 Vaccine Update

As a reminder, the last day to order COVID-19 vaccine was Thursday 8/3. Providers who continue to have COVID-19 vaccine inventory should continue to adhere to the requirements outlined in the Provider Agreement. Read on for specific guidance regarding delivery and reporting.

Delivery

After 8/15, PDPH will no longer be delivering COVID-19 vaccine to providers. 

If you have any questions or your site is at risk of running out of COVID-19 vaccine, please contact the COVID-19 Logistics and Distribution Manager at nyandra.mcfadden@phila.gov.

Reporting

COVID-19 providers who continue to have PDPH-supplied COVID-19 vaccine are required to continue reporting all data and appropriately monitoring and storing vaccine. This includes:

  • Reporting inventory in Vaccine Finder
  • Monitoring and storing COVID-19 vaccine in approved storage units
  • Documenting temperature readings on paper logs
  • Reporting temperature readings every 28 days
  • Completing wastage reports in PhilaVax 

All data should be reported to the immunization information system (IIS), PhilaVax, no less than 72 hours after administration. If you observe a temperature excursion, contact TempCheck@phila.gov immediately.

Bridge Access Program

COVID-19 vaccine providers interested in enrolling in the Bridge Access Program to continue offering COVID-19 vaccine to uninsured or underinsured adults after commercialization should continue monitoring their email for more information on the program.

Save the Date: PIC 2023 Fall Conference

Save the Date!

Join us for the Philadelphia Immunization Coalition’s Fall 2023 Conference on Wednesday, October 4 from 9:00am – 3:30pm at College of Physicians (19 South 22nd Street).

Our speakers will include Dr. Andrew Kroger (CDC) and Dr. Paul Offit (CHOP), among others to be announced.

Topics covered will include COVID, RSV, maternal RSV, universal recommendations for hepatitis B, PDPH updates, and more.

Tickets will be $40 and include breakfast, all day coffee, and a wonderful hot lunch. Continuing education credits will also be provided.

Registration will be opening soon, and a link will be shared in an upcoming email. Reach out to sophia.kiang@phila.gov with any questions.

Hope to see you all there!

COVID-19 Vaccine Commercialization Town Hall

COVID-19 Vaccine Commercialization Town Hall

COVID-19 vaccine will soon be available for purchase on the commercial market and will be available to order through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program. We will host 2 town halls tomorrow, August 10, to help with this transition.

Commercialization of COVID-19 vaccines will transition vaccines previously purchased by the U.S. government to established pathways of procurement, distribution, and payment by both public and private payers. The Bridge Access Program will support providers to vaccinate uninsured and underinsured adults 19 years of age and older in Philadelphia county.

Commercialization of COVID-19 vaccine is expected to take place in August or September 2023, with the exact timeline still forthcoming. Read the revised FAQ and learn more about COVID-19 vaccine commercialization.  

Tomorrow, August 10, we will host 2 town halls to discuss COVID-19 vaccine commercialization and the Bridge Access Program. Register for the town hall that best fits your schedule below. 

Register for the 12pm town hall

Register for the 7pm town hall

Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Shelf-Life Extension

Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Shelf-Life Extension

The FDA has approved Moderna’s request for a 3-month shelf-life extension (SLE) of all Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for under 6 years old. The relevant lot numbers are listed in the table below. 

Moderna has updated their web-based Vial Expiration Checker tool to reflect the extension of the four lot numbers below. Only the lot numbers below are included in this SLE approval. 

We encourage you to record these updates for management of your inventory and continue weekly monitoring of all COVID-19 vaccine expiration dates using the manufacturers’ online expiry checking tools:   

Moderna Vial Expiration Checker

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Expiry Checker 

Novavax Expiry Date Checker 

Back-to-School Immunization Resources

Back-to-School Immunization Resources

The PDPH Immunization Program and the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) want to remind you that now is the time to prepare your patients for back-to-school. Pennsylvania law requires all students (K-12) to be vaccinated while attending school. Students that do not have the required vaccines may be excluded from school until they receive the appropriate vaccines.   

Since the 2020 school year, national coverage with state-required vaccines among kindergarten students has continued to decline. To help you get your patients back on track with immunizations, schedule vaccination appointments now to get ahead of the back-to-school rush.  

We have created a series of short video trainings to support your practice. The videos cover topics including school immunization requirements, the ACIP child and adolescent immunizations schedule, information on specific vaccines, vaccine interval spacing, and Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) reporting. 

Training Videos 

Click on the buttons below to view the training videos.

Training #1: School District Immunization Requirements & the Effects of the Pandemic  

Training #2: Child & Adolescent Immunization Schedule 

Training #3: Vaccine Interval Spacing 

Training #4: Review of Live Vaccines 
 
Training #5: DTaP or TdaP: Which One to Choose 
 
Training #6: Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) Reporting 

COVID-19 Vaccine Commercialization

COVID-19 Vaccine Commercialization

COVID-19 vaccine will soon be available for purchase on the commercial market and will be available to order through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program. We have created an FAQ and will host town halls to help with this transition.

Commercialization of COVID-19 vaccines will transition vaccines previously purchased by the U.S. government to established pathways of procurement, distribution, and payment by both public and private payers. The Bridge Access Program will support providers to vaccinate uninsured and underinsured adults 19 years of age and older in Philadelphia county.

Commercialization of COVID-19 vaccine is expected to take place in August or September 2023, with the exact timeline still forthcoming. Click the button below to read the FAQ and learn more about COVID-19 vaccine commercialization.  

Read the FAQ

On Thursday, August 10, 2023, we will host 2 town halls to discuss COVID-19 vaccine commercialization and the Bridge Access Program. Register for the town hall that best fits your schedule below. 

Register for the 12pm town hall

Register for the 7pm town hall

Updated Moderna Expiration

Updated Moderna Expiration

All orders for COVID-19 vaccine must be placed by this Thursday, August 3.

As a reminder, this Thursday, August 3 is the last day to order COVID-19 vaccine. Sites should order enough vaccine to last through August and September. Moderna vaccine may arrive short dated, as an extension on the expiry date is expected. 

Be on the lookout for an email with the updated expiration dates. You can also check Moderna’s online expiry tool below.

Moderna Expiry Tool