Author: Samm Deighan

VFC and VFAAR Shipping Delays

Our vaccine distribution center is currently working through an unanticipated backlog of VFC and VFAAR orders as a result of the winter storm that impacted both the FedEx and UPS main hubs as well as some of our vaccine distribution centers last week. Due to this please be aware that there are likely to be delays with some vaccine shipments this week. For your February order, add 1 to 2 weeks of additional vaccine, if you have space in your storage units. Please add a note to the comments section of the order indicating this intention.As a reminder, you can order routine vaccines every 25 days (from the last approved order). Use the ordering formula cheat sheet to calculate how much vaccine to order. Continue to order flu vaccine as needed.

We’re here to help! Reach out to us with any questions at DPHProviderHelp@phila.gov.

Mpox Vaccine: Ordering & Delivery Pause

Mpox vaccine deliveries will be paused the week of January 16 through the 20. Deliveries will resume on Wednesday, January 25. Any orders placed prior will not be fulfilled until the week of January 23. Remember to submit an order request by Monday, January 23, at 5pm for your order to be approved.

January Provider Training Schedule

PDPH offers monthly virtual trainings for interested vaccine providers. View the schedule and sign up for trainings at the links below.

COVID-19 Clinical Rounds for Providers
Tuesday, January 10, 2023, from 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
This presentation will be conducted by one of PDPH’s clinicians and will include general COVID updates and the most recent FDA/ACIP recommendations for COVID-19 vaccinations.

Storage & Handling Training
Wednesday, January 11, 2023, from 10:00 am – 11:00 am
This presentation will include the most recent storage and handling updates, as well as a review of best practices.

Online Ordering Training
Thursday, January 12, 2023, from 10:00 am – 11:00 am
This presentation will include the most recent Clinic Tools and Inventory managing updates, as well as a live, step-by-step example.

Vaccine Safety Monitoring Systems Training
Wednesday, January 25, 2023, from 9:00 am – 9:30 am
This training includes an overview of the current monitoring systems in place (VAERS, V-Safe, VSD, CISA), an explanation of how to utilize these resources in your practice, and examples of reportable events.

If you can’t attend these trainings this month, they will recur in February. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to dphproviderhelp@phila.gov.

PhilaVax User Account Renewal

Dear PhilaVax Users,

PDPH’s Immunization Program is currently undergoing annual PhilaVax user account renewal.

All users must complete the user agreement for the 2023 calendar year for continued access to PhilaVax.

All agreements must be completed by February 7th, 2023. User accounts without an updated agreement by this date will be unable to log into PhilaVax and will be rendered inactive until the agreement is completed.

Find the form here: PhilaVax User Agreement Form

New Vaccine Products Available Through VFC & VFAAR

View more information about Priorix and Vaxneuvance, now available through VFC and VFAAR, below. There have been a number of updates to the available vaccines for the VFC and VFAAR programs. Lists of vaccines currently available through VFC and VFAAR can be accessed through these links.

Complete the following survey to notify our program of which vaccine your site prefers. We will review each site’s submission and reach out with next steps. We recommend that sites that are part of a system or are affiliated use the same vaccine presentations across sites to ensure continuity of care and help prevent administration errors.

Vaccine Change Request

Priorix and Vaxneuvance

In line with the updated ACIP recommendations:

Priorix (Measles, Mumps and Rubella, MMR) is now available through the Vaccines Children (VFC) and Vaccines for Adults at Risk (VFAAR) programs.

Priorix is a vaccine indicated for active immunization for the prevention of measles, mumps, and rubella in individuals 12 months of age and older.
For all recommendations, MMR II and Priorix can be used interchangeably.
VFC and VFAAR providers must decide whether they will order MMR II or Priorix going forward. To change the product your site orders, complete the Vaccine Change Request form, linked above.
CVX code: 03 CPT code: 90707
For more information on Priorix, review the summary document.

Vaxneuvance (15-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, PCV15) is now available through the VFC program.

Vaxneuvance is a vaccine indicated for active immunization for the prevention of invasive disease caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes 1, 3, 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 7F, 9V, 14, 18C, 19A, 19F, 22F, 23F and 33F in individuals 2 months of age and older.
For all recommendations, PCV13 and PCV15 can be used interchangeably.
VFC providers must decide whether they will order Prevnar (PCV13) or Vaxneuvance (PCV15) going forward going forward. To change the product your site orders, complete the Vaccine Change Request form, linked above.
CVX code: 215
CPT code: 90671
For more information on Vaxneuvance, review the summary document.

Thank you for keeping Philadelphia safe and healthy. If you have any questions, please email vaccines@phila.gov.

Multi-Dose Vials of VFC Flu Vaccine Available to Order Again

Multi-dose vials (MDVs) of Fluzone are again available to order for your VFC eligible patients.

Please visit our flu ordering page for more information on the available vaccines.

Order Flu Vaccine Today

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.

IMPORTANT: The Immunization Program Website Address (URL) is Changing! Update Your Bookmarks!

On January 17, 2023, the PDPH Immunization Program website URL will be changing from vaccines.phila.gov to vaccines.phila.gov. Your bookmarked pages will need to be updated once the new URL goes live on January 17.

How This Will Impact Providers

There will be an automatic redirect in place, where anyone who goes to vaccines.phila.gov will be automatically sent to vaccines.phila.gov. But if you have certain pages on the website bookmarked, these links will have to be updated in January. If you don’t update those bookmarks after January 17, you will see a 404 error message.

Email vaccines@phila.gov with any questions.

Moderna & Pfizer Shelf-Life Extensions

FDA has approved additional Moderna shelf-life extensions. With these extensions, there are now Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech monovalent COVID-19 vaccines that will last into spring 2023. As a matter of best practice, please verify expiry dates using the manufacturers’ online checkers prior to vaccine disposal.

MODERNA

Moderna has now received shelf-life extensions of all wave 1 and wave 2 monovalent COVID-19 vaccines (complete list below).
Some of the lots below are MOD 10 (ages 12+) and some are MOD 5 (ages 6-11). All Moderna lots that have received shelf-life extensions are for primary series use only.
Please use the Moderna Vial Expiration Checker to check expiration dates.

PFIZER

Pfizer has received shelf-life extensions of all TRIS products (i.e., all mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, including both monovalent and bivalent vaccines).
Expiration is now 18 months from the date of manufacture (stored ULT frozen).
Please use the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Expiry tool to check expiration dates.

REMINDERWe continue to encourage you to properly manage and report your inventory:

Practice first in/first out inventory management.
Store older vaccines to the front of the refrigerator or freezer unit.
Continually monitor vaccines to help reduce administration errors.
Verify expiry dates using the manufacturers’ online checkers:
- Pfizer: https://lotexpiry.cvdvaccine.com
- Moderna: https://modernacovid19global.com/vial-lookup
- Novavax: https://us.novavaxcovidvaccine.com/hcp
- Johnson and Johnson/Janssen: https://vaxcheck.jnj/
Dispose of any expired vaccine according to state and local regulations.
Update/zero out inventory in VaccineFinder to avoid turning away customers.CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Lot Number and Expiration Date Report: https://vaccinecodeset.cdc.gov/LotNumber

Mpox Vaccine: Holiday Delivery Pause

Mpox vaccine deliveries will be paused for the holiday from December 26 to 30. Remember to submit an order request by Monday, December 19, at 5pm, for your order to be approved the week of December 19. The last mpox delivery will be on Wednesday, December 22.

Deliveries will resume in the new year, the week of January 2, 2023!

Under 5 Pfizer and Under 6 Moderna Bivalent Vaccines

Vaccine Ordering:
Bivalent Pfizer 6 months – 4 years and bivalent Moderna 6 months – 5 years is now available for ordering in PhilaVax. The minimum ordering quantity for these products is 100 doses. The bivalent 6 month – 4 year Pfizer vaccine can be found on the second page.

Bivalent Moderna 6 months – 5 years will be packaged in two dose vials. Please remember to check NDC numbers to ensure that you are ordering the correct product.

Pfizer 6 months – 4 years Bivalent NDC: 59267-0609-02
Moderna 6 months – 5 years Bivalent NDC: 80777-0283-99

Bivalent 6 months – 4 year Pfizer:

The new bivalent Pfizer 6 months – 4 years product is  NOT A BOOSTER, but is the new third dose of the primary series.
Children 6 months through 4 years who have completed the monovalent Pfizer 3 dose series are currently not authorized to receive a booster dose of any COVID product.
Children aged 5 years who complete the Pfizer primary series may receive a bivalent Pfizer 5-11 booster dose.

Bivalent 6 months – 5 year Moderna:

The new bivalent Moderna 6 months through 5 years product is approved as a booster dose for children 6 months through 4 years who have completed the Moderna Monovalent series only.
Children aged 5 years and older who complete the Moderna primary series may receive one Moderna or Pfizer age appropriate bivalent booster dose.

Resources

To view all updates, please visit: