1. Help Vaccinate Philadelphia Against COVID-19

3. Ordering COVID-19 Vaccine

How to Order COVID-19

We’ve created a pair of guides to help you understand how to order COVID-19 vaccine. First is our Ordering COVID-19 Vaccine guide. This two page guide will cover everything you need to know about ordering vaccine.

Second is our ordering vaccines training video. Please note: The video focuses on regular vaccine ordering and the process for ordering COVID-19 vaccine is slightly different from this video. Please refer to our COVID-19 Vaccine Guide for specific instructions.

Remember, if you have any questions about ordering COVID-19 you can contact us at vaxonthego@phila.gov.

CPT codes, CVX codes, and vaccine information for COVID-19 vaccines

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4. Maintaining Immunizations During The Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to rethink how we provide routine vaccinations for our communities. As postponing or cancelling non-urgent elective procedures and telemedicine become the new normal, we must adapt our strategies to ensure immunization rates are maintained. We cannot risk a vaccine preventable disease outbreak to occur during the global pandemic!

Routine vaccination is an essential preventive care service for everyone and should not be delayed because of COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has reduced access to vaccination services and caused a decrease in routine immunizations. Because of this, it is important to assess the vaccination status of all patients at each visit to avoid missed opportunities for vaccination and ensure timely vaccine catch-up. All vaccines due or overdue should be administered according to the recommended CDC immunization schedules during that visit, unless a specific contraindication exists, to provide protection as soon as possible as well as minimize the number of healthcare visits needed to complete vaccination.

Safe Delivery of Vaccination Services

The potential for asymptomatic transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19 underscores the importance of infection prevention practices. Immunization providers must use infection prevention practices, including physical distancing, respiratory and hand hygiene, surface decontamination, and source control, while encountering patients in a healthcare facility. Please refer to the guidance developed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in healthcare settings.

To help ensure the safe delivery of care during vaccination visits, providers should:

• Minimize chances for exposures, including:
  • Screen for symptoms of COVID-19 and contact with persons with possible COVID-19 prior to and upon arrival at the facility and isolate symptomatic patients as soon as possible.
  • Limit and monitor points of entry to the facility and install barriers, such as clear plastic sneeze guards, to limit physical contact with patients at triage.
  • Implement policies for the use of a cloth face covering in persons over the age of 2 years (if tolerated).
  • Ensure adherence to respiratory hygiene, cough etiquette, and hand hygiene.
• Ensure all staff adhere to the following infection prevention and control procedures:
  • Follow Standard Precautions, which includes guidance for hand hygiene and cleaning the environment between patients.
  • Wear a medical facemask at all times.
  • Use eye protection based on level of community transmission:
  • Moderate to substantial: Healthcare providers should wear eye protection given the increased likelihood of encountering asymptomatic COVID-19 patients.
  • Minimal to none: Universal eye protection is considered optional, unless otherwise indicated as a part of Standard Precautions.
• Additional considerations for vaccine administration:
  • Intranasal or oral vaccines:
    • Healthcare providers should wear gloves when administering intranasal or oral vaccines because of the increased likelihood of coming into contact with a patient’s mucous membranes and body fluids. Gloves should be changed between patients in addition to performing hand hygiene.
    • Administration of these vaccines is not considered an aerosol-generating procedure and thus, the use of an N95 or higher-level respirator is not recommended.
  • Intramuscular or subcutaneous vaccines:
    • If gloves are worn during vaccine administration, they should be changed between patients in addition to performing hand hygiene.
  • Ensure physical distancing by implementing strategies, such as:
    • Separating sick from well patients by scheduling these visits during different times of the day (e.g., well visits in the morning and sick visits in the afternoon), placing patients with sick visits in different areas of the facility, or scheduling patients with sick visits in a different location from well visits (when available).
    • Reduce crowding in waiting areas by asking patients to remain outside (e.g., stay in their vehicles, if applicable) until they are called into the facility for their appointment.
    • Ensure that physical distancing measures, with separation of at least 6 feet between patients and visitors, are maintained during all aspects of the visit, including check-in, checkout, screening procedures, and postvaccination monitoring using strategies such as physical barriers, signs, ropes, and floor markings.
    • Utilize electronic communications as much as possible (e.g., filling out needed paperwork online in advance) to minimize time in the office as well as reuse of materials (e.g., clipboards, pens).

Annual Flu Vaccination

Annual influenza vaccination is recommended for all persons age 6 months and older to decrease morbidity and mortality caused by influenza. Healthcare providers should consult current influenza vaccine recommendations for guidance around the timing of administration and use of specific vaccines. Providers can also get the lastest information regarding VFC/VFAAR on our Flu Hub.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, reducing the overall burden of respiratory illnesses is important to protect vulnerable populations at risk for severe illness, the healthcare system, and other critical infrastructure. Thus, healthcare providers should use every opportunity during the influenza vaccination season to administer influenza vaccines to all eligible persons, including:

• Essential workers: Healthcare personnel, including nursing home, long-term care facility, and pharmacy staff, and other critical infrastructure workforce
• Persons at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19: Including adults age 65 years and older, residents in a nursing home or long-term care facility, persons of all ages with certain underlying medical conditions. Severe illness from COVID-19 has been observed to disproportionately affect members of certain racial/ethnic minority groups
• Persons at high risk for influenza complications: Including infants and young children, children with neurologic conditions, pregnant women, adults age 65 years and older, and other persons with certain underlying medical conditions

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5. Homebound Vaccine Provider Toolkit

Healthcare organizations or professionals interested in helping to vaccinate people who are homebound can email  vaccines@phila.gov  to learn how to enroll as a COVID-19 vaccine provider and how to participate in the Health Department’s homebound vaccination referral program. 

If your site has enrolled or expressed in providing in-home vaccinations, please reference the resources and training materials on our Homebound Vaccine Provider Toolkit Page.

It is important to be equipped to navigate a wide variety of situations when administering vaccine in a patient’s home. Our Homebound Vaccine Provider Toolkit page contains a list of resources that providers may use to prepare for and respond to these situations. This toolkit contains information on the homebound program itself, legal assistance, general disability advocacy, and disability-specific contacts, to assist with any questions or concerns.

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6. Vaccine Records

Did you lose your CDC COVID-19 Vaccine immunization card? Need a copy of your immunization history?

You may request a copy of your official Philadelphia COVID-19 vaccine record by using this link to complete a Philadelphia Immunization Records Request. The record request form is also available in Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean.

Please note:

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7. Have Questions? Contact Us

Have a problem or concern? Need help ordering or managing vaccine? The Philadelphia Immunization Program is here to help!

If you have questions regarding any of the following issues, contact the Philadelphia Immunization Program member listed. Don’t see the right person to contact? Visit our staff page or contact vaxonthego@phila.gov for assistance.

COVID-19 Vaccine Orders
Need help with ordering COVID-19 vaccine or tracking shipments? Contact…

• covidproviders@phila.gov

Enrollment Information
Need help enrolling as a COVID-19 vaccine provider?

• covidproviders@phila.gov

Storage & Handling
Need help operating your Digital Data Loggers or managing your vaccine supply? Contact…

• TempCheck@phila.gov

Reporting to the IIS
Need help with reporting immunization records? Contact…

• PhilaVax@phila.gov

Hosting Vaccine Clinics
Want to partner to hold a vaccine clinic? Contact…

• VaxEvent@phila.gov

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