29 Sep COVID-19 Vaccine Commercialization

COVID-19 Vaccine Commercialization

Tuesday, September 12, 2023, marked the beginning of COVID-19 commercialization. Here are some important changes to be aware of in this new period of COVID-19 vaccination:  

1. The Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 program has formally ended.  

2. Bivalent COVID-19 vaccines are no longer authorized for use.  

3. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) approved the use of updated (monovalent) COVID-19 vaccines. 

4. Providers can order the updated COVID-19 vaccine for privately insured patients by directly contacting the manufacturers for each product (see below for more information). 

5. With the exception of certain specialty providers, all Vaccines for Children (VFC) providers are required to stock COVID-19 vaccine inventory for both privately/CHIP insured patients and VFC eligible patients.  

6. Philadelphia vaccine providers are encouraged to enroll in the Bridge Access Program to provide updated COVID-19 vaccines for uninsured or underinsured adults 18 years and older. 

The new COVID-19 vaccine products are monovalent (single), Omicron variant XBB.1.5. Under the new recommendation, everyone over 6 months is eligible for an updated COVID-19 vaccine this fall.   

Providers can place COVID-19 vaccine orders for VFC eligible patients and/or the Bridge Access Program eligible patients through the PhilaVax immunization information systems (IIS). A step-by-step ordering guide is available to assist with this. 

Recommendations for COVID-19 Vaccine 

• Everyone ages 5 years and older is recommended to receive 1 dose of a 2023-24 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. 
• Children ages 6 months – 4 years should complete a multi-dose initial series (2 doses of Modera or 3 doses of Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine) with at least one dose of the 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccine. 
• People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised should complete a 3 dose initial series with at least one dose of the 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccine and may receive 1 or more additional 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccine doses. 
• Bivalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are no longer recommended. 

Available Products 

Pfizer 2023-24 COVID-19 Vaccine 

Comirnaty 12+ 

• FDA website 
• Package insert 

2023-24 COVID Vaccine 5 yrs – 11 yrs 

• FDA website 
• EUA 

2023-24 COVID Vaccine 6 mo – 4 yrs 

• FDA website 

• EUA 

Moderna 2023-24 COVID-19 Vaccine 

Spikevax 12+ 

• FDA website 
• Package insert 

2023-24 COVID Vaccine 6 mo – 11 yrs 

• FDA website 
• EUA 

Additional Resources 

• Immunize.org’s Ask the Experts 

If your office needs assistance placing an order or has questions, please reach out to dphproviderhelp@phila.gov. 

Purchase Vaccine for Privately Insured Patients 

To procure vaccine on the private market, please contact your local sales representative: 

• Pfizer: Brian Bengston, Brian.Bengston@pfizer.com 
• Moderna: Lynne Timby, Lynne.Timby@modernatx.com  
• Novavax: Rich Aceto, RAceto@novavax.com 

Guidance for Patients Regarding Vaccine Availability 

Patients are having some initial difficulty finding updated COVID-19 vaccine, especially pediatric doses. This is due to delays in shipping from manufacturers. The Health Department published recommendations for Philadelphians seeking updated COVID-19 vaccine doses. Read the recommendations here and consider sharing them with your patients.