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COVID-19 Vaccine

Novavax Vaccine Available for Limited Ordering

Novavax Vaccine Available for Limited Ordering

On Tuesday, the CDC endorsed the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation that the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine be used as an option for adults ages 18 years and older.Some key information:
  • Novavax is the first COVID-19 protein subunit vaccine that the CDC has recommended for use in the United States.
  • ACIP’s vote—which follows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s emergency use authorization—is for the use of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine for adults ages 18 and older as a two-dose primary series.
    • This recommendation is for all adults, including those who are moderately or severely immunocompromised.
    • Individuals who receive Novavax are not eligible for any boosters at this time.
  • Allocations of Novavax will be limited.
    • Participating Federal Retail Pharmacies will be eligible to receive Novavax.
Ordering:
  • Ordering for Novavax will open up on Monday 7/25/22.
    • The minimum order quantity is 100 doses. Partial, Monday.com, ordering is not currently available.  
  • Presently, we are expected to receive only one allocation of Novavax vaccine for our providers to order against. As this initial allocation will be limited and jurisdictions will need to manage first and second doses with it, orders will be prioritized and restricted. Placing an order for Novavax does not guarantee a shipment.
Storage and Handling:
  • Novavax is a two-dose COVID vaccination series, given as a 0.5ml IM injection three weeks apart.
  • It is stable at refrigeration only, currently for up to nine months.
    • Initial shipments are set to expire sometime in February 2023.
    • There will be a website available to search expiration dates by lot number.
    • No expiration information will be printed on the vials
  • Once punctured, the vial needs to be discarded within 6 hours.
To review the EUA/Fact Sheet information for Novavax, please visit the FDA webpage: Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted | FDA

Be Ready!: Update Your Vaccine Management Plan Today!

Update Your Vaccine Management Plan Today!

Summer means storm season, and to help you be prepared, we’ve created a new Vaccine Management Plan.

It has all the information you need to:

  • Store your vaccine safely.
  • Respond to an emergency.
  • Transport your vaccine during an emergency.

Don’t wait until the storm, comes take action today:

  • Review the document with all the staff that works with VFC, VFAAR, or COVID vaccine at your site.
  • Gather the supplies indicated on pages 14-17 of the document.
  • Fill out the information on the first page of the document.
    • Fax (215-238-6948) or email (TempCheck@phila.gov) a copy to our office by Friday, August 12th.
  • Post the full document on your vaccine storage unit.
    • You can print a copy today or keep an eye out for a copy in the mail this week!

Make sure your site’s backup storage locations are appropriate for vaccine storage:

  • Approved
    • Doctor’s offices freezer compartment of combination units
    • Hospital Pharmacies
    • Pharmacies
    • Approved Unit at Another Clinic
  • Not Approved
    • Personal Home Freezers
    • Personal Deep Freezers
    • Freezer Compartment of a Combination Unit
    • Storage Containers with Dry Ice

Be ready to move vaccine in an emergency. Gather the supplies needed to transport your refrigerated and frozen vaccine today!

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

Vaccine Updates: Moderna Life Span Approval, Training and Resources & July 4th Deliveries

Vaccine Updates: Moderna Life Span Approval, Training and Resources & July 4th Deliveries

ACIP voted unanimously to recommend the Moderna 6-17 COVID vaccine, allowing for Moderna products to be used to vaccinate the full life span. Please see wallchart below for product breakdown: 
  • Moderna 6-11 Years: A two-dose Moderna COVID-19 vaccines series (50ug) is recommended for children ages 6-11 years, under the EUA issued by FDA.
    • Ordering for this product, Dark Blue Cap/Purple Border, will open next week in Philavax on the 29th. Monday.com ordering will open the following week.
  • Moderna 12-17 Years: A two-dose Moderna COVID-19 vaccines series (100ug) is recommended for children ages 12-17 years, under the EUA issued by FDA.

Training and Resources

MODERNA VIAL PRESENTATIONS, DHCP LETTER, ETC.  
WEBINAR INVITE: MODERNA PEDIATRIC COVID-19 VACCINE INDICATION (REGISTER)Please join us for one of our upcoming webinars detailing the pediatric and adolescent indications for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Webinars will be held:
  • Tuesday, June 28 at 3 pm ET (2 pm CT / 12 pm PT)
  • Thursday, July 7 at 12 pm ET (11 am CT / 9 am PT)
  • Tuesday, July 12 at 2 pm ET (1 pm CT / 11 am PT)
  • Tuesday, July 19 at 12 pm ET (11 am CT / 9 am PT)
If you’d like to attend more than one webinar, please register for each date separately. The same topics will be covered in all webinars.Pfizer Medical Updates & Immunization Site Training for all Healthcare Providers led by Pfizer Vaccines US Medical Affairs: 
  • Trainings now include presentations on COVID-19 vaccines with a MAROON Cap for individuals 6 months through 4 years of age.
  • For details, see dates and links for upcoming training sessions.
  • Daily trainings (Monday through Friday) will begin Monday, June 20, 2022, and continue at least through July 8, 2022 (with no training on July 4th).
Videos:Intramuscular (IM) Injection: Supplies (Children Birth through 18 Years of Age): This training addresses how to select the equipment needed to prepare an intramuscular (IM) injection for children from birth through 18 years of age. A supply of needles of the appropriate lengths should be available. Aseptic technique must be used to protect supplies from microbial contamination. Safe injection practices minimize risk of injuries, infections, and non-infectious adverse events for both patients and providers. Health care providers are always advised to observe patients for 15 minutes after vaccination.Intramuscular (IM) Injection: Sites: This training helps providers identify intramuscular (IM) injection sites. A needle is used to inject the vaccine into the muscle. The appropriate site for an intramuscular injection for those under 2 years of age is the vastus lateralis muscle. The deltoid muscle over the triceps area of the upper arm is preferred for persons 3 years of age and older. Safe injection practices minimize risk of injuries, infections, and non-infectious adverse events for both patients and providers. Health care providers are always advised to observe patients for 15 minutes after vaccination.

Fourth of July Deliveries

Moderna and J&J/Janssen Vaccines
  • No vaccine deliveries will occur Saturday July 2 through Tuesday, July 5, 2022.
Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccines
  • No vaccine deliveries will occur on Saturday, July 2 through Monday, July 4, 2022.

Storage Unit Reminder

Storage Unit Reminder

Vaccines can only be stored in certain acceptable storage units. Your vaccine storage unit is a key component in maintaining the vaccine cold chain at your practice.

Your vaccine storage units must:

  • Consistently maintain storage temperature.
  • Have enough space to properly store vaccines throughout the year including back to school and flu season.
  • Have separate external doors for refrigerator and freezer.
  • Have Do Not Unplug stickers at the outlet, on unit, and on the circuit breaker.
  • Order Do Not Unplug stickers here.

All units must be plugged directly into a dedicated wall outlet. Units cannot be plugged into:

  • GFI/GFCI outlets (specialized outlets with a built-in breaker, may have reset buttons)
  • Outlets that can be activated by a wall switch
  • Extension cords, power strips, surge protectors
  • Ensure that the unit, plug, and circuit breaker on the electric panel are clearly labeled to prevent accidental loss of power.

Selecting a unit to store your vaccines in is an important decision.

Purchasing a unit that is reliable and accurate up-front is a worthwhile investment, both in time and money, for your practice. The time needed to respond to out of range temperatures and the cost of reimbursement for wasted vaccines can be very burdensome for practices whose unit does not maintain in-range temperatures.

To ensure that the unit that you are considering is the best option for your clinic, email our program at TempCheck@phila.gov so that we can offer insight on the units that are being considered based on other providers experiences with a brand, the typical supply on hand at your practice, and other considerations based on the CDC recommendations for storage units.

COVID-19 Vaccine Ordering Deadline

COVID-19 Vaccine Ordering Deadline 

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) Immunization Program would like to remind COVID-19 providers that the deadline to order COVID-19 vaccine is Wednesday at 5pm for orders placed both through Philavax and Monday.com. Orders placed after the deadline will not be processed.

Vaccine orders are delivered on the following Tuesday or Wednesday; please plan accordingly for upcoming clinics.

Quick Steps to Order:

Going forward, the Immunization Program will not process any orders that do not have a closed reconciliation and submitted temperatures by Wednesday at 5PM.

If you have questions, please reach out to vaccines@phila.gov.

Did Your Patient Receive a COVID-19 Vaccination Outside the United States?

Did Your Patient Receive a COVID-19 Vaccination Outside the United States?

Have questions? The “People vaccinated outside the United States” section of the CDC’s Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines provides guidance on different scenarios.

Talk to your patient and gather the initial information:

  1. Which COVID-19 vaccine did the patient receive?
  2. Is the COVID-19 vaccine authorized by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or listed for emergency use by the World Health Organization (WHO)?
  3. Did your patient complete a full series of this COVID-19 vaccine (e.g. receive both doses if two doses are recommended)?

Guidelines as of 7/15/21:

US FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines:

  • Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty, Tozinameran; mRNA nucleoside modified) – 2 doses
  • Moderna (Spikevax; mRNA nucleoside modified) – 2 doses
  • Johnson & Johnson / Janssen (Ad26.COV2-S recombinant) – 1 dose

COVID-19 vaccines listed for emergency use by the WHO:

  • US FDA-authorized vaccines above
  • AstraZeneca-Oxford (Covishield, Vaxzevria; ChAdOx1-S recombinant) – 2 doses
  • Sinopharm (Vero Cell inactivated) – 2 doses
  • Sinovac (Vero Cell inactivated) – 2 doses

See the table below for a summary of recommendations for patients who received a COVID-19 vaccination outside of the US:

Resources:

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

Make Your Provider Page Public with VaccineFinder!

Make Your Provider Page Public with VaccineFinder!

Dear Immunization Partner,

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) and the CDC are requesting that you make your provider page in VaccineFinder public. VaccineFinder is the portal that you’re using to log your COVID-19 vaccine inventory every 24 hours and can be found here: https://covid.locating.health/

Making your provider page public will allow fellow Philadelphians to search for vaccine clinics near them and therefore make it easier for them to be vaccinated. Your public-facing page will not display inventory information (i.e., number of doses on hand). PDPH has created a training video, linked below, to help you complete this process if you need:

Click here to watch the VaccineFinder Training Video

Please include any information regarding registrations for vaccinations, including a phone number or scheduling link, if possible, on your display page so that members of the public can more easily schedule appointments. As distribution and eligibility expands, it is important to promote vaccine opportunities that are currently available. If your site has the capacity to accept walk-ins, please also include this information on your VaccineFinder page as we hope to continue improving accessibility to vaccinations across the city.

We understand that making your VaccineFinder page public, posting your registration information, and allowing walk-in appointments may raise concerns. If you or your site are concerned, feel free to reach out to a contact at PDPH or email vaccines@phila.gov and they will connect you with a PDPH staff member to help you address your concerns.

Thank you for all the hard work you are doing to vaccinate Philadelphians!