VFAAR

Get Your Patients Up to Date With Polio Vaccine

Cases of polio, or poliomyelitis, have recently increased. There is no cure for polio, but it can be prevented with safe and effective vaccination. The CDC urges providers to offer polio vaccine to everyone who is not fully vaccinated as soon as possible.

Pediatric Guidance (2 months through 18 years of age)CDC recommends that children get four doses of polio vaccine. Children should get one dose at each of the following ages:

2 months old
4 months old
6 through 18 months old
4 through 6 years old

Children who have not started their polio vaccine series or who are delayed in getting all recommended doses should start as soon as possible or finish their series by following the recommended catch-up schedule. View the Polio catch-up guidance for children 4 months through 17 years of age here.Adult Guidance (19 years of age and older)

Most adults in the United States were vaccinated as children. However, adults who are unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, or are fully vaccinated but are at higher risk for contact with poliovirus should receive polio vaccination. Adults who are at increased risk of contact with poliovirus and who have previously completed the polio vaccination series (IPV or OPV) can receive one lifetime booster dose of IPV. Learn more about which unvaccinated adults could be at higher risk, such as international travelers, laboratory workers, and healthcare professionals.

CDC Continuing Education – Available Tuesday, 9/6

For more information about polio, treatment, and vaccination, the CDC’s continuing education Pink Book course is coming up on September 6. This is an on-demand video with no registration required.

VFC & VFAAR Flu is Now Available to Order!

Flu vaccine is now available to order for your VFC and VFAAR eligible patients. Visit our flu page for instructions on how to place your first order and which products are available to order now.Please note, all flu vaccine from the 2021-2022 season must be accounted for before you can order flu for the 2022-2023 season.

Account for any unused 2021-22 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.

We will send out additional emails and update the flu page as more presentations of flu become available.

Have questions?

Contact Christine Wilson at christine.wilson@phila.gov, or Charma Miller at charma.miller@phila.gov, or Angelica Echevarria at angelica.echevarria@phila.gov for assistance.

VFAAR Flu Vaccine Available for All Adults for the 2022-2023 Season

VFAAR Flu Vaccine Available for All Adults for the 2022-2023 Season

On October 15, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a special allowance for Vaccines for Adults at Risk (VFAAR) flu administration. VFAAR flu vaccine can be administered to all adults regardless of insurance status during the 2022-2023 flu season.Contrary to our default policy of allowing only the truly uninsured to receive VFAAR flu doses, the CDC is making an exception to the screening requirement for flu only.

Why is VFAAR flu vaccine available to everyone?

The intent of removing the eligibility requirements for these federally funded doses is to ensure that everyone has access to flu vaccine. However, as providers, we ask you to follow the ordering algorithm below to ensure that throughout the flu season, you continue to have doses on hand for all your patients – especially the uninsured:

Use your existing privately purchased vaccine to vaccinate insured individuals.
Order a supply of VFAAR vaccines to vaccinate uninsured patients.
Do not miss opportunities. Vaccinate your patients with the most appropriate supply you have in stock.

Which supply of vaccine should I use?

Continue to vaccinate uninsured adults with flu from your VFAAR vaccine supply. As reminder, you cannot withhold a dose of VFAAR flu vaccine because a patient is unable to pay the administration fee.
Continue to vaccinate insured adults with flu from your privately purchased flu supply. However, if private doses are not available (because you’re waiting for your shipment or your supply is depleted), do not miss an opportunity; remember everyone is eligible to receive a dose from the VFAAR supply. And the VFAAR vaccines you use on private patients do not have to be replaced.
- Do not charge anyone’s insurance for the cost of the VFAAR flu doses. This is considered fraud and could affect your ability to receive VFAAR doses going forward. You can charge patients’ insurance an administration fee for doses of VFAAR flu that are administered to insured patients.
Use the flowchart below to assist you with identifying the correct supply:

Order Soon!

Remember to order VFAAR flu vaccine as needed throughout the 2022-2023 flu season. If you have any questions about your VFAAR supply contact Kenya Mack at kenya.mack@phila.gov for assistance.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.Thank for your helping to keep Philadelphia safe from the flu!

VFC & VFAAR Flu Ordering Will Open 8/29/22

VFC & VFAAR providers can order flu for the 2022-23 season starting Monday, 8/29/22.

Make sure your site is ready!

Account for any unused 2021-22 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 2022-23 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.

Menactra No Longer Available Through VFC or VFAAR

Menactra can no longer be ordered through VFC or VFAAR. The inventory of Menactra at the CDC depots has been depleted.

Sites that were using Menactra, need to transition to one of the other MCV4 products available, Menveo from GSK or MenQuadfi from Sanofi, if they have not already.

If your site ordered Menactra, and you have not already, please take a few minutes to complete this survey to let us know which MCV4 vaccine you plan to order going forward.

Complete the Survey

Return Expired Doses of Flu Today!

All VFC/VFAAR influenza vaccine supplied by the Philadelphia Immunization Program during the 2021-2022 flu season has expired. Please account for unused VFC/VFAAR flu vaccine 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.
Email DPHProviderHelp@phila.gov to account for open vials of flu vaccine.

Return your vaccine before August 15th

Please complete these steps by August 15, 2022, to avoid delays in processing your site’s 2022-23 flu season orders. If you have questions, contact DPHProviderHelp@phila.gov.

Don’t delay, return your expired vaccine now!

It is difficult to anticipate exactly when flu vaccine will be available. However, the health department is committed to getting flu vaccine to our providers as soon as it arrives. To prevent delays, please complete your flu return today.All communication about the availability of flu vaccine will be made via email and posted on our website. Keep an eye out for upcoming messages! If you need to add more people to our mailing list, please contact us at vaccines@phila.gov.Thank you for helping to protect Philadelphians this past year! We look forward to working together to keep people safe from the flu next season.

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.

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.

Additional VFAAR Flu Vaccine Presentations Available to Order

These vaccines are now available to order for your adult patients:

Flucelvax prefilled syringes
Fluzone multidose vials

FluLaval pre-filled syringes are currently not available to order.Please visit our flu ordering page for more information on the available vaccines.To learn who is eligible to receive VFAAR flu this year, review our advisory from October 26.

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.