Notices

Partner to Hold Vaccine Clinics!

Dear COVID-19 Vaccine Providers,

PDPH is experiencing an uptick in community organizations requesting vaccine at events.

If you have not signed up already and are interested in being partnered with a community organization to provide them COVID-19 vaccine at events, please sign up using the link below.

Thank you to all providers that are currently signed-up to be matched with Philadelphia-based organizations who are seeking COVID-19 vaccine for their community members. If you have already filled out the survey, there is no need to fill it out again.

Fill out our vaccine provider capacity survey!

In the event that PDPH has an organization seeking a vaccine provider, you will be contacted by PDPH to confirm your interest in partnering to hold the clinic before any contact information is shared.

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

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.

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

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.

National Infant Immunization Week

National Infant Immunization Week
April 24 – 30, 2022

National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) is a yearly observance highlighting the importance of protecting children two years and younger from vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). This year, in particular, it’s critical to ensure that families stay on track for children’s routine checkups and recommended vaccinations following disruptions from COVID-19.

Research has consistently shown that healthcare professionals are the most trusted and influential source of vaccine information for parents. All staff in healthcare practices, including non-clinical staff, play important roles during NIIW.

To highlight childhood immunizations this NIIW:

Build a culture of immunization in your organization by fostering a culture of immunization.
Learn simple tips for talking with parents about childhood vaccines.
Provide educational materials for parents.

Additional resources are available from the CDC:

Parent friendly schedule: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/downloads/parent-ver-sch-0-6yrs.pdf
Childhood Immunization Resources: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/partners/childhood/index.html

Contact the Immunization Program!

The Immunization Program manages several email accounts to support providers and the public with immunization-related queries. Use this guide to determine who to contact based on the nature of your request:

PhilaVax@phila.gov: PhilaVax account support and technical issues (patient update requests, vaccine reporting questions, etc.)

Vaccines@phila.gov: General inquiries.

DPHProviderHelp@phila.gov: Medical provider assistance (Clinic Tools and inventory support, vaccine ordering and returns, reconciliation, staff changes, etc.)

TempCheck@phila.gov: Vaccine storage and handling inquiries (temperature logs, storage units, DDL technical problems, etc.)

Covidproviders@phila.gov: Adult COVID-19 provider questions and Bridge Access Program questions.

Prefer calling?

The following telephone and fax numbers are available for providers as well:

Storage and Handling
p 215.685.6777
f 215.238.6948

VFC & VFAAR
p 215.685.6728 / 215.685.6667
f 215.238.6948

Thank you for keeping Philadelphia safe and healthy!

Adolescent Immunization Action Week

Adolescent Immunization Action Week gears up to get adolescents up to date on immunizations.

April 4 to April 8 is the first annual National Adolescent Immunization Action Week. Unity® Consortium launched this initiative to bring attention to the importance of adolescent immunization and to urge health care providers and parents to get adolescents up to date on recommended vaccines.

Research has consistently shown that healthcare professionals are the most trusted and influential source of vaccine information for parents.

Visit Unity’s AIAW campaign page for social media-ready materials and graphics you can use to communicate and draw attention to the importance of taking action now to improve adolescent immunization coverage.

Here are ideas to remind, recall, and schedule immunizations:

Use electronic health records to identify patients with missed immunizations and contact them to schedule appointments. Use this guide to generate a recall report in PhilaVax.
Communicate with families about missed well visits and staying up to date on vaccines.
Make vaccination scheduling convenient for parents, e.g. offer vaccination clinics during school vacations/spring break.
Check vaccination status during all adolescent visits to avoid missed opportunities.
Make confident, presumptive vaccine recommendations, and share credible sources on vaccine safety and efficacy.
Share the #AIAW22 call to action with local organizations (health departments, schools), so they too can spread the word
Educate parents and patients about vaccine. Use these resources from Immunize.org to provide reliable information to your patients and their families:
- https://www.immunize.org/handouts/adolescent-vaccination.asp
- https://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4020.pdf

Together we can help mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on adolescent immunization rates and help to prevent future outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.

Recommend HPV Vaccine at Every Visit!

Recommend HPV Vaccine at Every Visit!

During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a decrease in HPV doses administered in the United States.

Here in Philadelphia, there was a 29% decrease in the total number of HPV doses administered in 2020 compared to 2019. This decrease affected every eligible age group:

9-13 year olds: HPV doses administered decreased by 17.5% from 2019 to 2020.
13-17 year olds: HPV doses administered decreased by 41.7% from 2019 to 2020.
18-26 year olds: HPV doses administered decreased by 53.7% from 2019 to 2020.

March 4 is International HPV Awareness Day!

To help bring HPV vaccination rates back to pre-pandemic levels, recommend HPV vaccine at every visit for 9-26 year olds who have not begun or completed their series.

Register for this CME webinar on March 2 from 1-2pm EST! Dr. Danielle Casher (Attending Physician, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia) will join cancer survivor Megan Lesar to discuss improving HPV vaccine rates in Pennsylvania.

On March 4, watch and share this video from the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) to promote timely, complete HPV vaccination.

Steps to Recommend HPV Vaccine to Hesitant Parents

Announce:

Your child is __ years old.
Today, they are eligible to receive Tdap, HPV, and MCV vaccine.
We will make sure they get all these shots to keep them safe and healthy.

If parent hesitates:

Connect and Counsel:

What’s your main concern?
Counsel using a research-tested method (ex.”Over 30,000 Americans get cancer from HPV every year. Most could be prevented with the HPV vaccine.”)

If parent declines:

Try Again:

Almost 70% of parents who initially declined later agree to HPV vaccine or plan to vaccinate soon.

Resources

Print:

Flyers and posters (CDC) promoting HPV vaccine for pre-teens and teens.
Postcards and posters (PDPH) promoting pediatric vaccines and HPV vaccine for pre-teens and teens.

Online:

For parents: reasons to get HPV vaccine; HPV vaccine safety.

Have questions? Reach out to our team at vaccines@phila.gov. Thank you for all that you do to keep Philadelphia safe and healthy!

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.