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Notices

PIC 2024 Fall Conference

PIC 2024 Fall Conference

Save the date! Join us for the Philadelphia Immunization Coalition’s Fall 2024 Conference.

Our speakers will include Dr. Andrew Kroger (CDC) and Dr. Paul Offit (CHOP), among others to be announced.

Topics covered will include COVID-19, RSV, flu, universal recommendations for
community outreach, vaccine hesitancy, PDPH updates, and more.

Tickets will be $40 and include breakfast, all day coffee, and a wonderful hot lunch.

Continuing education credits will also be provided. Registration will be opening soon, and a link will be shared in an upcoming email.

Hope to see you there!

Event Details

  • When: Tuesday, October 29, 2024
  • Time: 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
  • Where: College of Physicians at 19 South 22nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103

Reach out to angel.brice@phila.gov for any questions.

Call for Nominations: 2024 Immunization Champion Award 

Call for Nominations: 2024 Immunization Champion Award 

You can still submit a nomination for the Immunization Champion Award! Your nominations will determine the 2024 Philadelphia Immunization Champion. Check out the eligibility criteria below and acknowledge someone you know who champions local immunization access.

The Immunization Champion Award is a national award program hosted by the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) and honors individuals going above and beyond to foster and/or promote immunization in their communities. 

Access the nomination form below. Once completed, email it to vaccines@phila.gov!

Submit a nominaton!

The nomination deadline has been extended to May 28, 2024. Please share this email with your networks. 

Instructions for Nomination 

Individuals can be recognized for their work in childhood, adolescent, or adult vaccines.

Who is eligible?

  • Healthcare professionals (i.e., pharmacists, physicians, nurses, physicians’ assistants, nurse practitioners, medical assistants)
  • Nonprofit leaders
  • Community activists
  • Parents
  • School and education leaders
  • Coalition members
  • Community-based organization members
  • Immunization partners

Who is ineligible?

  • Immunization program managers
  • County, state, and federal government employees paid by state or federal immunization funding
  • Individuals who have been affiliated with and/or employed by pharmaceutical companies
  • Individuals who have already received the award
  • Groups – the award is only for individuals 

If you have any questions, please contact info@immunizationmanagers.org. Additional information can also be found here.

New Vaccine Product Available Through VFC: Penbraya (MenABCWY)

New Vaccine Product Available Through VFC: Penbraya (MenABCWY)

On October 20, 2023, the FDA licensed Pfizer’s pentavalent vaccine Penbraya to prevent meningococcal serogroups A, B, C, W, and Y.

As a reminder, MenB vaccines are not interchangeable. The same vaccine (either Bexsero by GSK or Trumenba by Pfizer) must be used for all doses in the MenB series, including booster doses. The pentavalent MenABCWY product Penbraya (Pfizer) contains MenB-Fhbp (Trumenba) as its MenB component; therefore, Penbraya should only be used in series with Trumenba.

To add this formulation to the list of vaccines that your site orders, use the button below to complete the change request form.

Change Request Form

Our team will review your request and reply with next steps. We recommend that sites that are affiliated or part of a system use the same vaccine presentations across sites to ensure continuity of care and help prevent administration errors.

To purchase this vaccine in the private market, please contact your local Pfizer sales rep at brian.bengston@pfizer.com. 

Penbraya 1 Dose Kit and Penbraya 5 Dose Kit are now available through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program. 

  • The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends MenABCWY for ages 10 through 25. Penbraya may be used when both MenACWY and MenB are indicated at the same visit. More specifically, MenABCWY is recommended for the following groups based on shared clinical decision-making:
  • Healthy individuals aged 16 to 23 years due for their MenACWY booster and MenB vaccination at the same visit. 
  • Children 10 years and older with complement deficiency, functional or anatomic asplenia (including sickle cell disease), or receiving complement inhibitors. 
  • CVX code: 316 
  • CPT code: 90623 
  • NDC number: 00069-0600-01 (1 Dose Kit) and 00069-0600-05 (5 Dose Kit) 

Resources

If you have any questions, please email vaccines@phila.gov.

2024 Influenza Ordering Survey

Congratulations to last week’s survey winner: Puentes De Salud! But wait, there’s another chance to win and help us better prepare for the next flu season! We will hold a second drawing to win a free buzzy. 

To enter our second drawing, use the button below to complete a short survey (less than 3 minutes) by Friday, May 17, 2024.  

If you previously filled out the survey, you’ve already entered. Your responses are key to our 2024-2025 flu season planning!

Influenza Ordering Survey

2023-2024 COVID-19 Vaccine Update

2023-2024 COVID-19 Vaccine Update

Dosing Schedule & Available Products

Review the dosing schedule and available products for 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine below. We don’t yet know the exact timing of when 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccines will be available. However, FDA authorization or approval of 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccines is anticipated for Fall 2024. 

Dosing Schedule: 2023-2024 COVID-19 Vaccine

For more details, review the CDC’s Interim 2023-2024 COVID-19 Immunization Schedule for Persons 6 Months of Age and Older.

See the table below for details on the availability of the different products. If your preferred product is no longer available, change to an alternate product to continue offering and administering COVID-19 vaccine to patients. 

Available Products (updated 5/2/24): 2023-2024 COVID-19 Vaccine

Tips for COVID-19 Vaccine Ordering & Administration 

Continue to order and administer 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccines until they reach their beyond use date (BUD), expire, or new product becomes available. 

The remaining 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccines available for ordering are expected to expire between May and July. It is important to check expiration dates before administering any vaccine. 

We’ve seen summer peaks in COVID-19 cases in past years, so individuals aged 6 months and above who have not received a dose should continue to be vaccinated. 

If you have questions about COVID-19 vaccine availability, please reach out.

For VFC, email Victor Obeck at victor.obeck@phila.gov.

For the Bridge Access Program, email Nyandra McFadden at nyandra.mcfadden@phila.gov.

Free Print Materials on the Way! 

Free Print Materials on the Way! 

We’re sending pediatric and adult materials to your office. Preview some of the print materials that are on the way, and order more in different languages! 

Preview: Laminated Pediatric Vaccine Schedule  

Preview: RSV Palm Card for Adults

Visit our website to order more free print materials for your office.  

Available Print Materials 

Ordering Tip

Once you have found the materials you want, make a note of their ID#s and head over to the corresponding online ordering form. We recommend opening the online ordering form in a separate tab. This will let you easily switch between the online ordering form and the image galleries.

If you have questions or need help with the ordering process, email us at vaccines@phila.gov. 

COVID-19 Vaccine Return Guidance

COVID-19 Vaccine Return Guidance

Unopened vaccines should be returned when:

  •  The manufacturer expiration date has passed.
  •  The vaccines are no longer viable due to out-of-range temperatures.
  •  The vaccine has passed its beyond-use-date (BUD).

When returning COVID-19 vaccines that have passed their beyond-use-date, remember to select Other as the return reason and include “Past BUD [insert the BUD date]” in the comments section. 

Process a return for expired or non-viable vaccines in PhilaVax. Use this guide to assist you in the return process.

Contact dphproviderhelp@phila.gov if you need assistance with completing a return.

Register for the SexMed Conference!

Register for the SexMed Conference!

Join this free, in-person conference designed for healthcare providers and care teams seeking best practices, protocols, and skills in proactive, patient-centered sexual healthcare for all Philadelphians. The conference will take place on Friday, May 3, 2024 in Center City, Philadelphia. 

Register for the conference!

Conference Details

Fee

There is no fee for this event, but registration is required. Includes breakfast, lunch, and free continuing education credits:

  • CME
  • CNE/Nursing Professional Development
  • LSW, LCSW, LPC, LMFT/Social Work

Audience

For providers and front-facing staff in medical environments.

Date

Friday, May 3, 2024

Time

7:30 a.m. — Registration Opens
8:00 a.m. — Breakfast and Opening Plenary
9:00 a.m. — Morning Breakout Sessions
12:00 p.m. — Lunch Plenary
1:30 p.m. — Afternoon Breakout Sessions
4:30 p.m. — Rooftop Mixer Event (Presented by UPENN Eidos)

Location

The Doubletree by Hilton Hotel – Philadelphia Center City
237 S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19107

Content

Sessions cover topics including HIV, mpox, and STI testing, medications to prevent HIV infection, linkage to care, harm reduction messages, patient experience, and communication skills. Elevate your expertise in sexual healthcare at SexMed.

Detailed program will be featured on the event website.

2024 Influenza Ordering Survey

2024 Influenza Ordering Survey

While flu remains prevalent across the country, the 2023-2024 flu season has seen a drop in coverage, and Philadelphia is no exception.   

Fill out this short survey (less than 3 minutes) to help us better prepare for next flu season. Every site that completes the form by Friday, April 26, 2024, will be entered for a chance to win a free buzzy. Your responses are key in our planning for the 2024-2025 flu season! 

Influenza Ordering Survey

Tips for Managing Short-Dated COVID-19 Vaccine Inventory

Tips for Managing Short-Dated COVID-19 Vaccine Inventory

COVID-19 vaccine shipped by McKesson in the following months will be short-dated, meaning the manufacturer expiration dates will be shorter than usual.  

McKesson will continue distributing COVID-19 doses until the vaccines are within 30 days of expiry.  

Here are some tips for managing short-dated COVID-19 vaccine inventory:

  • Order smaller quantities of vaccines more frequently while maintaining a 3–4 week vaccine supply.  
  • Make note vaccine expiration dates when receiving shipments and routinely check expiration dates when completing monthly reconciliations.  
  • Rotate short-dated vaccines to the front of the inventory and use them first.
  • Conduct outreach to Bridge Access Program and Vaccines for Children (VFC) eligible patients and schedule them to get vaccinated before doses expire. 

Have questions? Email us at vaccines@phila.gov.