COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Weekly Updates

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COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Weekly Updates

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Minnesota Department of Health

June 30, 2021

 

Good afternoon,

Our bulletin is one day early this week. Here are the COVID-19 vaccine provider updates for June 25 to June 30, 2021.

COVID-19 vaccine and myocarditis and pericarditis updates

Updates to Moderna and Pfizer EUA fact sheets

Ongoing safety monitoring of the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines has found increased risks of myocarditis and pericarditis, particularly following the second dose in adolescents and young adults. Typically, onset of symptoms has been within a few days following receipt of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Available data from short-term follow-up suggest that most people have had resolution of symptoms, but information is not yet available about potential long-term effects. CDC continues to recommend COVID-19 vaccination for everyone 12 years of age and older given the risk of COVID-19 illness and related, possibly severe complications, such as long-term health problems, hospitalization, and even death.

Find updated EUA fact sheets for health care providers for Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines at FDA: COVID-19 Vaccines.

CDC clinical considerations for myocarditis and pericarditis associated with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines

The CDC has published clinical considerations relevant to myocarditis and pericarditis associated with administration of the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at CDC: Clinical Considerations: Myocarditis and Pericarditis after Receipt of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Among Adolescents and Young Adults. Use this information when deciding whether to administer the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to someone with a history of myocarditis or pericarditis.


July 4 holiday ordering

Due to the federal holiday, there will be no vaccine delivery on Monday, July 5. Pfizer orders will be out for delivery Tuesday, July 6. Moderna orders will be delivered Wednesday, July 7.

Please note that the 1,170 dose boxes of Pfizer are not currently available to order, only the 450 dose packs are available for domestic use. Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is currently on back order. MDH will try to fulfill any requests for this product through redistribution.


Clinical trial data

Please report any COVID-19 vaccine that was administered as part of a clinical trial to MIIC. The organization who led the trial should be the one to report it. This is to ensure that only trial vaccines (not placebos) administered are added to MIIC and that accurate specifics are recorded, including specified dose volumes and Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) or World Health Organization (WHO) approved schedules. We are currently working with known providers to add appropriate clinical trial data to MIIC. Until the vaccine is authorized, doses administered as part of a clinical trial will show up in MIIC as “not valid.”

If your organization held a COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial and has not yet added your clinical trial data to MIIC, please reach out to the MIIC Help Desk at health.miichelp@state.mn.us to get started.


Fully-vaccinated people do not need additional vaccine doses

CDC considers a person fully vaccinated against COVID-19 two weeks after the second dose in a two-dose series (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) or two weeks after the single dose of the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine.

There have been reports of people attempting to get additional doses of either the same or a different COVID-19 vaccine product after being fully vaccinated. Administering additional doses is not supported by CDC or MDH at this time. The need and timing for COVID-19 vaccine booster doses have not been established. Check the vaccination status for people that are presenting for vaccination through MIIC or by the person’s COVID-19 vaccine record card. Do not give additional doses if someone is fully vaccinated.


Janssen COVID-19 vaccine updates

Janssen vaccine on backorder

Janssen COVID-19 vaccines are currently on backorder. Sites can continue to request Janssen vaccine doses in MIIC and MDH will help facilitate redistribution of doses from another registered COVID-19 provider as supply allows.

Extended shelf life

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized an extension of the shelf life for the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) single-shot COVID-19 vaccine from 3 months to 4.5 months.

Providers with Janssen vaccine doses in inventory that have not expired can use their vaccine 45 days beyond the previous expiration dates. Vaccine providers should visit Expiry Checker: Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine Under Emergency Use Authorization to confirm the latest expiration dates of vaccine. If the lot number you enter displays the original expiration date, you will want to keep checking as information is still in the process of updating.

More information about the extended shelf life of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine is available on the Janssen website: Johnson & Johnson Statement on FDA Approval of Shelf Life Extension for Company’s COVID-19 Vaccine.


New tool to report excess COVID-19 vaccine inventory

An online tool is available for registered COVID-19 providers to help prevent vaccine waste and facilitate redistribution. Providers with excess inventory of COVID-19 vaccine doses that would better serve the community if they were redistributed to other sites should fill out the Smartsheet: COVID-19 Vaccine Available Form. MDH immunization program staff will follow-up with the site if we are able to facilitate redistribution.

Find previous bulletins at COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Updates.