|
View this as a webpage
Minnesota Department of Health
July 22, 2021
Good afternoon,
Here are the COVID-19 vaccine provider updates for July 16 to July 22, 2021.
Moderna 10-dose vials will not be available for ordering beginning next week (7/26). Moderna 14-dose vials will still be available for providers who want to order Moderna vaccine.
If you are a COVID-19 vaccine provider and interested in receiving extra support for following up with clients who are overdue for their second dose, MIIC can work with you to send your patients who are overdue for a second dose a text message reminder and information on how to schedule a second dose.
If you are interested in participating or would like more information about this service, please contact Sang Phung at sang.phung@state.mn.us.
When reporting immunizations to MIIC, it is important to accurately report whether your organization was the administering provider.
-
Historical immunizations are immunizations your organization is reporting to MIIC on behalf of a different organization that administered it. This is the default immunization information source in MIIC and is easier for MIIC users from different organizations to edit.
-
Administered immunizations are immunizations your organization administered and reports to MIIC. Your organization will show up as the "owner" of the information. These immunizations cannot be edited or changed by anyone outside of your organization.
Verify you are reporting your administered immunizations as “Administered.” If you report via:
- Immunization spreadsheet upload: Populate the “Did Org Administer Dose?” column with "Y" to report the immunization as administered by your organization. Leaving this column blank will default to "N" and report the immunization as historical. Learn more about General Immunization Upload.
- Direct data entry: You must change the “Immunization Information Source” dropdown to "Administered immunization" (refer to Adding Immunization Not Using Inventory). Or, if your organization uses the inventory feature in MIIC, check the “New” box to report the immunization as administered (refer to Adding Immunizations Using Inventory).
For more help, contact the MIIC Help Desk at health.miichelp@state.mn.us.
Mandatory training modules for registered COVID-19 vaccine providers have been combined into one module and will soon be available in MDH’s Learning Management System (LMS) for easy tracking of staff training. Training should be a continual process to ensure all staff who handle and/or administer COVID-19 vaccine stay up-to-date and are well prepared to deliver effective vaccine product, in a safe manner. This training also covers adverse events, including anaphylaxis, which is a requirement for staff to be prepared to handle.
Immunization coordinators and back-ups are required to take the updated training once available in the LMS. A certificate will be provided upon completion of this training, which will meet the requirements of tracking your training. CEUs will also be provided.
It is recommended that other staff who handle and/or administer COVID-19 vaccine also take this updated training. It is a requirement of the vaccine coordinator, at every enrolled provider site, to ensure staff are properly trained on storage, handling, preparation, and administration of the vaccine as applicable to their role. Vaccine coordinators are also required to track, maintain documentation, and monitor the training status of staff.
Watch for updates in upcoming provider bulletins on when the updated training will be available in the LMS.
Replacement
If the diluent for Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has been lost, misplaced, or is no longer useable, it must be replaced at the expense of the provider. Determine how the diluent was lost and develop strategies to prevent this from happening again. Replacement diluent increases the risk of vaccine administration errors and may impact the safety of the vaccine if managed incorrectly.
Best practices
Pfizer COVID-19 can only be reconstituted with the diluent specified by the manufacturer’s fact sheet for health care providers: FDA: Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine EUA Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers (PDF). Diluent will be provided in the mixing kit (along with syringes, needles, and other needed supplies). Store diluent at room temperature.
- Reconstitute each thawed vial with exactly 1.8 milliliters of 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP.
- DO NOT use bacteriostatic normal saline or any other diluents.
- DO NOT use or save the remaining vaccine diluent to mix additional vaccine or for other uses.
-
Important: If using a larger volume single-use vial of 0.9% sodium chloride injection, you can use it only once for reconstitution (i.e., after removing 1.8 milliliters, discard remaining diluent).
- Failure to follow these practices may impact the safety of the vaccine.
Refer to the Interim COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Guide (PDF) and Appendix A: Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine (PDF) for more info on reconstitution.
People who were vaccinated outside the United States with an FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine (Janssen (Johnson & Johnson), Pfizer, or Moderna), and have received all the recommended doses, do not need any additional doses.
People who received the first dose of an FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine that requires two doses (Pfizer or Moderna) do not need to restart the vaccine series in the United States, but should receive the second dose as close to the recommended time as possible.
People who received a COVID-19 vaccine not authorized in the U.S. (either a complete series or just the first dose) should talk to their health care provider to help them determine whether they should be vaccinated with an FDA-authorized vaccine. It may depend on what vaccine they received and whether it is authorized by the World Health Organization (WHO).
For more details refer to the CDC Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines Currently Authorized in the United States: People vaccinated outside the United States.
An online tool is available for registered COVID-19 providers to help prevent vaccine wastage, facilitate redistribution, and match sites to those who need doses.
Before you place an order for COVID-19 vaccine in MIIC, review our online tool Smartsheet: COVID-19 Vaccine Available for Redistribution Page. Since its public launch last week, 21 providers have submitted requests for redistributed COVID-19 doses preventing wastage of over 5,000 doses. While Janssen vaccine continues to be on back-order from the CDC, sites can still obtain Janssen vaccine via redistribution. Please continue to submit your requests for redistributed COVID-19 vaccines using this dashboard.
MDH has a contracted courier that can aid in the redistribution of COVID-19 vaccine as needed. Please note, this is also an opportunity to receive vaccine in quantities less than the minimum shipment size.
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 Vaccine Available Form located on the same webpage.
If you have questions regarding this tool, please email health.mdhvaccine@state.mn.us.
Appendix C (Janssen) was updated this week to include information on Guillain-Barré syndrome. Appendix A (Pfizer) and B (Moderna) were updated to include information about myocarditis and pericarditis. Find them at COVID-19 Vaccine Providers.
|
