COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Weekly Updates

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COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Weekly Updates

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Minnesota Department of Health

Dec. 22, 2021

Good afternoon,

Here are the COVID-19 vaccine provider updates for Dec. 18 to Dec. 22, 2021.


Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine update

On Dec. 17, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated the Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines for use of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J)/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine to provide details on the new clinical preference for mRNA COVID-19 vaccines over the J&J COVID-19 vaccine for both the primary and booster doses. In accordance with the emergency use authorization (EUA), a contraindication for persons with a history of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia (TTS) following the J&J COVID-19 vaccine or any other adenovirus-vectored COVID-19 vaccines (e.g., AstraZeneca) was also added.

Providers should start the two-dose mRNA COVID-19 vaccine series even if there is uncertainty about how the patient will receive their second dose. A person’s setting alone should not be the reason to only offer the J&J COVID-19 vaccine.

The J&J COVID-19 vaccine may be administered in some situations:

  • Contraindication to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (e.g., severe allergic reaction after a previous dose or to a component of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine).
  • Person would otherwise remain unvaccinated for COVID-19 due to limited access to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.
  • Person wants to receive the J&J COVID-19 vaccine despite the safety concerns identified.

Vaccinators need to inform all patients wishing to receive the J&J COVID-19 vaccine of the:

  • Preference for mRNA COVID-19 vaccine over J&J COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Risks of receiving J&J COVID-19 vaccine – in addition to verbal discussion, provide the EUA fact sheet for recipients and caregivers.
  • Symptoms of TTS and the need to seek immediate medical care if symptoms occur.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) recommends that vaccinators have mRNA COVID-19 vaccine available if offering J&J COVID-19 vaccine.

Refer to CDC’s media statement: CDC Endorses ACIP’s Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations, CDC: Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines and FDA: Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine for details.

The COVID-19 Janssen Ad26.COV2.S Vaccine protocol template and the Template: COVID-19 Screening and Agreement have been updated with the recommendations of use for the J&J COVID-19 vaccine. These documents can be found at COVID-19 Vaccine Providers: Forms and templates.


Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine ordering

J&J COVID-19 vaccine is not currently available to order in MIIC. We encourage providers who may have extra J&J doses in their inventory to make some available for redistribution via our SmartSheet tool: COVID-19 Vaccine Available for Redistribution.


Holiday shipping cadence

No COVID-19 vaccine deliveries will occur Thursday, Dec. 23 through Monday, Dec. 27. Normal deliveries will be carried out on Tuesday Dec. 28 and Wednesday Dec. 29. And looking forward to the next week, no COVID-19 vaccine deliveries will occur Thursday, Dec. 30 through Monday, Jan. 3, and normal deliveries will resume on Tuesday, Jan. 4.


Provider guide restructure

The Interim COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Guide has been revised to be more streamlined, while still providing vaccinators with up-to-date information and resources. Appendices A (Pfizer-BioNTech), B (Moderna), and C (Janssen) have been removed and a summary of the available COVID-19 vaccines have been added to the provider guide. Appendix D (Vaccination at Satellite, Temporary, or Off-site Locations) and Appendix E (MIIC Data Quality and Provider Outreach) can now be found at COVID-19 Vaccine Providers: Supplemental guidance documents.

Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine trainings

Pfizer U.S. Medical Affairs continues to host daily medical updates for its COVID-19 vaccines.

Training topics for both orange and gray cap vaccines include FDA indication and authorization, CDC/ACIP recommendations, packaging/presentation, storage and handling, and a question-and-answer session.

Each session will be unique and will reflect any new information or changes that emerge. Providers are encouraged to complete the training now for planning, and again closer to the time of transition for all staff involved in vaccine administration and handling. To access current and future training sessions, please visit Pfizer: Medical Updates & Immunization Site Training for All Healthcare Providers led by Pfizer Vaccines US Medical Affairs.

Find previous bulletins at COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Updates.