COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Weekly Updates

Minnesota Department of Health sent this bulletin at 07/14/2022 07:11 AM CDT
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COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Weekly Updates

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Minnesota Department of Health

July 14, 2022

 

Don’t Delay Vaccination

An Omicron-containing vaccine is expected to be coming, but the timing and availability of this vaccine is highly uncertain at this time. Encourage patients to get all recommended doses of COVID-19 vaccine, including boosters, when they are eligible and not wait. Consider sending reminders to patients who are due or overdue for their next dose. Staying up to date is important as currently available COVID-19 vaccines continue to be effective at providing protection from severe disease and death.

The FDA will communicate future plans pertaining to the potential authorization or approval of COVID-19 vaccine booster doses with an Omicron component. Refer to the FDA media statement FDA Recommends Inclusion of Omicron BA.4/5 Component for COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Doses for further details.

FDA approval of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 (Comirnaty) vaccine for ages 12-15 years

On July 8, the FDA approved Pfizer BioNTech supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for their COVID-19 vaccine, known as COMIRNATY, to include people 12 through 15 years of age. The vaccine was previously made available to this age group under emergency use authorization (EUA). COMIRNATY is now the only COVID-19 vaccine approved by the FDA as a two-dose primary series for people 12 years and older.  

Reminder about opting out of ancillary kits

Providers may have the option to opt-out of receiving ancillary kits depending on the product they order. Note that this opt-out option is not currently available for ancillary kits that contain the diluent necessary to administer the vaccine. 

Providers can opt-out of ancillary kits for the following products: 

  • Pfizer 12 years and older (gray cap) 
  • Moderna (all products) 

Providers cannot opt-out of ancillary kits for the following products: 

  • Pfizer 5-11 years (orange cap) 
  • Pfizer Under 5 years (maroon cap) 

Share you COVID-19 vaccine story

There are a lot of reasons to get a COVID-19 vaccine, and we want to hear from Minnesotans what some of those reasons are. We’re asking people to share why they got themselves or their children vaccinated for COVID-19 to help encourage others to do the same. They can record a short video to submit to MDH and we will help share some of the reasons people are rolling up their sleeves. Our Share Your Story: Why I Got the COVID-19 Vaccine web page has more information and instructions for submitting a story. Please share the web page with your audiences. We will periodically share out stories that we receive so partners can help share them with their audiences, and you can find some stories on the website now.

Find previous bulletins at COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Updates.