FDA Limits Use of Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine
On May 5th, the FDA released new guidelines associated with the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine. Citing the risk of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), the FDA now limits the use of the J&J vaccine to the following groups:
- Individuals 18 years of age and older for whom other authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccines are not accessible or clinically appropriate.
- Individuals 18 years of age and older who elect to receive the J&J COVID-19 vaccine because they would otherwise not receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
Please access the Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers Administering Vaccine Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine for more information.
Memorial Day Ordering and Delivery Cadence
In anticipation of the Memorial Day holiday, get ahead and plan to order your COVID-19 vaccines early! The information provided below clarifies the days COVID-19 vaccines will be delivered over the holiday weekend.
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccines:
- No COVID-19 vaccine deliveries will occur on Monday, May 30th (Memorial Day).
- If you need COVID-19 vaccines for clinics over the weekend, please submit orders by Tuesday, 5/24/22, to help ensure delivery.
Moderna and J&J/Janssen Centrally Distributed COVID-19 Vaccines:
- No COVID-19 vaccine deliveries will occur on Monday, May 30th, or Tuesday, May 31st (you may receive ancillary kits on Tuesday for orders arriving on June 1st).
- If you need COVID-19 vaccines for clinics over the holiday weekend, please submit orders by Tuesday, 5/24/22.
**Deliveries will occur as scheduled on Friday, May 27th.
In the event your facility will be closed, Friday, May 27th, please contact the VacShipments Team at (833) 832-7068 (Option 2) or email COVID19VacShipments@dshs.Texas.gov by Friday, May 20th to delay your shipment to the following week.
ImmTrac2 Reporting: Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Red Cap and Blue Cap
Ensure you are reporting COVID-19 vaccine administered doses into the Texas Immunization Registry, ImmTrac2, using the proper trade names and dose descriptions (full vs. half) below:
- Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Red Cap:
- Trade Name: Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine
- Can be used for Primary series and Booster doses.
- Primary series: Full dose (0.5 mL) per dose.
- Booster dose series: Half dose (0.25 mL) per booster dose.
- Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Blue Cap:
- Trade name: Moderna COVID-19 Booster
- Can ONLY be used for Booster doses.
- It is NOT approved for Primary series use.
- Booster Dose series: Full Dose (0/5 mL) per booster dose.
- Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Booster (50mcg/0.5mL) - Blue Cap is in ImmTrac2 but NOT in circulation yet. Instead use COVID-19 vaccine Red Cap (100mcg/0.5mL)
Don’t Miss the COVID-19 Vaccine Back to the Basics Provider Webinar Series!
Are you a provider that is new to the COVID-19 Vaccine Management Program and would like to learn more? Or are you a provider that is familiar with the program but would like a refresher?
If so, you will not want to miss the DSHS’ Texas COVID-19 Vaccine Back to the Basics Provider Series starting this week, Tuesday, May 17, 2022.
Not only will we continue to provide weekly COVID-19 vaccine updates, but over the next few weeks our webinars will have a new look where we will be hosting a three-week series dedicated to New COVID-19 Vaccine Coordinators and Administrators.
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Week 1
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5/17/22
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Your Role as A COVID-19 Vaccine Provider and The Fundamentals of VAOS
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Register here
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Week 2
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5/24/22
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All You Need to Know About Storage & Handling of COVID-19 Vaccines
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Register here
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Week 3
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5/31/22
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Reporting COVID-19 Vaccines in ImmTrac2
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Register here
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Expert Tip! Avoid Having Your VAOS Ordering Privileges Suspended
As of May 2022, COVID-19 vaccine providers are required to report their current on-hand inventory by the 5th of each month. DSHS suspended ordering privileges for COVID-19 vaccine providers if they did NOT report their current COVID-19 vaccine inventory by vaccine type to the Vaccine Allocation Ordering System (VAOS) by the 12th of this month.
For providers to prepare for next month, please access the resources below for step-by-step guidance on how to report your COVID-19 vaccine inventory.
For more information and questions, please contact COVID-19 Vaccine Management:
Reminder: TDEM- Vaccine Clinics
Texas Division of Emergency Management is providing support for Vaccine Clinics. The Call Center, Mobile Vaccination Teams, and Mobile Testing Teams are available from now until May 31, 2022, to assist with Vaccine Clinics.
They can offer support for mobile vaccine teams, scheduling clinics, reporting therapeutics, resource distribution, and infusion center.
To schedule mobile vaccination assistance, reach out to the Mobile Vaccination Team:
Vaccination Hotline 1(844)90TEXAS (83927) & VACCINE@SOC.TEXAS.GOV
Reminder: Be Prepared! Plan for Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine Ordering & Storage
Pending submission and review of all data and EUA authorization(s), release of new COVID-19 vaccine products for very young children may coincide with normal back-to-school and seasonal influenza vaccination activities. Providers should consider their storage capacity prior to ordering and to avoid stockpiling COVID-19 vaccine inventory beyond what can be efficiently and safely stored. Consider the following information as you make plans for ordering pediatric COVID-19 vaccines:
- Both Moderna and Pfizer pediatric COVID-19 vaccines may have a minimum order quantity of 100 doses.
- Moderna COVID-19 vaccine can be stored frozen between -50°C and -15°C until its expiration date.
- Moderna COVID-19 vaccine vials can be moved to the refrigerator as needed for a maximum of a 30-day shelf life (unpunctured).
- Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine vials may be stored in an ultra-cold temperature (ULT) freezer between -90°C and -60°C until the expiration date. Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine vials may be kept in the refrigerator for up to 10 weeks.
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