Flu Vaccine Availability

Last week, we sent a Special Edition of Blurbs to notify you that childhood flu vaccine is now available to order. Keep in mind we have only received 30% of our vaccine allocation so please only place an order for a 30 day supply at a time. We will continue to get doses allocated throughout the season.

Flu Vaccine Ordering Tips:

• You can order flu vaccine at any time during the season, you do not have to follow your ordering schedule.
• Do not mark flu as urgent, they are already prioritized and marking them urgent makes processing them take longer.
• If you have a flu vaccine event where more than a 30 day supply is needed, please indicate that in the "comments" section of your order.

Thank you for all you do to immunize Washington's kids!

Vaccine Choice Is Open Now

Vaccine Choice started Monday September 14^th and will continue until September 30^th.

An e-mail was sent out on Monday with the form attached. If you would like to make a change to the vaccine brand you are currently receiving please indicate the preferred brand of all vaccines on the form and scan and e-mail or fax the form in. If you do not want to make any changes, do nothing and your order set will remain the same.

Reminders:

• Since Vaccine Choice is completed using a paper form and not completed in the IIS, the change to the order set is not instantaneous. Depending on workload it may take up to two weeks for a change to occur.
• Only submit a form if you would like a change.
• A change cannot be made with any pending orders. All orders must have a status of Approved or Shipped.
• If you are part of a large organization, please check to make sure that a change is allowed. Some large organizations prefer all their clinics to have the same vaccine brands.
• Any vaccine that does not have another brand option will remain available on your order set.

A PDF version of the Vaccine Choice Form and Product Overview is available on our website.

Please submit forms either through e-mail at WAChildhoodVaccines@doh.wa.gov or by fax 360 236-3811.

If you have any questions please e-mail us at WAChildhoodVaccines@doh.wa.gov.

Emergency Vaccine Transfers

As a reminder emergency vaccine transfers DO NOT require prior approval. We understand many facilities have been affected by the on-going fires and power outages. Please notify us when possible after the transfer is complete.

For more information, please review the Emergency Vaccine Transfer Guide and Vaccine Temperature Excursion Guide.

For questions email: WAChildhoodVaccines@doh.wa.gov

Position Statement from DOH

We recently released a position statement on COVID-19 vaccines. You can review our statement here.

Immunization Training Opportunities

Department of Health 2020-2021 Flu Updates Webinar in September

The Washington State Department of Health is presenting a flu updates webinar on September 23, 2020 from 12:00pm to 1:00pm PDT. You can register for the webinar here. Topics will include:

• Updated influenza epidemiology
• Flu vaccine availability
• Ordering flu vaccine in the Immunization Information System
• Flu communication and health promotion resources

Continuing education is available for nurses, physicians, medical assistants, and pharmacists. Visit our webinar page here for more information.

2020 Pink Book Series

CDC is offering a series of weekly one-hour web-on-demand videos that will provide an overview of vaccination principles, general best practices, immunization strategies, and specific information about vaccine-preventable diseases and the vaccines that prevent them. Each video will include updated information from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). There is no registration to view the sessions. The link to each course can be accessed on/after the indicated date. Visit the Pink Book series page for more information. Continuing Education (CE) is available.

CDC updates Frequently Asked Influenza (Flu) Questions: 2020–2021 Season to include information about vaccinating during the COVID-19 pandemic CDC has updated its Frequently Asked Influenza (Flu) Questions: 2020–2021 Season to include information about vaccinating during the COVID-19 pandemic. The section called “Flu and COVID-19” highlights the likelihood that flu and COVID-19 will both circulate this fall and winter. While getting a flu vaccine will not protect against COVID-19, flu vaccination is more important than ever, to reduce risk from flu and to help conserve potentially scarce healthcare resources.​  

For questions about the immunization schedule, the Immunization Information System forecast, or any other immunization clinical questions, please send an email to ImmuneNurses@doh.wa.gov. Check out the Immunization Training web page for more resources and training opportunities.

Add Your PIN to All Documents

Please ensure your clinic's PIN is on all your emails, communication, and documents. This helps to speed up our response time and assist you faster. Thanks for your understanding and diligence.