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This weekly newsletter provides summarized content on COVID-19 vaccine related topics. This broad level of information is tailored towards health care professionals, partners, and the general public.
WASHINGTON COVID-19 VACCINATION STATUS: ALL AGES 16 AND OLDER
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COVID-19 VACCINE DISTRIBUTION UPDATE
As of May 3, more than 5,642,156 doses of vaccine have been given across the state, which is nearly 81% of the 6,967,540 doses that have been delivered to our providers and federal partnership programs. More than 39% of people in Washington eligible for vaccination are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. This information can be found on the DOH data dashboard under the vaccines tab, which is updated three times per week.
Get vaccinated today
More than half of all eligible Washingtonians ages 16 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. DOH is proud of the incredible work happening across the state and thanks everyone who has rolled up their sleeve to get the lifesaving vaccine.
Eligibility may soon expand to everyone 12 and older
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine could be authorized for kids as young as 12 as early as next week. The company applied to expand Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for its vaccine for teens and children ages 12 to 15 after a clinical trial showed the vaccine is safe and extremely effective for the age group. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently reviewing the data and would need to amend the EUA for the Pfizer vaccine, which is currently authorized for people 16 and older.
Expanding vaccine eligibility to adolescents 12 to 15 will help us slow the spread of the virus, protect kids and teens in the classroom, at sporting events, during summer activities, and more.
Read the full news release in English or in Spanish.
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 PARTNERS INCREASE VACCINE ACCESS BY PROVIDING FREE AND DISCOUNTED RIDES TO VACCINE APPOINTMENTS
The Vaccine Action Command and Coordination System (VACCS) Center has partnered with Lyft, Uber, United Way Worldwide, Washington 211 and Sea Mar Community Health Centers to provide access to free and discounted rides to vaccine appointments for people with transportation challenges.
In March, VACCS launched its free vaccine transportation initiative in partnership with Sound Transit and Pierce Transit, which provide complimentary rides to anyone with a vaccine appointment.
Now, VACCS is expanding that offering and is partnering with Washington 211 and United Way Worldwide through their Ride United partnership with Lyft to provide access to rides to appointments.
These partnerships mean that starting May 10th, people who face transportation barriers and need a ride to get a vaccine can call the state COVID-19 information hotline at 833-VAX-HELP and a hotline specialist will assist in coordinating the rides.
Sea Mar will also be assisting to accommodate ride requests for patients getting vaccinated at Sea Mar clinics and will be coordinating with these clinics across Washington: Country Doctor Community Health Center, Yakima Neighborhood Health Centers, Peninsula Community Health Services, HealthPoint, International Community Health Services, and Unity Care.
Also, thanks to the Health Care Authority, people with Apple Health (Medicaid) insurance already can get free rides to vaccine appointments. Here’s more information and where to call for your area. This flyer will soon be available in multiple languages.
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 WHY NOW IS THE RIGHT TIME FOR YOUR COVID-19 VACCINE
Maybe you heard about people taking a “wait and see” approach for the vaccine. Koenig urges against this.
“There are no benefits to waiting to get the vaccine,” said Koenig. “The sooner you get the vaccine, the sooner you and others are protected from the disease.
“The reality is that you can’t be certain of your risk. Even young and healthy people can get sick and die from diseases like COVID-19,” said Koenig. “You might not be afraid for yourself, but you can get sick and pass the virus onto others who can’t fight it off as well.”
Medical experts estimate that between 70–90 percent of the population will need to be vaccinated to create “herd immunity,” which significantly lessens the threat of the virus. People who wait to get the vaccine increase their risk of catching COVID-19 and spreading the virus.
Read the full Department of Health blog here, which includes answers to other commonly asked questions about getting vaccinated.
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STATE PUBLISHING COUNTY VACCINATION DATA BY RACE AND ETHNICITY TO IMPROVE LOCAL EQUITY EFFORTS
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) COVID-19 data dashboard now includes county-level data on the race and ethnicity of people who have been vaccinated. The newly available data will help counties, local partners and the public understand where there are inequities in order to address them more intentionally.
The county-level data were first released in a report on April 23 and include a race and ethnicity breakdown for people with at least one dose of vaccine and people who are fully vaccinated. For comparison purposes, the dashboard provides each county’s population distribution by race and ethnicity, including one set of percentages for people 16 and older and another for all ages.
DOH is using the data to inform state strategies for equitable vaccination, including identifying where more focused help is needed and prioritizing support for the providers and community organizations working to address higher inequities.
Read the full news release in English or in Spanish.
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 VACCINES.GOV IS NOW LIVE
As of today, the federally supported website that the President announced a few weeks ago to make it easier for individuals to access COVID-19 vaccines is now live! Vaccines.gov is powered by the VaccineFinder brand and is available in English and Spanish. The site helps connect Americans with nearby locations offering COVID-19 vaccination.
In addition to the website, people in the U.S. have access to a text messaging service, available in both English and Spanish. People can text their ZIP code to 438829 (GETVAX) and 822862 (VACUNA) to find three locations nearby that have vaccines available.
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VACCINEFINDER REQUEST FOR COVID VACCINE PROVIDERS
Only 13% of Washington state COVID-19 vaccine providers have turned on the public view setting in VaccineFinder. Please publicly list your practice in order to make it easier for consumers to access vaccines and help them find vaccine.
Hub and spoke locations: For locations where a central hub manages inventory and sends vaccines to spoke sites for administration, you can now display those spoke sites on vaccinefinder.org.
In stock status: Vaccine availability status will display as “call to confirm” on vaccinefinder.org if inventory quantities are not updated in the portal within 72 hours. Even if your site’s on-hand doses do not change, please log submit your inventory daily to maintain the In Stock status on the public website.
Phone number requirement update: A site’s phone number is only required when there is no pre-screen web address listed. Each site must have either a phone number OR pre-screen web address available to help consumers make an appointment.
VaccineFinder Resources:
Program overview and checklists
Training documentation and materials
Consumer FAQs
VaccineFinder Support:
VaccineFinder Helpdesk (for providers and jurisdictions):
eocevent522@cdc.gov
IT Support Desk (e.g., password reset, file upload issues):
vaccinefinder@castlighthealth.com
(855) 886-4317, Monday – Saturday, 8am - 5pm ET
Starting May 7: New Support Desk
COVID-19 Administration Reporting Systems (CARS) Help Desk
CARS_HelpDesk@cdc.gov
(833)-748-1979
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CHANGE: NEXT WEEK'S VACCINE ORDERING AND 95% REQUIREMENT REMOVAL
Dear COVID-19 vaccine providers,
We heard your feedback and effectively immediately, we are removing the requirement to use 95% of your vaccine supply in seven days.
We are removing this requirement because we want to ensure you have vaccine on hand to take advantage of any opportunities to administer the vaccine. We also now have enough vaccine supply to allow all COVID-19 vaccine providers to have a stock of vaccine. You will now be able to:
- Check your patient’s vaccination status during regularly scheduled appointments
- Offer and administer vaccine to anyone who has not been vaccinated yet, and
- More easily offer walk in appointments.
We encourage all enrolled providers to keep a consistent COVID-19 vaccine supply. Beginning today (May 7, 2021), you can order enough vaccine to maintain up to a two-week supply. Our aim is that you can maintain a consistent level of inventory on hand and order more as you need to replenish your stock.
Please continue to monitor the expiration dates of your inventory, rotate stock to use short dated vaccine first, and use doses before they expire. If you have vaccine you cannot use before it expires and need help facilitating a transfer, please contact us at covid.vaccine@doh.wa.gov at least two weeks before they expire.
Future ordering changes
In the coming weeks, we will continue to evolve the vaccine allocation and ordering process. We expect upcoming changes will include:
- Continue shift toward need-based ordering and away from county level pro-rata allocation
- Removal of prime and boost dose order sets (i.e., move to blended inventory of first and second doses, and single order set)
- Pfizer redistribution options to help support smaller order size needs
We will send updates and additional information as we know more. Stay tuned.
Thank you for your feedback and your continued commitment to support COVID-19 vaccinations.
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NEW PROVIDER PORTAL TO ORDER VACCINE OUTREACH MATERIALS AT NO COST
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is excited to launch an online portal where you can order vaccine outreach materials at no-cost! This site is for Washington state providers administering the COVID-19 vaccine, community based organizations, and businesses running vaccination sites. All items are available at no cost to you and delivered directly to your preferred address. To begin ordering, follow the link above and click the self-registration button. Registering will save your information so you can save time when you return.
Available materials include stickers in multiple languages, buttons for vaccine providers and event staff, thank you signage and handouts, and waiting area signage and handouts. Please order the quantity required for you immediate needs. You can come back and re-order anytime.
DOH will be approving each order before shipping. Materials are shipped by UPS Ground delivery and in-stock items should arrive 3-5 business days after placing an order. If some items are out of stock, in-stock items will ship immediately and other parts of your order will be filled when stock is available. Materials in other languages can be created upon request. Just send an e-mail to the contact listed in the portal.
Thank you. We appreciate your efforts in helping to Vaccinate Washington!
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COVID-19 VACCINE PROVIDER BILLING REMINDER:
If you participate in the CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Program, you must:
- Administer the vaccine with no out-of-pocket cost to your patients for the vaccine or administration of the vaccine
- Vaccinate everyone who is eligible, including the uninsured, regardless of coverage or network status
You also can’t:
- Balance bill for COVID-19 vaccinations
- Charge your patients for an office visit or other fee if COVID-19 vaccination is the only medical service given
- Require additional medical or other services during the visit as a condition for getting a COVID-19 vaccination
Patients that have been charged are being directed to report the charging organization to the Office of the Inspector General.
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REMINDER - NEW MODERNA PACKAGING AVAILABLE
At the end of March, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an updated Moderna Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) introducing vials that may contain more doses of vaccine.
- The Moderna Vaccine will be available in two different vials by early May: the current Maximum 11 dose and a new Maximum 15 dose vial. The vial will remain the same size but will be filled to the higher volume.
- The Moderna larger volume vial may contain 15 0.5ml doses of vaccine. The actual dose amount will be based on the size of the needle used to extract the doses, as well as the overfill of the bottle. Therefore, vaccination providers should expect to withdraw 13-15 doses from each vial.
- Ancillary kits will be reconfigured to extract a maximum of 14 doses per vial, plus a 5% surplus to account for damage or wastage.
You can find more information at the following link: Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine EUA Fact Sheet for Health Care Providers (fda.gov)
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ACIP REAFFIRMS INTERIM RECOMMENDATIONS FOR JANSSEN VACCINE
Earlier last month, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) put a hold on the use of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine due to reports of U.S. cases of thrombosis with thrombocytopenic syndrome (TTS) among recipients. On April 23rd, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) reaffirmed its interim recommendation for use of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine in all persons over 18 years old under the FDA Emergency Use Authorization. The FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization (EUA now includes a warning that rare clotting events might occur after vaccination, primarily among women aged 18-49 years.
The Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines was also updated to reflect these changes. There is a new section added to specifically address the considerations for use of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine in certain populations as well as language added in the “Patient Counseling”. The patient counseling section discusses the importance of ensuring the patients receiving vaccine are aware of common side effects as well as the increased risk of TTS in women over age 50. It also provides a list of symptoms of TTS which includes:
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Leg swelling
- Persistent abdominal pain
- Severe or persistent headaches or blurred vision
- Easy bruising or tiny blood spots under the skin beyond the site of the injection
The CDC recommends that if anyone has any of the symptoms above they should seek medical care immediately. Furthermore, they recommend clinicians consult Health Alert Network notifications and guidance from the American Society of Hematology for information on the diagnosis and treatment of suspect cases of TTS.
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 SPANISH-LANGUAGE VIRTUAL CHAT - GOING BACK TO SCHOOL DURING COVID-19 TIMES
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH), the Latino Center for Health and Univision Seattle will help answer parents and guardians’ questions as they help their children return to in-person classes without letting their guard down amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The free virtual chat will be moderated by KUNS-TV and KOMO-TV’s news presenter Paula Lamas, and presented via Zoom as well as streamed live through Univision Seattle’s Facebook page.
6:30pm
Thursday, May 13, 2021
Register for free OR
Watch the stream via Univision Seattle’s Facebook page
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FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC
FOR INDUSTRY
FOR HEALTH PARTNERS
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This newsletter summarizes content from the week of May 2, 2021 and was sent out on May 7, 2021. |
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