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We are excited to share that childhood flu vaccine will be available to order in the IIS after Labor Day.
As in the past, at the start of flu season, expect adjustments to orders early on to accommodate availability for all providers. Please try to schedule larger flu clinics for late September or early October when we anticipate greater supply availability.
And remember, childhood flu doses take a little longer than privately purchased flu vaccines to be distributed and the reason for that is depicted below. The manufacturers ship the vaccine to McKesson, then McKesson notifies the CDC of the quantity received, then the CDC makes an allocation for each state. See diagram below.
 We will send out a notification and add the vaccine order set in the IIS when it is available for order. Please stay tuned to this newsletter for more information.
As a reminder, the below presentations will be available in Washington for order. We expect to have around 50% of our allocation and all presentations available to order in the IIS.
Once ordering is open for childhood flu vaccine, you should see the State Supplied Flu 2021-22 order set available in the order set drop down in the IIS, similar to last year's in the image below.
 Flu Ordering Tips:
- Only order a 30 day supply to get started
- You can order flu at any time throughout the season and do not have to adhere to your regular ordering schedule
- Do NOT mark flu vaccine as urgent, they are all processed as a priority
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices released flu vaccine recommendations last week. A useful summary of recommendations is now available to post in your clinic’s vaccine administration area for a quick reference. The primary changes and updates include:
- COVID-19 vaccines may be administered at the same time as other vaccines, including influenza vaccines.
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Contraindications and precautions have been updated for persons with a history of severe allergic reaction (e.g., anaphylaxis) to an influenza vaccine.
- Guidance concerning timing of vaccination has been modified.
- For women in the third trimester of pregnancy, vaccination soon after vaccine becomes available can now be considered.
- For nonpregnant adults, early vaccination (i.e., in July and August) should be avoided unless there is concern that later vaccination might not be possible.
- As in previous seasons, children who need 2 doses of influenza vaccine administered ≥4 weeks apart (those aged 6 months through 8 years who have never received influenza vaccine or who have not previously received a lifetime total of ≥2 doses) are recommended to receive the first dose as soon as possible after vaccine becomes available.
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