Are Your Thermometers Up to Date?

All thermometers used for monitoring temperatures in storage units with publicly funded vaccines should have a current certificate of calibration. This information is collected every year when provider agreements are renewed. 

Based on data from the 2022 provider agreements we have identified providers with outdated certificate of calibration for at least one of the thermometers used in their clinic. 

If your clinic has an outdated certificate of calibration, we will reach out to you in the coming weeks.

Reminder: Storage Unit Policy Changes Coming Jan 2023

Vaccine storage unit requirements are changing to no longer allow the use of household combination refrigerator/freezer units. Any enrolled sites using the fridge or freezer section of a household combination unit is required to upgrade to pharmaceutical or stand-alone units by January 2023. This change only affects sites who are still using household combination units to store publicly supplied vaccine. We are implementing this change to help prevent vaccine loss that results in waste of public funds and to help ensure patients receive viable and effective vaccines.

If you have not yet upgraded, we encourage you to order a pharmaceutical or stand-alone storage unit as soon as possible. Please note, due to supply chain issues some providers are encountering shipping delays so be sure to plan ahead.

For additional information, please review our updated Vaccine Storage Unit Guide.

If you have any questions, contact WAChildhoodVaccines@doh.wa.gov.

CVP Training Series on October 20th

Join us for a timely CVP training session as we creep into fall that will cover some critical storage and handling topics including planning for inclement weather and emergency transport plans.

CVP Training Series Topic: Inclement Weather & Emergency Transport Plans

Date: October 20, 2022

Time: 12 pm (noon)

Intended Audience: Providers and Vaccine Coordinators

• Join the Training Session
• Meeting ID: 838 1186 3582
• Passcode: 900700

Flu Webinars with CEs

DOH Flu Updates Webinar

The Department of Health hosted a flu updates webinar on October 5, 2022. A recording will be posted this week and continuing education is available.

CDC Influenza Surveillance and Influenza Vaccine Recommendations  

CDC staff will be discussing flu surveillance and vaccine recommendations on October 12, 2022. Registration is not required and continuing education will be offered. Go to the Current Issues in Immunization Webinar webpage for more information about the flu updates as well as recordings for other immunization-related webinars.

CDC’s Pink Book Webinars

CDC continues its free 19-part pre-recorded webinar series to provide a chapter-by-chapter overview of the “Pink Book” (Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases. The webinar on HPV was released on October 4th. Fourteen webinar recordings are now available to watch. Additional webinars will be released weekly, ending on November 1, 2022. No registration is required to view the sessions. Information is available on CDC's Pink Book Webinars series web page.

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.

Storage & Handling Tools For You

Thermometer Requirements Guide

Vaccine Storage Unit Guide

Vaccine Transport Guidelines

Vaccine Temperature Excursion Guide