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Welcome to the COVID-19 Vaccine Partner Newsletter! Here you'll find the latest news and information on COVID-19 vaccine related topics.
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Q: MAY 11TH MARKED THE END OF THE COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY (PHE); DOES THIS CHANGE ANYTHING FOR COVID-19 VACCINATION?
A: The end of the PHE does not mean that COVID-19 is no longer a threat. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to advise that everyone stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations. The availability, access, and costs of COVID-19 vaccines will not be impacted by the end of the public health emergency since vaccine access, cost, and distribution are determined by the supply of federally purchased vaccines, not the public health emergency. As long as the federal government’s supply of vaccines lasts, COVID-19 vaccines will remain free to all people, regardless of insurance coverage. However, those with insurance should see a health provider or pharmacy in your health plan’s network.
Once the federal supply of vaccines is depleted, vaccines will continue to be available and free for most people with private and public insurance. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has also just announced the ‘HHS Bridge Access Program for COVID-19 Vaccines and Treatments’ to maintain broad access to COVID-19 vaccines for millions of uninsured Americans.
Ordering of COVID-19 vaccines is not impacted by the end of the public health emergency since vaccine access, cost, and distribution are determined by the supply of federally purchased vaccines, not the public health emergency.
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EXPIRING COVID-19 WEBPAGES AND UPDATED RESOURCES
The recent FDA authorization and CDC recommendations regarding COVID-19 vaccines have rendered several DOH COVID-19 webpages no longer useful to providers and the general public. The following pages are no longer up to date and will be removed in June 2023:
The following resources have been updated for your use:
For more updated COVID-19 information and health materials, please go to the COVID-19 Vaccine page.
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2023 IMMUNIZE WASHINGTON CAMPAIGN
The Washington State Department of Health, in association with Health Care Authority, Governor Jay Inslee, and all major Washington health plans, is proud to announce the 2023 Immunize Washington Provider Recognition Awards. The Health Plan Partnership has now hosted the awards for nine years. The award recognizes clinics that reach immunization rates of 70% or higher in child and/or adolescent patient populations.
This year’s award returns to the pre-pandemic process of self-nominations. Don't miss the opportunity to nominate yourself/your clinic! Nominations begin June 1st and run through July 6th, 2023. More information can be found on the Immunize Washington web page.
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CDC LAUNCHES PATHWAY TO PRACTICE (P2P) RESOURCE CENTER
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced the launch of their new Pathway to Practice (P2P) Resource Center. The P2P Resource Center is a one-stop, easy-to-navigate website for evidence-based strategies and interventions—as well as supporting materials, trainings, and tools. These resources were developed in real-world practice settings by CDC Prevention Research Centers. You can tailor them to your needs to expand the use of best practices for community public health programs.
The P2P Resource Center includes:
- Toolkits, research briefs, and implementation guides that translate research findings and provide actionable resources.
- Robust search functions to quickly access information.
- Verified resources and information all in one place.
The P2P Resource Center is designed for:
- Public health practitioners
- Public health leaders and decision makers
- Community organizations
- Researchers and evaluators
You can narrow search results using keywords or filters, export search results into savable files, access resources directly from their original source, and sort resources by a wide range of topics and populations.
We encourage you to explore the P2P Resource Center and share it widely. Together, we can close the gap between research and public health practice.
Please feel free to reach out to PRCProgram@cdc.gov for materials and content to promote the P2P Resource Center, including P2P badge for your website.
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IMMUNIZATION CHAMPION AWARD 2023
The Immunization Champion Award nominations for 2023 are due by May 26, 2023.
If you are interested in nominating someone, you can download the nomination packet on the AIM webpage.
All nominations for the state of Washington must be emailed to the Washington State Department of Health at phillip.wiltzius@doh.wa.gov by May 26, 2023.
The Immunization Champion Award is led by the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) and recognizes local immunization efforts in Washington state and across the nation. They are looking for nominees which do an exemplary job at promoting or fostering immunizations in their communities.
The official Immunization Champion Award winners for each state will be announced in August during National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM). The Department of Health will also share nominees on our Immunization Champions webpage.
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VAERS REPORTING CONTINUES TO BE REQUIRED
As long as the CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Program remains active, VAERS reporting will continue to be required as listed in the provider agreements. FDA may also continue to require VAERS reporting for COVID-19 vaccines that remain under the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). After that, VAERS reporting will become mandatory under the VAERS statute when COVID-19 vaccine is added to the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.
Please contact immunenurses@doh.wa.gov for more information.
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CHECKING PATIENT HISTORY IN IIS
Whenever possible, it is important to check patient history in the Washington Immunization Information System (IIS) prior to vaccination. Given the changing recommendations and variety of vaccines, a patient could have misunderstanding about recommended doses. Checking their history will avoid the patient getting doses that are not recommended and is good preparation for commercialization when billing will be tied to vaccine and will reduce wastage/unneeded expenses.
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ENROLLMENT CLOSING FOR VSAFE
This week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be closing enrollment for V-SAFE. The decision comes after a continual decrease in the number of enrollments, resulting in very little new data being reported. CDC will continue to monitor COVID-19 vaccine safety through the many other vaccine safety monitoring systems in place. Those that have been vaccinated and experience any possible health problems or adverse events following vaccination can still report these events through the VAERS - Report an Adverse Event (hhs.gov) system.
You can find more information on this topic at the following link: V-safe After Vaccination Health Checker | CDC
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STANDING ORDER TEMPLATES FOR COVID-19 VACCINE ARE NOW AVAILABLE
There are now blank templates for COVID-19 vaccine standing orders that can be found at the following links:
As a reminder, DOH is no longer able to issue standing orders. We encourage providers to consider signing their own standing orders to support vaccination efforts.
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MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY WEEKEND DELIVERIES
We would like to remind providers of the upcoming holiday weekend. Please note that orders will not be delivered on Memorial Day, Monday (5/29/2023). There will be limited deliveries on Tuesday (5/30/2023). Normal deliveries will resume on Wednesday (5/31/2023). If there are any questions, please email covid.vaccine@doh.wa.gov.
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WASHINGTON STATE IMMUNIZATION SUMMIT 2023
Date: Thursday, May 25th
Time:
- In-person schedule: 7:30AM - 4:30PM (7:30AM check-in & breakfast / 8:30AM welcome)
- Virtual schedule: 8:30AM – 4:30PM
Location: Greater Tacoma Convention Center | 1500 Commerce Street Tacoma, WA 98402 / Virtual
Cost: Virtual: $200/In-person: $250 *Sales end May 22nd*
The 2023 Immunization Summit will:
- Provide tools, skills and knowledge to be successful in equitably improving vaccination rates
- Celebrate and highlight the work of the immunization community
- Share lessons learned and experiences through the COVID-19 pandemic
- Provide an opportunity to learn about emerging and ongoing immunization best practices to apply to diverse communities
Topics will include lessons learned from COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, community-based initiatives, “HPV at 9” in Washington State, practical strategies to addressing vaccine hesitancy, and the current state of immunizations in Washington. This year’s event will be presented in a hybrid format.
Learn more about the summit and register today on Eventbrite!
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UPCOMING PEER-TO-PEER WEBINARS
Behavioral Health Support for HealthCare Workers Series
Speaker: Dr. Kira Mauseth, Clinical Psychologist & Senior Instructor of Psychology at Seattle University.
Session held from 12:00PM-1:00PM PST. Register through the link below.
Explore the Power of Providers webpage today!
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2023 ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON VACCINOLOGY RESEARCH
Join colleagues from around the world for interactive discussions on the latest developments in vaccinology at the online 2023 Annual Conference on Vaccinology Research on June 5-7, 2023. Trailblazing scientists in vaccinology and other leading experts will discuss scientific advances in vaccine research and the future of vaccinology. Space is limited so register now to reserve a spot. *Registration fees will increase after June 1, 2023*
View the Conference Agenda.
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FOR SCHOOLS AND CHILD CARE FACILITIES
FOR LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES
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SIGN UP FOR THIS NEWSLETTER!
If you aren't already signed up for the COVID-19 Vaccine Partner Newsletter, please visit the Department of Health's email subscribers page here. Once you enter your email, on the next page expand the Immunization topic, select the COVID-19 Vaccine Partner Newsletter, and click submit.
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This newsletter summarizes content beginning the week of May 7, 2022 and was sent out on May 19, 2022. |
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