Want to Change Your Vaccine Brands?

Fall Vaccine choice period starts today October 12^th.  Changes will be accepted through Friday October 27^th.

During this time providers can fill out the Vaccine Choice form to request a change in the brand of vaccine they receive for vaccines with more than one brand available.

Vaccines with only one brand option are included on all order sets.

Please use this form to request changes. You only need to submit a form if you are requesting a change. If you are keeping the same vaccines no form is needed.

Submit forms either by e-mail to WAChildhoodVaccines@doh.wa.gov or by fax to 360-236-3811.

If you have any questions, please contact Jacki Stockdale at jacki.stockdale@doh.wa.gov.

Some vaccine reminders:

• Sanofi Pasteur has stopped producing the DT vaccine. We have exhausted our supply of this vaccine and it is no longer available.
• If a vaccine is not on the Vaccine Choice Worksheet as an option, it indicates that there is only one brand for that vaccine and is automatically on all order sets.
• GSK’s Menveo one-vial vaccine replaced the two-vial presentation. The one-vial presentation is licensed for 10 years and older.
• Pfizer’s Prevnar 20 is now available and has replaced Prevnar 13.
• Td vaccine is no longer under allocation. All order sets will default back to the original Td product assigned to that order set.

Power of Providers

The Power of Providers (POP) Initiative can help you tackle challenges such as improving patient communication, combatting misinformation, and making sure you have the latest clinical guidance. You'll have access to free webinars with continuing education credits for physicians, nurses, and medical assistants. More than 4,500 providers and 436 health organizations have joined!

What is POP?

Check out the POP Webpage and Join!

COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Materials

Additionally, COVID-19 vaccine clinical materials have been updated to reflect guidance for the updated (2023-2024 Formula) mRNA vaccines. You can find the new “one-stop-shop” webpage, that contains all COVID-19 vaccine clinical job aids here: U.S. COVID-19 Vaccine Product Information | CDC. Updates include: 

• Standing orders for Pfizer, ages 6 months through 4 years (updated 9/25/23) 
• Standing orders for Moderna, ages 6 months through 4 years (updated 9/25/23) 
• Standing orders for Pfizer, ages 5 years and older (updated 9/25/23) 
• Standing orders for Moderna, ages 5 years and older (updated 9/25/23) 
• Immunization schedule (updated 9/25/23) 

Other clinical materials, including the at-a-glances, shipping and handling labels, transport guidance, and the COVID-19 vaccine module are in progress.  

COVID-19 Vaccine FAQs

Q: When will there be a VIS for Comirnaty (Pfizer for ages 12 years and older) and Spikevax (Moderna for ages 12 years and older)? 

A. At this time we do not have an anticipated timeline for a VIS for the COVID-19 vaccines for ages 12 years and older (Comirnaty and Spikevax). It is possible, particularly for a newly-approved vaccine, that the vaccine could become available before a VIS can be produced. The law does not require that a vaccine be withheld if a VIS for it does not yet exist. Until a VIS is available for a particular vaccine, a provider may use the manufacturer’s package insert, written FAQs, or any other document – or produce their own information materials – to inform patients about the benefits and risks of that vaccine. Once a VIS is available it should be used; but providers should not delay use of a vaccine because of the absence of a VIS. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/about/vis-faqs.html 

Q: My pediatric practice only stocks Pfizer, but I serve children with a vaccination history of Moderna. What is the guidance on interchangeability. 

A: Children ages 6 months–4 years should receive all doses of COVID-19 vaccine from the same manufacturer; this includes children who are moderately or severely immunocompromised and those who are not. Likewise, people ages 5 years and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised should receive a 3-dose initial vaccination series using vaccines from the same manufacturer. Vaccines.gov can help in finding accessible locations where people can receive vaccine from the same manufacturer. 

However, there are some allowable exceptions outlined in CDC’s guidance. In the following exceptional situations, a different age-appropriate COVID-19 vaccine may be administered: 

• Same vaccine not available 
• Previous dose unknown 
• Person would otherwise not complete the vaccination series 
• Person starts but unable to complete a vaccination series with the same COVID-19 vaccine due to a contraindication

A Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) report is not indicated for these exceptional situations. See CDC’s Interim Clinical Considerations page for more information: 

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/clinical-considerations/interim-considerations-us.html.

See COVID-19 Vaccine—Interim COVID-19 Immunization Schedule for Persons 6 Months of Age and Older(cdc.gov) for scheduling doses.  

R U Ready for Respiratory Viruses? They're Coming!

The Pierce County Immunization Coalition (PCIC) is hosting a free webinar on October 26th from Noon - 1 pm on Zoom entitled, R U Ready for Respiratory Viruses? They're Coming! Pediatric Infectious Disease Dr. Mary Fairchok will speak about Nirsevimab and Pediatric COVID-19 and flu vaccines. We will also have Dr. Francis Riedo, adult Infectious Disease physician, speak about the new adult RSV vaccines, updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines.

Webinar Title: R U Ready for Respiratory Viruses? They're Coming!

Date: October 26, 2023

Time: Noon-1 pm

Register Here

Immunization Exemptions Toolkit for Health Care Providers

Children are required to have documentation of immunity to certain diseases or an exemption on file at the school or child care on or before their first day of attendance. Parents and legal guardians may exempt their child from one or more of the immunization requirements by turning in a completed Certificate of Exemption (COE) form. All exemptions except religious membership exemptions require education from a health care practitioner on the benefits and risks of immunizations. Health care practitioners must sign the Health Care Practitioner declaration on the COE or they can write and sign a letter with the same information. To help providers understand their role in exemptions and the COE, we have created the Immunization Exemptions Toolkit for Health Care Providers (PDF). It contains helpful information about the education requirement, how to bill for vaccine counseling, FAQ,s and resources.

IPV Changes in WAIIS Forecast

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recently updated polio vaccine recommendations for adults.

• Adults (age 18+) who are known or suspected to be unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated against polio should complete a primary vaccination series with inactivated polio vaccine (IPV).
• Adults who have received a primary series of trivalent oral polio vaccine (tOPV) or IPV in any combination and who are at increased risk of poliovirus exposure may receive another dose of IPV.
• The need for more than a single lifetime booster dose with IPV for adults is not indicated at this time.

Due to the updated ACIP recommendations, the WAIIS (Washington Immunization Information System) forecast has been updated to show that adults 18 years and older are recommended to get IPV if there is no history of a complete polio vaccine series.

Starting with the 2023-24 school year, all students, including those age 18 years and older, are required to have a complete polio vaccine series. Healthcare providers can assist students to meet school immunization requirements by administering additional IPV doses when needed.

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.

Adding a New Storage Unit?

Please remember that any new storage unit that will store public vaccine should have temperatures monitored BEFORE storing vaccine. Please submit three days of digital data log temperature data to WAChildhoodVaccines@doh.wa.gov prior to using the storage unit. In addition, please request your provider agreement be returned to you in the IIS so you can add the new storage unit to your provider agreement.