A big THANK YOU to all of our AVP Partners!

A heartfelt thank you for all of your efforts to participate in the Adult Vaccine Program to serve uninsured Washingtonians! Your dedication plays a crucial role in ensuring that all adults have the opportunity to be vaccinated. We are so appreciative of your partnership and looking forward to continuing to work together in 2024!

New Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for persons 12y+

The current Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for persons 12y+ (NDC 00069-2362-10) on CDC’s pediatric and adult contracts has been replaced with a new presentation.  This new presentation is a carton of 10 prefilled syringes (NDC 00069-2377-10). It is a refrigerated formulation that has never been frozen, must be stored at 2-8C, and whose shelf life aligns with the expiration date printed on the carton and syringe labels.

Some important information to note:

• This new presentation MUST BE STORED BETWEEN 2°C and 8°C (36°F and 46°F). Do NOT store at ultra-cold or standard freezer temperatures.
• These pre-filled syringes can be used through the expiration date printed on the carton.  The 10-week beyond-use date (BUD) for refrigerator storage does not apply.
• This guidance applies to this presentation ONLY. Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 6m-4y and 5-11y, which are shipped to providers in CDC’s programs directly from Pfizer on dry ice and can be stored at either at ultracold temperatures until expiry or up to 10 weeks at 2-8C. 

Of note: Pfizer will continue to allow providers to privately order the original single dose vial (SDV) presentation for age 12+. Therefore, providers may have BOTH presentations – SDV with a 10-week BUD and pre-filled syringe that can be used through the expiration date - in their storage units. If this occurs, please educate staff on the different storage requirements and strategies to prevent potential errors. Clinical materials are being updated to include this new presentation and storage guidance.

Below, you will find an image of the carton for this vaccine.  The carton includes a bright pink stripe that includes the words “DO NOT FREEZE” to alert the provider about the storage and handling requirements for this vaccine. 

Providers who have the original Pfizer 12y+ vaccine on hand can and should continue to use this product until it is consumed, expired, or has been stored at 2-8C for longer than the allowable 10 weeks.  

Our 2023-2024 State Supplied COVID-19 Vaccines-At-a-Glance Guide has been updated for your reference.

Alert Regarding RSV Vaccines Inadvertently Administered to Infants

CDC has received several reports of vaccine providers who have inadvertently administered RSV vaccines (Arexvy or Abrysvo) to infants, rather than giving them the RSV monoclonal antibody product recommended for infants. The recommended immunizing product (RSV monoclonal antibody) for infants is nirsevimab (trade name: Beyfortus, commercialized by Sanofi and manufactured AstraZeneca).

As a reminder, RSV vaccines (Arexvy or Abrysvo) are not approved or recommended for use in infants and young children. These RSV vaccines have not been studied in infants and young children; therefore, vaccine safety and effectiveness for this population are unknown.

Vaccine providers who carry both nirsevimab for use in infants and young children and RSV vaccines for use in adults and pregnant people should be especially diligent in following vaccine administration safety procedures to prevent errors.

For more information, please refer to the following CDC resources:

Vaccine Administration

• Vaccine Administration Protocols | CDC
• Vaccine Administration: Preventing Vaccine Administration Errors (cdc.gov)

• RSV Immunizations

  • RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) Immunizations | CDC
  • Healthcare Providers: RSV Immunization for Children 19 Months and Younger | CDC
  • Frequently Asked Questions About RSV Immunization with Monoclonal Antibody for Children 19 Months and Younger | CDC 
  • RSV Vaccination: What Parents Should Know | CDC
  • ACIP and AAP Recommendations for Nirsevimab | Red Book Online | American Academy of Pediatrics
  • Health Alert Network: Limited Availability of Nirsevimab in the United States – Interim CDC Recommendations to Protect Infants from RSV During the 2023-2024 Respiratory Virus Season

We encourage providers to promptly report vaccine administration errors to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). In the event that a vaccine administration error occurs, please reach out to CDC at NIPINFO@cdc.gov for further guidance.

Holiday Shipping Calendar: Reminder

With holidays quickly approaching, please be mindful of shipping delays, limited or no shipping days, and plan your adult COVID-19 and flu vaccine orders accordingly.  Please ensure your accountability reports are up to date prior to placing orders to ensure expedited processing. It's also a good idea to update your shipping hours in your provider agreement, if needed. Check out the holiday shipping calendar on our website for more information.

Eligibility Reminders for non-COVID AVP Vaccines

Please keep in mind that  non- COVID AVP vaccines can only be administered to uninsured individuals. Therefore, individuals with Medicare and Medicaid are not eligible to receive non-COVID AVP vaccine. 

All providers participating in the Adult Vaccine Program are required to confirm the patient’s age and to screen and document each patient’s eligibility status. Status screening consists of asking and documenting the adult’s eligibility status at every immunization visit prior to vaccine administration. 

Screening and documentation may be completed by:

• Patient Eligibility Screening Form (PDF)
• Electronically in the patient’s medical record
• The Washington State Immunization Information System (IIS)

REDCap Temperature Log Submission Is Underway

Beginning on December 1^st, 2023, any providers enrolled in the Adult Vaccine Program were required to begin submitting temperature logs through a portal in REDCap, similar to how temperature logs were submitted for the COVID-19 Vaccine Program.

The primary and back up vaccine coordinator at each location will continue to receive an automated email on the 1st of each month with a prompt to upload temperature logs for the prior calendar month. The link will not change and can be forwarded to other staff in the facility if needed, or bookmarked for use each month for temperature log submissions.  No login information is required.

Still have questions? See the offered office hours below!

Upcoming Office Hours: REDCap Provider Portal

These office hours will be an informal space where you can drop in to ask questions and learn more about temperature log submission in the Redcap Provider Portal. 

Dates/ Times: 

 Dec 20, 2023 12:00

 Dec 27, 2023 12:00

 Jan 3, 2024 12:00

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 816 0499 1181

Passcode: 865423

Error message “Inadvertent Dose” for all COVID (2023-2024) Vaccines in the IIS:

In the IIS, a red X will appear next to a patient’s 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine record (infant and adult, all manufacturers) as an indicator of an ‘Inadvertent dose’.

This red X warning symbol appears because the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine products have not yet been assigned a forecast in the registry. Our IIS third-party technology vendor is collaborating with the CDC and has not specified a date yet for when this forecasting will be applied, although we are told it should happen soon. Until then, please ignore the red X and rely on the ACIP schedule.

AVP Vaccines Expiring within 3 Months? Take Action to Avoid Wastage

Demand for publicly supplied adult vaccine doses is high. Providers with surplus vaccine that cannot be used before expiration are required to contact the program at least 90 days (three months) in advance.

Steps for short-dated vaccines:

1. Continue to store the vaccines at the appropriate temperatures according to the manufacturer’s packing insert.
2. Ensure that short-dated vaccine is moved to the front of the storage unit for immediate use.
3. Run a reminder/ recall report to locate eligible patients that are due/ past due for the vaccine
4. Contact us to so that we may assist with locating another enrolled clinic near you who can use the vaccine.
5. Advertise soon-to- expire vaccines in the Vaccine Advertisement section of the IIS.
6. If a facility is located and a transfer can occur, please submit a vaccine transfer request in the IIS as prior approval will be needed.

As the program receives notification of surplus doses, providers will be emailed about vaccine availability.

If a transfer cannot occur:

• Continue to store the vaccines at the appropriate temperatures until the vaccine expires.
• Remove the vaccines from the storage unit once the doses expire or are determined non-viable, label the doses “do not use,” keep the doses away from the storage unit.
• Submit a return in the IIS for the expired doses.