Provider Agreement Renewal Continues

Childhood Vaccine Program provider agreement renewal continues into April! Renewals are organized by county so please check out the Renewal Schedule. Some agreements will be expiring March 31st. Providers with expired agreements will not be able to place an order until they have an approved 2024 agreement in the IIS. Don't forget to check the comments at the top if your agreement has been returned for edits! 

We have resources available to help you with this process: 

• Recorded CVP Training Series on Thursday, February 15, 2024
• Provider Agreement Renewal Guide
• Renewal FAQ

If you haven't done so yet, ensure your clinic is ready to renew by completing the following:

• Annual You Call the Shots training modules for primary and backup vaccine coordinators 
• Gather practice profile data for 2023 
• Ensure all thermometer calibrations are up to date

Nirsevimab Administration Ending March 31st

While the onset and duration of RSV season may vary throughout the United States, nirsevimab is typically administered October through the end of March in most of the continental US. 

Healthcare providers should stop administering nirsevimab by March 31. As of March 14, 2024, Nirsevimab is no longer available for ordering through the Childhood Vaccine Program.

Remaining inventory of nirsevimab is viable until its expiration date. Product should continue to be safely stored refrigerated between 36°F to 46°F (2°C to 8°C) and can be used when administration resumes next season. More information can be found here: Frequently Asked Questions About RSV Immunization with Monoclonal Antibody for Children 19 Months and Younger | CDC

Td Vaccine Supply Update

MassBiologics has discontinued production of their Td vaccine, TdVax^TM. Supply of TdVax^TM is anticipated to last through June. It is anticipated that the supply of Td vaccine in the US market will be constrained through 2024. Sanofi, manufacturer of Tenivac®, is taking steps to augment their available supply of Td for the US and will be implementing ordering controls until the supply has increased.  

As a result, CDC put allocations into place, effective 2/23/2024, for all three Td vaccine presentations (Grifols vials; Sanofi vials; and Sanofi syringes). States will receive thresholds across the three presentations. The total threshold across the three presentations will be less than each state’s historical usage of Td vaccine. Thresholds will be refreshed monthly. The total doses available each month are anticipated to remain level while ordering controls are in effect. However, states and providers should anticipate that the mix of products will change over time and will eventually adjust to include only Sanofi products.

Spring Vaccine Choice

Vaccine choice is occurring from Monday April 1st through Friday April 12^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.

Please use the following link to access the 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.

Vaccine Choice Worksheet (wa.gov)

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 choice highlights:

• It is anticipated that Penbraya will soon be available to order. Due to the Men B component and the inability to interchange the Men B vaccine, Penbraya will be available only to those that receive Trumenba as their Men B product.
• MassBiologics is no longer manufacturing their Td product, TdVax. Once supply of TdVax is exhausted all providers will receive Tenivac. Therefore Td has been removed from the vaccine choice form.
• 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.

McKesson Cold Temperature Indicator Cards

Beginning the week of March 18th, the McKesson Distribution Center temporarily began shipping refrigerated coolers using one of two different cold temperature indicator cards. Coolers may contain the familiar FREEZEmarker indicator card or may contain a new indicator card called TransTracker. Both indicator cards include the same temperature indicator that is currently being used. The only difference is the indicator card itself. Providers will not receive both monitors in the same cooler and should continue to follow the same process for checking for any temperature excursions. 

Health Alert Network sends message to clinicians emphasizing the importance of children being up to date with MMR vaccination

CDC recently sent a message through the Health Alert Network (HAN) to clinicians asking them to encourage MMR vaccination of children in the US and those traveling internationally. 

There is a growing number of measles outbreaks worldwide and within the US. There have been 58 confirmed US cases of measles since the start of 2024, compared to 58 cases throughout 2023. Most cases recently have been in children 12 months and older who are unvaccinated. A majority of the recent cases (54/58) were linked to international travel.

There are many countries continuing to experience measles outbreaks. Therefore, CDC is recommending all US residents traveling internationally, regardless of destination, be current on their MMR vaccine.  Finally, the US currently has a high community immunity to measles, although there are small pockets of low coverage in some communities which will leave them at higher risk for outbreaks.

You can find the full message at the following link: Increase in Global and Domestic Measles Cases and Outbreaks: Ensure Children in the United States and Those Traveling Internationally 6 Months and Older are Current on MMR Vaccination

CDC publishes study on effectiveness of Nirsevimab

RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) is the leading cause of hospitalization of infants in the US. Last August, CDC recommended the use of nirsevimab, a monoclonal antibody, to protect infants under the age of 8 months against RSV-associated lower respiratory tract infection in their first RSV season. The article reports 90% effectiveness of nirsevimab against RSV-associated hospitalization. This study further supports the importance of nirsevimab in the prevention of severe RSV disease and hospitalization in infants entering their first RSV season.

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.

Vaccine Transfers

Providers can submit a transfer in the IIS to request Department of Health (DOH) approval to move CVP vaccine from one enrolled facility to another. 

Transfer Guidelines: 

• Complete a CVP Vaccine Transfer Request in the IIS at least 48 hours before each intended movement of vaccine - vaccine cannot be moved prior to Transfer Request approval from DOH 
• Ensure that receiving facility (where vaccine is being transferred) is no more than a one (1) hour drive away 
• Providers must follow CVP vaccine transport guidelines to ensure the cold chain is always maintained during transport

Review the vaccine transfer checklist and FAQs for additional information and guidelines for transferring vaccines.