CVP Provider Training Series

Please join us Thursday, November 14, 2024 for our next CVP Training Series. This month we will be covering what to do in a power outage, as well as vaccine transport guidelines and how to report a temperature excursion. 

Topic: What to Do in a Power Outage, Vaccine Transport and Reporting Temperature Excursions 

Date: November 14, 2024
Time: 12 noon
Primary Audience: Providers and Vaccine Coordinators for the Childhood Vaccine Program

Register Here
Webinar ID: 851 4240 2545
Passcode: 673609

Coming Soon! New Annual Training Requirements

Beginning January 1, 2025, the Childhood Vaccine Program will have a new annual training requirement that will replace the CDC's You Call the Shots trainings. We have created a nine- module, Washington State specific, training program that will cover all the important information needed to participate in the Childhood Vaccine Program. This training will also be a valuable resource to help orient new staff to the program.  

The self-paced modules will be presented in TRAIN.org and will cover the following topics:

• Intro to the Childhood Vaccine Program
• Storage & Handling Best Practices
• Temperature Monitoring
• Ordering & Receiving Vaccines
• Inventory
• Vaccine Returns
• Vaccine Transfers
• Eligibility Screening, Documentation & Billing
• Off-Site and Mobile Vaccination Clinics

Three continuing education credits will be available for nurses, medical assistants and pharmacists/pharmacy techs. Keep an eye on the Vaccine Blurbs for more details!

COVID Connections: Are You Storing Pfizer COVID Correctly?

Pfizer COVID vaccines should be stored in an ultra-cold freezer (doses can be thawed as needed) or refrigerator for the yellow cap and blue cap. Pre-filled syringes should only be stored in the refrigerator.

If Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines (yellow and blue caps) are stored in the fridge upon arrival at your clinic, they must be used within 10 weeks and labeled with the appropriate Beyond Use Date (BUD). Remember, pre-filled syringes can be used until the expiration date.

The COVID-19 Vaccines At-A-Glance guide is a great tool to help with your COVID questions! 

Not all COVID vaccines are stored the same. Prior to ordering and receiving COVID vaccines:

• Review the storage and handling considerations for each presentation. Pick what makes the most sense for your clinic.
• Be sure to read and follow all the storage and handling information for the COVID vaccines your clinic has ordered, including all information enclosed in the shipping container.
• Use BUD labels to monitor vaccines. This date changes when vaccines are moved from one storage state to another (e.g. ultra frozen, frozen, refrigerated)

Changes coming soon for providers directly entering patient data into the IIS

Did you know that documenting and screening for Adult Vaccine Program (AVP) eligibility is now a requirement for AVP providers?  Coming December 1^st all providers that directly enter immunization data in the IIS will get an automatic prompt to select an eligibility category for patients 19 years and older.  Please watch for additional details as the date gets closer. You can visit our Adult Vaccine Program eligibility page here for more information. 

In addition to the new AVP eligibility categories you will also notice a slight change to the names of the following Childhood Vaccine Program (CVP) eligibility categories.

3Cs Program from Unity Consortium

Flu Materials and Resources

The Department of Health would like to share some flu materials and resources that you may find helpful. Check out the Stay Safe from Seasonal Flu flyer! Additional materials and resources can be found on the Flu Materials and Resources page. There are resources for parents, pregnant women, high risk groups and more! 

ACIP Meeting and Votes

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met on October 23–24 and voted to approve the below recommendations. These recommendations were adopted by the CDC Director and are now official. ACIP recommendations will be published in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report in the future.  

• Routine use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) for all adults 50 years and older who have not previously received PCV vaccine.
• A 6-month dosing interval (previously 1-month) for the 2-dose Bexsero in healthy adolescents and young adults 16 through 23 years based on shared clinical decision-making and for a 3-dose series (0, 1–2, 6 months) for people at increased risk. This new schedule for Bexsero is the same as for Trumenba. However, the two MenB vaccines are still not interchangeable. The same vaccine brand must be used for all doses.

During the meeting, ACIP also reviewed a new RSV preventive antibody, clesrovimab, currently under review by FDA. Clesrovimab is intended to be used similar to Beyfortus (nirsevimab). ACIP will make recommendations after the FDA licensure decision.

Updated COVID-19 Interim Clinical Considerations

CDC updated the Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of 2024-2025 COVID-19 Vaccines in the United States.

• People ages 65 years and older, regardless of vaccination history, are recommended to receive 2 doses of any 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine (i.e., Moderna, Novavax, or Pfizer-BioNTech). The doses should be separated by 6 months (minimum interval 2 months).
• Unvaccinated people who initiate vaccination with 2024–2025 Novavax are recommended to receive 2 doses of Novavax followed by a third dose of any COVID-19 vaccine 6 months later (minimum interval 2 months).
• People ages 6 months and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised are recommended to receive:
• Unvaccinated: A multidose initial series with an age-appropriate COVID-19 vaccine and 1 dose 6 months (minimum interval 2 months) after completion of the initial series. Additional doses may be recommended based on shared clinical decision making.
• Previously completed the multidose initial series: 2 age-appropriate doses of 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine 6 months (minimum interval 2 months) apart. Additional doses may be recommended based on shared clinical decision making.

New RSV Q&A Sheets

The Vaccine Education Center with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia recently released two new Q&A sheets:

• “RSV and Adults: What You Should Know” is available in English and Spanish.
• “Protecting Babies From RSV: What You Should Know” is available in English and Spanish.

• Access the PDF files.
• Order Q&A sheets.

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.

Did you know that orders for RSV products are processed weekly on Mondays and Thursdays? You can help ensure your orders are processed quickly by submitting orders 2 days in advance and making sure all accountability reports and submissions are up to date.