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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. Nirsevimab will no longer be available for ordering through the Childhood Vaccine Program after March 14, 2025.
With the season coming to an end soon, please use extra caution when placing orders and only order what can be used by March 31st. Check the advertisements page in the IIS to find doses available nearby before placing an order.
If your clinic has nirsevimab that isn't going to be used before the end of the season, consider sharing what you have with another nearby site that may need it.
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
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
Please don't hesitate to contact us at WAChildhoodVaccines@doh.wa.gov for any questions or for assistance managing your nirsevimab inventory.
Shelf life for Novavax vaccines this season are short. CDC is currently filling orders for Novavax vaccine with vaccine expiring 3/31/2025 and will continue distribution until 18 days prior to expiry. Providers should continue to use vaccine on-hand right up until expiry. Once expired, vaccine should be returned as usual - please review the Online Vaccine Returns guide for more information.
To minimize wastage, we recommend placing smaller, more frequent orders and limiting orders to what can be used within a two-week period.
Now is a good time to ensure your clinic is prepared for the upcoming Childhood Vaccine Program provider agreement renewal period which occurs between March and April this year. To help your agreement renewal go smoothly please ensure:
- All thermometer calibrations are up to date.
- Gather your practice profile data for the calendar year 1/1/24-12/31/24. Instructions for generating a VFC Profile Report in the IIS can be found in the Provider Agreement Renewal Guide.
- Your primary and backup vaccine coordinators have completed the new annual training requirements in 2025. Primary and back-up vaccine coordinators must complete this annual training requirement within the current calendar year, prior to their provider agreement renewal deadline. It is also best practice to have all staff who handle and administer vaccines complete the training as well.
Remember that training requirements have changed this year. You Call the Shots modules have been replaced by the Childhood Vaccine Program's new annual Vaccine Coordinator Training.
The WAIIS forecast was originally scheduled for February 19, 2025, but will now be available on Thursday morning, February 27.
This new and improved forecasting tool resolves many current forecast bugs and will allow our WAIIS technology vendor to efficiently make corrections and updates to forecasting recommendations. Please check out the Vaccination Summary & Forecast Quick Reference Guide to get more details about these changes.
A few changes are summarized below:
Vaccine groups will be combined in a new way -
 The vaccination forecast status and invalid vaccination reasons have been updated:
  Please send an email to immunenurses@doh.wa.gov if you have any questions or concerns. We appreciate all of you for letting us know of potential bugs so we can log a ticket with our WAIIS vendor.
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Flu hospitalization rates are higher so far this season than at the same time during each of the past 15 years. Based on data available for week 6, this season is now classified as a high severity season overall and for all age groups (children, adults, older adults) for the first time since 2017-2018.
This is the first winter that flu deaths passed Covid-19 deaths. The week ending January 25, 2024, was the first time that the percent of deaths for influenza (1.7%) was higher than the percent of deaths for COVID-19. The percent of deaths for influenza has continued to increase and is 2.6% for the week ending February 8, 2025.
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As flu cases surge, it's important to remember: it's not too late to get a flu vaccine!
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Flu activity has been very high in Washington. Though flu symptoms can be mild for some, others are at higher risk of hospitalization and even death. Check out these resources below to promote flu vaccination and prevention in your patients:
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The Health and Human Services launched the Let’s Get Real campaign to address misinformation and give parents balanced information they need about childhood vaccines. The campaign includes vaccine stories about the protective powers of vaccines.
Let’s Get Real also offers tools for pediatric healthcare providers, including the Act, Recommend, Motivate (ARM) approach. This provider-tested approach guides more effective vaccine conversations with parents. The three steps of the ARM approach build on each other to help parents feel more empowered and confident about their vaccine decisions. This article is reprinted from a recent edition of IZ Express | Immunize.org.
The season of inclement weather, power outages, and shipping delays is still upon us . Be as prepared as you can be with an up-to-date Vaccine Management Plan. Make sure your clinic knows what to do in the event of a power outage or other event that may impact your vaccine storage capabilities!
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