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Please note there has been a date change for the January Childhood Vaccine Program Training Series. Join us Thursday, January 22 to learn more about new RSV product ordering, improvements to the annual Vaccine Coordinator Training and changes to our Temperature Excursion reporting policy. The webinar will be recorded and will be available on the CVP Training webpage.
Date: January 22, 2026
Time: Noon - 1:00pm PDT
Primary Audience: Providers, vaccine coordinators, and staff that participate in the Childhood Vaccine Program
Register Here
Date change: Please note that the Vaccine Coordinator Training modules are currently unavailable while we update content. We will be launching the 2026 Vaccine Coordinator Training modules after our CVP Training Series on January 22nd at noon. We will share through the Vaccine Blurbs newsletter when the modules are available. Thank you for your understanding.
Don't forget that annual provider agreement renewal is right around the corner in March/April! All vaccine coordinators and back-ups will need to have completed the 2026 training modules for renewal.
Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine, Nuvaxovid, is no longer available to order through the Childhood Vaccine Program this season. No shelf-life extension was granted for this vaccine and all remaining doses expired on December 31, 2025.
You should review your current inventory and ensure that any expired Nuvaxovid doses are returned using the Online Returns Process.
Do you have FluMist doses in your inventory that will expire on or before February 1, 2026 that you won't administer before expiration? Consider using AstraZeneca's FluMist® Replacement Program to replace unused, expiring FluMist doses at no cost!
If you would like to take advantage of the replacement program, please reach out to flumistreplacement@mckesson.com with your PIN, number of doses you need replaced, and how many boxes you will need. You can also contact the program by phone at 1-877-633-7375. Check out this guide for more on the program and how to take advantage of this opportunity!
Important Notes and Dates
- Doses must have been received from the Childhood Vaccine Program. Privately purchased doses are not eligible.
- Product expiration date must be on or before February 1, 2026
- Requests can be made starting Monday, December 1, 2025 through Friday, January 30, 2026
- All doses for replacement must be received at the distribution center by Saturday, February 14, 2026
- Expiring doses will be replaced while supplies last
Starting January 1, 2026, all temperature excursions must be reported immediately through your REDCap portal. Timely reporting of temperature excursions helps ensure vaccines remain safe and effective before being administered to patients. Prompt review of excursion details allows for quick determination of vaccine viability, protecting patients and preventing the use of compromised vaccine.
Please do not wait until you submit your monthly temperature logs to report an excursion.
To report a temperature excursion:
- Log in to your REDCap portal and select "Report temperature excursion and vaccine viability."
- Gather any viability information you have from the manufacturer and your DDLs, along with a list of the affected vaccines.
- Follow the prompts in the form and submit your report. We will reach out if we need any additional details.
- Once your excursion report is submitted, you won't need to complete another viability survey when submitting your monthly temperature logs. However, when you submit your monthly temperature logs you will still need to note the temperature excursion in your REDCap survey.
- At the beginning of your monthly survey under the storage unit affected select “Yes” for “Did a temperature excursion occur over this month for this unit?”
- At the end of the monthly survey, you’ll see this question: “Have you completed a vaccine viability survey for this excursion?" If you’ve already reported the excursion, simply select "Yes" and continue with the rest of the form.
If you have any questions or need help with a temperature excursion, please email us at wachildhoodvaccines@doh.wa.gov and we will connect you with our Storage and Handling Coordinator.
Prior to 2025, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) had endorsed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations, based on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which followed a rigorous review of data on risk of disease and safety of vaccination in the United States. Changes in the newly released recommended immunization schedule are not based on changes in vaccine safety and effectiveness data. The changes were based on a comparison of the number of routine vaccinations recommended in the United States versus select other countries. It did not consider the different conditions in each country. These changes were also not vetted by experts from medical and public health organizations, health care providers, or the public before they were published.
The Department of Health does not expect these changes to affect insurance coverage for vaccines this plan year. All child and adolescent immunizations recommended as of December 31, 2025 will remain available and covered by public and private insurers; however, the changes are creating confusion and will put more children at risk of preventable diseases. Please review the Office of Immunization web page for the latest updates and helpful provider resources.
Vaccine recommendations were published for Penmenvy in the MMWR on 1/8/26, the second pentavalent MenABCWY vaccine (from GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals). Here’s a summary of the recommendations:
- Penmenvy may be used when both MenACWY and MenB are indicated at the same visit for 1) persons aged 16–23 years when shared clinical decision-making favors administration of MenB vaccine and 2) persons aged ≥10 years who are at increased risk for meningococcal disease.
- MenACWY products are interchangeable, although the same vaccine product is preferred for all doses.
- MenB products are not interchangeable and all MenB doses should be from the same manufacturer. If doses from multiple manufacturers have been administered, the patient should receive a complete series of either manufacturer’s product without counting doses from the other manufacturer as valid. If the MenB brand is unknown, the series should be restarted with any licensed MenB vaccine to ensure a complete MenB series from a single manufacturer.
- If Penmenvy is inadvertently given when either MenACWY only or MenB only is indicated, the dose can be considered valid.
- Dose 2 should be given at least 6 months after the previous dose. Persons at increased risk for meningococcal disease who receive Penmenvy and are recommended to receive additional doses of MenACWY and MenB <6 months after a dose of pentavalent meningococcal vaccine should receive separate MenACWY and MenB-4C vaccines.
Additional resources:
Flu season is in full swing nationwide, with outpatient influenza-like illness (ILI) reaching highs not seen in more than two decades. Influenza cases are increasing across Washington state with influenza-like illness activity currently showing as “high.” The percentage of emergency department visits in Washington related to influenza is increasing and elevated above the activity threshold status. As of December 27, there have been 22 lab-confirmed deaths in Washington for the 2025-26 season. As of Dec. 29, 2025, the Department of Health Respiratory Immunization Data Dashboard shows that only 24.7% of people 6 months and older in Washington have received a dose of flu vaccine this season.
The strain of influenza A(H3N2) subclade K viruses are driving flu activity this respiratory season. Early estimates of 2025-26 vaccine effectiveness in England against influenza-associated hospitalization remained within expected ranges of 70-75% for children and 30-40% for adults, suggesting that influenza vaccination remains an effective tool in preventing influenza-related hospitalizations this season.
Please continue to offer and encourage flu vaccine for your patients, which remains the best way to protect everyone against severe illness and hospitalization. The West Coast Health Alliance respiratory virus vaccine recommendations include the flu vaccine for everyone 6 months of age, including pregnant and nursing people.
Did you know that you can update and make changes to your Provider Agreement throughout the year? It's true! You can request that your current agreement be "returned" to allow you to make updates by contacting us at WAChildhoodVaccines@doh.wa.gov. Remember though, your vaccine ordering permissions will be temporarily suspended until your agreement has been given approved status.
In some cases, a whole new agreement is required. These include:
- change of signatory
- change of address
- change in facility name
All other changes only require an update to your current provider agreement.
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