COVID-19 Vaccine Program: Wastage Reporting and Vaccine Lot Management Update

Wisconsin Department of Health Services sent this bulletin at 05/27/2021 04:39 PM CDT
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Wisconsin COVID-19 Vaccine Program

Wastage Reporting Update

Previously, DHS required that vaccinators report all publicly-funded vaccine wastage (COVID-19, Vaccines for Children (VFC), and Vaccines for Adults (VFA)) through the Wisconsin Immunization Registry (WIR) and by submitting Wastage forms over email.

Policy Update: As of Tuesday, May 25, vaccinators are no longer required to submit paper Wastage forms for any publicly-funded vaccine type, with one exception for a specific type of COVID-19 vaccine wastage. All publicly-funded vaccine (COVID-19, 317, VFC, and VFA) wastage must continue to be reported in WIR. As a reminder, do NOT submit your vaccine wastage in WIR for privately-purchased vaccines.

Below you will find the types of vaccine wastage that should be reported in WIR, and the one COVID-19 exception in which vaccinators should also continue to report on the Wastage form:

 

Vaccine Wastage Reported in WIR – for VFC, VFA, and COVID-19 vaccines

Expired Doses

  • Vaccine past it’s Beyond-Use Date (BUD)
    • Observe the following BUDs:
      • Pfizer: -15 to -25 degrees Celsius = 14 days
      • Pfizer: 2-8 degrees Celsius = 30 days (cannot refreeze after thawing)
      • Moderna: 2-8 degrees Celsius = 30 days
    • Write the BUD on the vaccine box.
    • Do NOT change the expiration date in WIR.
    • If vaccines are past their BUD, they are considered expired.
    • Enter in WIR as Wastage: Doses Wasted -- Reason: Other
  • The vaccine vial is punctured, but not used in the appropriate timeframe per the manufacturer instructions.
    • Enter in WIR as Doses Wasted -- Reason: Open Vial, Not all Doses Administered

Doses Drawn

  • The required number of doses not able to be drawn from vial.
    • For example, only being able to draw 5 doses from a Pfizer vial rather than 6 doses.
    • Enter in WIR as Doses Wasted -- Reason: Other

“Other” Code Note in WIR

In the future, DHS is working on an enhancement to have a field for a “Description” to accompany the “Other” code. It will allow you to enter, for example, “Expired – past BUD date,” or “Pfizer – only 5 of 6 doses.” More to come. For now, please use the “Other” code for these scenarios. DHS will notify vaccinators when this functionality is available.

 

Use of Wastage Form – For COVID-19 vaccine only

Exception COVID-19 Vaccine ONLY: Actual Expired Vaccine per the Date on the Vial

  • An actual expired COVID-19 vaccine per the date on the vial should NOT be entered in WIR like the examples above. A Wastage form will need to be filled out in this instance
  • Please fill out the Wastage form (F-02328) for the actual expired vaccine, email it to the DHSCOVIDVaccinator@wisconsin.gov email inbox, and put EXPIRED in the subject line of the email.
  • The expired COVID-19 vaccine does NOT get returned to the state. It should be disposed of per your facility’s policy.
  • VFC and VFA non-COVID-19 vaccines should be returned to the state following standard policy and procedure.

“Doses Spoiled” Code

As a reminder, you should never use the “Doses spoiled” code in WIR for COVID-19. If there are doses spoiled of COVID-19 vaccine, it should always be entered as wastage per CDC guidance.

Thank you for your flexibility and attention as DHS adjusts its processes around wastage. Please email DHSCOVIDVaccinator@wisconsin.gov with any questions or concerns.

 

Vaccine Lot Management and Expiration 

In order to minimize the number of unused expired doses and manage expired doses correctly, CDC and DHS encourage providers to:

  • Monitor expiration dates weekly, rotate stock as needed, and follow a “first in, first out” strategy to manage inventory. 
  • If nearing expiration, check posted manufacturer information for the most up to date expiration/extension information for vaccine lots.  
  • Based on the latest expiration information, REMOVE expired vaccine from the storage unit IMMEDIATELY. Do not give staff opportunity to administer expired vaccine.  
  • Vaccine disposal: dispose of the vaccine vial (with any remaining vaccine) and packaging as medical waste according to your local and state regulations. Contact your jurisdiction’s immunization program (https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/imz-managers/awardee-imz-websites.html) for guidance.  Do NOT return vaccine in the thermal shipping container.
  • Check your vaccine stock using the CDC’s Vaccine Lot Number and Expiration Date webpage.  
    • Request access to a new COVID-19 Vaccine Lot Number report via CDC’s Vaccine Code Set Management Service (VCSMS). This report includes COVID-19 vaccine lot numbers and expiration dates provided to CDC by the vaccine manufacturers. This report is updated daily and can be used to support vaccine administration, inventory management, and jurisdiction IISs. Complete the registration form on CDC’s Vaccine Lot Number and Expiration Date webpage to request access to the report.
    • Review the list of lot numbers below that are set to expire between May 22, 2021 and June 30, 2021.

Report expired vaccine

Please promptly report any expired vaccine, observing the change in process outlined above. Keep in mind that there are no negative consequences for reporting waste. CDC and DHS recognize that unused expired vaccine is a normal part of any vaccination program, especially one of this scope and size.

Resources/References

Lot Expiration Information (as of 05/25/21 for lots expiring through 6/13/21. For a complete list please check the CDC’s Vaccine Lot Number and Expiration Date webpage)

Vaccine lot expiration

 

COVID-19 Vaccine Labels