This email is being sent to local health officers, tribal health directors, COVID-19 vaccinators, COVID-19 vaccine stakeholders, HERC coordinators, and key DHS staff.
Reflection
August is National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM). NIAM is an annual observance to highlight the importance of getting recommended vaccines throughout your life. Join the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other partners in bringing awareness to the importance of getting caught up on health care appointments, routine vaccinations, and getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) and the people of Wisconsin are counting on each vaccine provider to be ready to support the increasing demand for vaccine, driven by concerns around the Delta variant, by having COVID-19 vaccine available in their office and giving a strong recommendation for COVID-19 vaccine to all patients.
Thank you for all you have done, are doing, and will do to ensure that the people of this state are protected.
Johnson & Johnson Supply
Johnson & Johnson vaccine order processing continues to be on hold, and vaccinators are strongly encouraged to continue to use remaining inventory of Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses. With the recent shelf life extension of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the opportunity to use vaccine doses has been expanded for an additional six weeks.
State Fair COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic
Governor Tony Evers and DHS are partnering with the Wisconsin State Fair to host a COVID-19 vaccine clinic at the State Fair. Every person who gets their COVID-19 vaccine at the fair will receive a free cream puff.
The clinic will be open August 5-15 from 11:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome for anyone ages 12 years and over. Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be available. Fair admission is required to access this vaccination clinic.
There has been a steady increase in cases that has been driven by the highly infectious Delta variant, which is now widespread in all parts of Wisconsin, as it is across the country. The COVID-19 variants, such as Delta, can spread more easily and cause more severe illness. As the spread increases, so does the risk that new, potentially more dangerous variants will develop. That is why we are urging all eligible Wisconsinites—especially those attending this year’s fair— to get the COVID-19 vaccine and for everyone to follow current best health practices such as wearing a mask in public indoor spaces and staying home when sick. These measures will help stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus across our state.
We ask that you help us promote this vaccination opportunity and continue encouraging people in your community to follow good public health practices.
Support for Your COVID-19 Communications
The Public Health Communications Collaborative has a new messaging resource to support COVID-19 communications based on your local vaccination rates. As progress toward benchmarks for U.S. vaccination rates comes into focus, it continues to be important for the media, policymakers, and the public to understand the relevance and critical role that local vaccination rates play in ensuring a safe return to social and economic activities in your community. Use the tailored guidance to deliver topline messages about why local vaccination rates matter, and why it is important that every eligible person is vaccinated.
Immunization University
The Immunization Partnership is currently offering professional continuing education credit through Immunization University (IZU). This new online platform provides nursing educational courses/modules, which include information about immunizations and vaccine-preventable diseases.
The professional continuing education credit for nursing approved credits is through a partnership with Cizik School of Nursing at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). The nursing CEUs extend to those in Wisconsin. Non-approved credit courses are open to individuals in other professions and students.
Relevant IZU courses include:
- Immunization 101 (non-credit)
- Vaccine Myths and Misinformation (credit and non-credit)
- COVID-19 Myths and Misinformation (non-credit)
- COVID-19: Simplifying Vaccine Science (non-credit)
- How Vaccines Work (non-credit)
- History of Vaccines (non-credit)
- Vaccine Safety (credit and non-credit)
- Vaccine Hesitancy (credit and non-credit)
To take any of the courses, please click here.
If you have any question about IZU or the courses, please contact Katy Gore at kgore@immunizeUSA.org.
Update Information on Vaccines.gov
Best Practices:
DHS encourages vaccinators to consider the following when updating their public profile information on Vaccines.gov:
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If you are offering walk-in hours, make sure you indicate that in the appropriate field in your profile. This is a field offered by Vaccines.gov.
- In the “Notes” section:
- Include information about what accommodations are available for individuals with disabilities and how they can contact your organization in advance.
- Include information about parking, entrances, and other access details.
- Include information in Spanish and/or other languages spoken by individuals in your community when possible.
Support:
The CDC and VaccineFinder offer a number of resources for providers. Starting with VaccineFinder Checklist for Providers found on the COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Information webpage is recommended.
DHS will also continue to provide Vaccines.gov support to vaccinators.
For support with inventory or address issues, please email dhscovidvaccinator@wi.gov with the subject VACCINES.GOV, and a DHS representative will respond within 1-3 business days.
For all other support, please use the Contact Us link on Vaccines.gov.
New and Updated Resources
Updated Clinical Guidance from CDC
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MMWR Early Release: COVID-19 Vaccine Safety in Adolescents Aged 12–17 Years — United States, December 14, 2020–July 16, 2021
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MMWR Early Release: Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Infections, including COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Infections, Associated with Large Public Gatherings — Barnstable County, Massachusetts, July 2021
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MMWR: Disparities in COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Health Care Personnel Working in Long-Term Care Facilities, by Job Category, National Healthcare Safety Network — United States, March 2021
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MMWR: Guidance for Implementing COVID-19 Prevention Strategies in the Context of Varying Community Transmission Levels and Vaccination Coverage
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CDC Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory: Vaccination to Prevent COVID-19 Outbreaks with Current and Emergent Variants—United States, 2021
Updated Communication and Education Resources from CDC
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COVID-19 Data Tracker Updates
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COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence Dashboard: This dashboard uses data from the National Immunization Survey Adult COVID Module (NIS-ACM) to describe vaccination intent and behavioral profiles nationally each week and by jurisdiction each month. The jurisdiction views will contain a subset of the detailed NIS-ACM tables that programs have already received from CDC.
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COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Pregnant People: CDC will start sharing weekly COVID-19 vaccination coverage estimates for pregnant people based on data from the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD), a collaboration between CDC’s Immunization Safety Office and nine integrated health care organizations.
Updated Communication and Education Resources from DHS
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COVID-19: Wear a Mask: DHS supports the CDC’s updated guidance, which recommends that all unvaccinated people receive a vaccine as soon as possible and that everyone in areas with substantial and high transmission, including fully vaccinated individuals, wear a mask in public indoor settings.
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COVID-19: Tracking Variants: With the recent increase in cases, and more contagious variants spreading, like the Delta variant, DHS created a space to address questions about how the COVID-19 vaccines work in the context of emerging variants.
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COVID-19 Vaccine One-Pager Resource: Updated with new masking guidance.
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Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine One-Pager Resource: Updated with new masking guidance.
In Case You Missed It
Wisconsin COVID-19 Vaccine Program Webinar Schedule
Weekly COVID-19 Vaccine Program updates are held on Tuesdays from 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Register for the meeting series here. Watch recordings of past webinars here.
Johnson & Johnson Expiration Extension
The FDA has authorized an extension of the shelf life for the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine from 4.5 months to 6 months (an additional 45 days). The decision is based on data from ongoing stability assessment studies, which have demonstrated that the vaccine is stable at 6 months when refrigerated at temperatures of 36 – 46 degrees Fahrenheit (2 – 8 degrees Celsius). This extension applies to refrigerated vials of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine that have been held in accordance with the manufacturer’s storage conditions.
Vaccine providers should take the following steps:
Step 1. Visit https://vaxcheck.jnj/ to confirm the latest expiration dates of vaccine, including those currently available for administration throughout the U.S.
Step 2. Update the expiration date for your inventory in WIR. To Extend an Expiration Date in WIR do the following:
- Click “Manage Inventory” on the left menu bar in WIR.
- On the manage inventory screen click “Show Inventory” on the top right of the screen.
- Find the expiration date you want to change using the lot number of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine.
- You should already have the new extended expiration dates for each lot in your inventory from using https://vaxcheck.jnj/ as outlined in Step 1 above.
- Click on the blue Janssen COVID-19 link on the line with the corresponding lot number of the date you want to change.
- This will take you to the "Edit Vaccine Inventory Information" screen. Find the “Expiration Date” field, and update the date to the new extended expiration date.
- Click "Save" on the top right of the screen.
- Repeat this process for each lot of Janssen COVID-19 vaccine in your inventory.
Step 3. (if applicable) Update the expiration date on the Vaccine Exchange.
COVID-19 vaccines that are authorized under an emergency use authorization (EUA) do not have fixed expiration dates, and their expiration dates can be extended as we get more stability data. Always be sure to check the manufacturer’s website to obtain the most up-to-date expiration dates for COVID-19 vaccines you have on hand.
Updated Recommendations from CDC in Response to the Delta Variant
The Delta variant is highly infectious and is spreading more quickly than any other strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the virus that causes COVID-19. The best way to protect yourself, your family, and your community from COVID-19 and the Delta variant is to get vaccinated. From January 1, 2021 through July 22, 2021, over 98% of COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin occurred among people who were not fully vaccinated.
DHS supports CDC’s recommendations that everyone in areas with substantial and high transmission, including fully vaccinated individuals, wear a mask in public indoor settings. Furthermore, all teachers, staff, students, and visitors of K-12 schools should wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status. In Wisconsin, and nationally, increasing case numbers and growing circulation of the more transmissible Delta variant prompts this updated guidance.
View the full message here.
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