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Wisconsin COVID-19 Vaccine Program |
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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.
FDA Authorizes Bivalent COVID-19 Vaccines for New Pediatric Age Groups
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized amending the emergency use authorizations (EUAs) of the bivalent Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to include use in children down to 6 months of age. It is anticipated that a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the vaccines for the additional pediatric age groups will occur soon.
A reminder that administration of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for these new pediatric age groups can begin only after the CDC recommends them, and the CDC publishes its clinical considerations. Local Health Departments (LHDs) must wait until the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) updates the Immunization Program Policy and Procedure (P&P) Manual on SharePoint before providing any recommended bivalent vaccine boosters to this newly added age group.
DHS will provide additional information as it becomes available.
Apply for Surplus State Supplies
DHS is providing an opportunity for organizations, local and tribal health departments, nonprofits, government agencies, and stakeholders to fill out a survey to request free supplies. Items available can range from PPE items to office materials. This distribution will not impact our inventory as we continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and DHS is aiming to distribute excess materials to partners who may have more urgent needs.
The survey is available online. We kindly request one representative from each organization or site complete this survey, as multiple submissions will not be considered.
DHS will review requests for supplies on a weekly basis. A member from the DHS COVID-19 Vaccination Program will contact you as soon as your request has been reviewed and approved to coordinate supply distribution. We cannot guarantee the supplies or quantity of items requested will be approved.
If you have any questions, please email dhscovidrequestssurvey@dhs.wisconsin.gov.
Pfizer Shelf-Life Extensions
Pfizer has received shelf-life extensions of all TRIS products (all mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, including both monovalent and bivalent vaccines). The expiration date is now 18 months from the date of manufacture (stored ULT frozen).
Moderna Shelf-Life Extensions
The FDA has extended the shelf-life of the following Moderna 10 (ages 12+) and Moderna 5 (ages 6-11) products. All are monovalent COVID-19 vaccine for primary use only. Moderna has verified the new expiration dates below and updated the Moderna Vial Expiration Checker. Given these extensions of Moderna expiry dates, please update these specific lots in WIR and mark the labels accordingly.
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Please be aware that monovalent vaccines may be short dated, pending approval of primary series bivalent.
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Vaccinators are encouraged to maintain stock of monovalent COVID-19 vaccines to provide a safety net of availability until bivalent primary doses are approved.
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There will be rolling expiry dates of adult monovalent products. Replacement orders should be small and frequent to avoid large expiry losses.
Wisconsin COVID-19 Vaccine Program Webinar Schedule
Bi-weekly COVID-19 Vaccine Program updates are held every other Tuesday from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. The next webinar will be held on Tuesday, December 13.
Register for the meeting series here. Watch recordings of past webinars here.
In Case You Missed It
Update on AMI Vaccination Clinics
AMI Expeditionary Healthcare (AMI), the state’s vaccination partner, is beginning to wind down its vaccination clinic services this month with all vaccination clinic services ending by January 14, 2023. DHS has contracted with AMI to operate COVID-19 community-based and mobile vaccination clinics on the state’s behalf since early 2021.
The three remaining AMI-operated Wisconsin community-based clinics in Douglas, Marathon, and Racine counties, as well as recurring clinics across the state, are expected to end operations by December 18.
Requests for AMI mobile vaccination clinics set to take place through January 14, 2023, will be granted, or denied based on the remaining resources available at the time. The State COVID-19 Resource Matching Survey used to request AMI mobile vaccination clinics will no longer be available after 9 a.m. on January 4, 2023. So, please submit requests before this time for consideration.
Pfizer Minimum Order Quantity
On Thursday, December 1, 2022, the minimum order quantity (MOQ) for multi-dose vial Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines changed from 300 to 180 doses.
Vaccinator Training and Enrollment Refresher Requirement
Vaccinators should be aware that all COVID-19 vaccination sites that registered with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) prior to January 1, 2022, must complete a training and enrollment refresher.
The primary and backup coordinators listed on each location’s enrollment paperwork should have received an email with more information about the refresher. The email also includes a customized link to complete the attestation survey.
Note that vaccination support staff who have recently completed the full list of COVID-19 training requirements within the last six months do not need to complete the refresher. Once all required staff have completed the training refresher, only one attestation survey must be submitted on behalf of the location. For more information, or to report concerns regarding the training and enrollment refresher program or the above referenced email, please contact DHSCOVIDVaccinator@wi.gov.
Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Medical Updates and Immunization Site Training Sessions
Pfizer Vaccines US Medical Affairs continues to lead Medical Updates and Immunization Site Training Sessions for all healthcare providers on the proper use of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
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New training on the Pfizer COVID-19 bivalent vaccine as a booster dose
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Use of each vaccine presentation, including storage, handling, preparation, and administration
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Question and answer session
To access dates and links for upcoming training sessions, please visit:
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