For providers with patients asking how to get vaccines:
CVS is the first pharmacy in the federal pharmacy partnership to move forward with vaccinations in Virginia.
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CVS has opened vaccine registration to individuals 65 years and older and who are within the Phase 1b eligibility guidelines, as part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 Vaccination.
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Appointments can be booked up to seven days in advance. If patients have yet to receive their first dose, the CVS reservation system will require them to schedule both first and second dose appointments when they sign up.
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VDH worked closely with CVS over the past week to ensure that they follow Virginia’s priority guidelines and that they provide an advance window for registration for those persons 65 and older who are already on the local health department waiting lists. Unfortunately, appointments filled quickly and were not available to everyone who wanted one.
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VDH and CVS will continue to prioritize individuals 65 years and older, including those on waiting lists.
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CVS selected participating pharmacy locations, based on vulnerability, capacity and vaccine supply. CVS provides up-to-date details about vaccination site locations at https://www.cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccine.
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CVS has confirmed they plan to start vaccination in Virginia with 36 locations in the following localities: Abingdon, Alexandria, Arlington, Bedford, Blacksburg, Charlottesville, Chatham, Chesapeake, Danville, Dublin, Fairfax, Fredericksburg, Gainesville, Hampton, Harrisonburg, Leesburg, Lynchburg, Martinsville, Mechanicsville, Midlothian, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Richmond, Roanoke, Rocky Mount, Petersburg, Stafford, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, Warrenton, Williamsburg, Winchester, and Woodstock.
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More pharmacies and more locations are expected to start vaccinating patients in the future.
For providers who have received vaccine:
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The CDC will now be officially recording Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine vials as containing six doses, versus the original five. The latest EUA Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers Administering Vaccine can be found here: https://www.cvdvaccine-us.com/.
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Facilities or systems that may want to redistribute or transfer the COVID-19 vaccine to other providers must understand and follow the COVID-19 Vaccine Redistribution Process. Additionally, providers must use this survey link to report anytime they redistribute the COVID-19 vaccine to another provider or facility. Providers who are receiving vaccines from another provider through redistribution should also ensure that the sending provider has completed this survey.
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As per the CDC agreement, providers are required to report wasted doses using the Vaccine Wastage Reporting Tool.
Best Practice Spotlight
Because real-time data is critical to rapid decision-making and reallocation of vaccines, COVID-19 vaccination providers must document vaccine administration in their medical record systems within 24 hours of administration.
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When patients receive their first dose, record the date the vaccine was administered, the manufacturer and lot number, the vaccination site and route, and the name and title of the person administering the vaccine in the patient’s medical record and the Virginia Immunization Information System (VIIS).
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In addition, ensure you obtain and enter all key patient information into VIIS—this allows VDH to identify gaps in coverage, especially in regard to vaccine equity, which can inform outreach efforts.
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Once the first dose is administered, schedule a second dose appointment before the patient leaves the clinic; you may consider using the post-observation vaccination period to schedule this second appointment. At checkout, establish a reliable line of communication with the patient and start reminder emails or text notifications four days prior to the appointment for the second dose. This minimizes the risk of no-show appointments and decreases vaccine wastage. VaxText is a free text messaging platform that can be utilized for this process, if necessary here.
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Report wasted doses using the Vaccine Wastage Reporting Tool.
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It is critical for patients to receive the same vaccine for their second dose, and at the correct time interval (which will vary depending on the type of vaccine). Detailed patient record keeping will be needed, along with a patient notification/call-back plan to follow up with second doses.
Upcoming Events
February 16, 7-8 pm:
Facts not Fear: COVID-19 Expert Panel for the Dental Health Community
(open for all healthcare professionals).
February 17, 3 pm: Health Equity for Pregnant Women: A Community Conversation
February 24, 1 pm: CDC Foundation Webinar: COVID-19 Response Updates and Resources from CDC and the Ad Council
February 26, 9 am - 5:30 pm ET FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee Meeting to discuss Emergency Use Authorization of the Janssen Biotech Inc. COVID-19 Vaccine in persons 18 years or older
Helpful Resources
There is now a Vaccinate with Confidence page for COVID-19 vaccines and there are multiple toolkits available to support vaccine confidence planning and promotion efforts, including toolkits for health systems, long term care facilities, employers of essential workers and staff or organizations serving communities. There is also a social media toolkit.
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CDC updated the Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Currently Authorized in the United States on February 10, 2021. Revisions include new recommendations for preventing, reporting, and managing mRNA COVID-19 vaccine administration errors, clarification on contraindications and precautions, updated information on delayed, local injection-site reactions after the first mRNA vaccine dose, updated quarantine recommendations for vaccinated persons, and updated recommendations for testing for TB infection. At the bottom of this page, there is an option to subscribe and receive emails with updates to the content.
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CDC also updated the Interim considerations: preparing for the potential management of anaphylaxis after COVID-19 vaccination on February 10, 2021. Revisions include updated requirements for preparing to address any instances of anaphylaxis during vaccination.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a fifth amendment to the Declaration under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) to add additional categories of qualified persons authorized to prescribe, dispense, and administer COVID-19 vaccines authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Among other things, the amendment:
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Authorizes any health care provider who is licensed or certified in a state to prescribe, dispense, and administer COVID-19 vaccines in any other state or U.S. territory.
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Authorizes any physician, registered nurse, or practical nurse whose license or certification expired within the past five years to prescribe, dispense and administer COVID-19 vaccines in any state or U.S. territory so long as the license or certification was active and in good standing prior to the date it went inactive.
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Requires any health care professional described above to complete CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine training and, for health care providers who are not currently practicing or whose license or certification is expired, requires an on-site observation period by a currently practicing healthcare professional.
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CDC has released codes for the AstraZeneca and Janssen vaccines here for use once their respective EUAs are approved.
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CDC COVID-19 Vaccination homepage. Updates to CDC guidance can be found at this site .
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Visit the manufacturer websites (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) or the latest information and short training videos.
