Skip to content Skip to left sidebar Skip to footer

Bulletin

Monkeypox Vaccine Update: Expanded Eligibility

Monkeypox Vaccine Update: Expanded Eligibility

Monkeypox vaccine eligibility requirements have recently been updated. The following people are eligible to be vaccinated against monkeypox in Philadelphia:• Gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, and other men who have sex with men, transgender, or non-binary persons

IF they meet ONE of the following criteria:• Have had multiple or anonymous sex partners in the last 14 days• Have had any newly diagnosed STI in the past 12 months, including gonorrhea, chlamydia, early syphilis, or HIV• Have recently attended or plan to attend any venue where anonymous sex or sex with multiple partners will occur (e.g. saunas, bathhouses, sex clubs, sex parties)• Have met recent partners or plan to meet new partners through social media platforms (such as Grindr, Tinder or Scruff), or at clubs, raves, sex parties, saunas   Additionally, the following people are eligible:• Sex partners (of any sex or gender) of people who meet the above criteria• Sex workers (of any sex or gender)
• Anyone with known close contact (skin-to-skin) with someone with monkeypox in the past 14 days
Thank you for keeping Philadelphia safe and healthy! If you have any questions about these updates, please contact vaccines@phila.gov.

VFC and VFAAR Shipping Delays

VFC and VFAAR Shipping Delays

Our vaccine distribution center is currently working through an unanticipated backlog of flu and non-flu VFC and VFAAR orders.To ensure that your site has the vaccines you need during this time, please plan to order additional vaccine before you run out and order an additional 1 -2 weeks of vaccine in your next order, if you have space in your storage units.Continue to order flu vaccine as needed.Order additional non-flu vaccine every 25 days (from last approved order) or when you are down to a 2- 3 week supply of any given vaccine. If it has been less than 25 days since your last order, complete your reconciliation and then email our team at DPHProviderHelp@phila.gov to open your order. Use the ordering formula cheat sheet to calculate how much vaccine to order.

Pediatric Pfizer (5-11 yrs) COVID Bivalent Booster Pre-Ordering Opening Soon

Pediatric Pfizer (5-11 yrs) COVID Bivalent Booster Pre-Ordering Opening Soon

Currently, anyone aged 12 years or older who has completed at least a primary series is eligible for a bivalent booster, regardless of number or type of prior booster doses received, so long as at least two months have passed since their last COVID-19 vaccine dose. In addition, monovalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are no longer authorized as booster doses for individuals 12 years of age and older. If authorized by FDA, CDC anticipates a recommendation for bivalent COVID-19 vaccine as a booster for pediatric age groups in early to mid-October. Bivalent products expected to be under consideration include the bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children aged 5-11 years and bivalent Moderna vaccine in children aged 6-17 years, for those individuals who have already received their primary vaccine series.Here’s what we know:
Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11 years and older is expected to have the following characteristics:
  • Packaged in 10-dose vials in cartons of 10 vials each (100 doses total)
  • Requires diluent (note: awardees will not be able to opt out of receiving ancillary kits)
  • Minimum order quantity of 100 doses in Philavax
  • Vial with an orange cap similar to the existing Pfizer-BioNTech product for this age group, but with a label that identifies it as a bivalent booster
Moderna bivalent COVID-19 vaccine is expected to have the following characteristics:
  • Packaged in 5-dose vials in cartons of 10 vials each (50 doses total), with a minimum order quantity of 100 doses in Philavax
  • The same vial (dark blue cap, gray border) and presentation for Moderna is expected to be used for all authorized age groups (people aged 6 years and older), but volume and dosage expected to differ by age:
    • Adolescents aged 12-17 years: same volume and dosage as for adults aged 18 years and older
    • Children aged 6-11 years: half the volume and dosage as for adults aged 18 years and older (drawn from the same vial), i.e., one vial yields double the number of doses when used for 6–11-year-olds as when used for people aged 12 years and older
Ordering/Administration Information
  • Administration of bivalent boosters for this age range cannot begin until EUAs are issued/updated AND ACIP meets to make formal vaccine recommendations
  • There will be no pre-order period for Moderna bivalent vaccine for children aged 6-11 since this product will already be in the field
  • Pre-ordering for Pfizer 5-11 bivalent boosters is expected to open up on Monday 9/26 and close on Tuesday 9/27 at 5pm
    • This schedule is subject to change depending on CDC guidance
    • Pfizer pre-orders are expected to arrive the week of 10/10. No Deliveries Will be Made on Indigenous People’s Day!
    • NDC – 59267-0565-2

Immunization Techniques Training

Immunization Techniques Training

Wednesday, October 12, 2022, from 8:30 am – 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm

**Please arrive 15 minutes early. Late arrivals will not be able to attend.**
The Immunization Program is hosting a FREE Immunization Techniques training this Fall. Class participants are limited and will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis. A maximum of 20 participants will be accepted per session. Participants can only attend one training per year.This half-day, interactive, education session will focus on the basics of vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccines, immunization administration techniques, and pediatric immunization schedules. We encourage attendance by Nurses and Medical Assistants who administer vaccines or who will be administering vaccines in the future. This course is beneficial to new practitioners as well as seasoned practitioners who need a refresher course or would like an update on best practices for administering vaccines.We hope to see you there!
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to dphproviderhelp@phila.gov.

Moderna Bivalent Booster Ordering Resumed

Moderna Bivalent Booster Ordering Resumed

Moderna Bivalent Booster ordering has been turned back on in Philavax and Monday.com. Please note: allocations are still limited at this time so providers may not receive what is requested based on dose availability.

Please make sure you are selecting the correct NDC when ordering bivalent boosters (see table below). Selecting the monovalent product code and then selecting booster in the Dose Number column will not allow you to order bivalent doses. You will need to select the correct NDC. All previously submitted orders of bivalent vaccines during the ordering pause will need to be resubmitted for processing.

Become a Monkeypox Vaccine Provider

Become a Monkeypox Vaccine Provider

Do you see patients who are at a higher risk of monkeypox infection? If so, please consider becoming a Jynneos vaccine provider and help stop the spread of monkeypox infection. The current patient eligibility guidelines are as follows:

People who meet ALL of the following conditions: 
  • Gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, and other men who have sex with men, transgender, or non-binary persons

AND meet one of the following criteria:

  • Have had multiple or anonymous sex partners in the last 14 days
  • Have had any newly diagnosed STI in the past 12 months, including gonorrhea, chlamydia, early syphilis, or HIV
  • Have recently attended or plan to attend any venue where anonymous sex or sex with multiple partners will occur (e.g. saunas, bathhouses, sex clubs, sex parties) in the next 30 days
  • Have met recent partners or plan to meet new partners in the next 30 days through social media platforms (such as Grindr, Tinder or Scruff), or at clubs, raves, sex parties, saunas
Additionally, the following people are eligible:
  • Sex workers (of any sex or gender), and/or
  • Anyone with known close contact (skin-to-skin) with someone with monkeypox in the past 14 days
If your site sees patients who are eligible for the monkeypox vaccine, we encourage you to enroll as a Jynneos vaccine provider. Sites are not required to see non-patients, but we do encourage providers to offer walk-in vaccine availability and if possible, vaccinate non-patients.

Note: this vaccine is administered intradermally, and may require some additional training of staff to administer appropriately.Please complete the enrollment form if your site is interested in offering Jynneos vaccine.

Please reach out to Kenya Mack at Kenya.Mack@phila.gov or Jillian Brown at Jillian.Brown@phila.gov with any questions.

Moderna Bivalent Ordering Pause

Moderna Bivalent Ordering Pause

Due to limited initial allocations of bivalent vaccines, we are currently unable to approve new Moderna bivalent booster orders. Ordering for Moderna boosters has been turned off in Philavax and made unavailable in Monday.com. The city does expect to receive an allocation increase and we will reopen ordering in Philavax and Monday.com at that time.

Please keep in mind that Moderna is experiencing some delivery delays for previously placed orders as well. We appreciate your patience at this time and apologize for any inconveniences as a result of this delay.

Additional VFC & VFAAR Flu Vaccine Presentations Available to Order

Additional VFC & VFAAR Flu Vaccine Presentations Available to Order

These vaccines are now available to order for your patients:
  • VFC
    • Flucelvax prefilled syringes
    • Flumist intranasal
  • VFAAR
    • Flucelvax prefilled syringes
Please visit our flu ordering page for more information on the available vaccines.

Have questions?
Contact Christine Wilson at 215.685.6728 or christine.wilson@phila.gov or Charma Miller at 215.685.6667 or charma.miller@phila.gov for assistance.Thank you for keeping Philadelphia healthy by fighting flu! For more information about influenza in Philadelphia, visit our flu page.

COVID-19 Walk-in Survey

COVID-19 Walk-in Survey

PDPH is interested in learning more about Philadelphia providers’ walk-in capacity. Please complete this brief, four-question survey to assess your site’s ability to accept walk-ins now that bivalent boosters are available. Responses will be collected until 9/14.

COVID Vaccine Expiration Dates

COVID Vaccine Expiration Dates

With expiration dates for some Pfizer lots approaching, we would like to remind providers to be mindful about documenting Beyond Use Dates (BUD) and manufacture expiration dates. Any time you move vaccine from the ultra-low freezer/dry ice shipper to a standard freezer or fridge or from a freezer to a fridge, you should place a BUD label on the vaccine box to keep track of vaccine viability. Both PDPH and the CDC have BUD labels available for printing on label sheets. Check out this link for PDPH BUDs (more label options to come soon): Forms and Resources – Philadelphia Immunization ProgramImportant Tip: A Beyond Use Date can never extend pass a manufacture expiration date. You have to use vaccines by whichever date comes first.Pfizer
Moderna
Novavax
  • Novavax lot/expiration date lookup tool
  • Does not have BUDs labels presently as vaccine arrives refrigerated – use manufacture expiration date and use expiration tool to check date prior to each use
Janssen
  • Janssen lot/expiration date lookup tool
    • Many lots approaching expiration
  • Does not have BUDs labels presently as vaccine arrives refrigerated – use manufacture expiration date and use expiration tool to check date prior to each use