VACCINE COVID-19 Vaccination Recommendations (last updated 12/1/20) When a COVID-19 vaccine is authorized by the FDA and recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), vaccination in the initial phase of the COVID-19 vaccination program (Phase 1a) should be offered to both: • Healthcare personnel • Residents of long-term care facilities Healthcare personnel are defined as paid and unpaid people serving in health care settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials. Long-term care facility residents are defined as adults who reside in facilities that provide a variety of services, including medical and personal care, to persons who are unable to live independently.
Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit Requirements for the CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Program The Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit has been updated with a COVID-19 Vaccine Addendum with information on Storage and Handling best practices for COVID-19 vaccines. All vaccination providers participating in the COVID-19 Vaccination Program must store and handle COVID-19 vaccines under proper conditions to maintain the cold chain as outlined in the toolkit and addendum. Click HERE to download the Toolkit 16
The Bulletin | Year End 2020
The addendum will be updated with specific storage and handling information for each COVID-19 product. Please sign up for email alerts on the CDC website to be notified when updates are made or check the website often. (Sign up is in the left column of the CDC website page) The 2020 Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit is a comprehensive guide that reflects best practices for vaccine storage and handling from Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations, product information from vaccine manufacturers and scientific studies. The toolkit has been updated for 2020 to clarify language including: • Beyond use date (BUD) • Routine maintenance for vaccine storage units • New definition added to the glossary
CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Reporting Specifications (CVRS) Instructions V2 Vaccine Administration Documentation COVID-19 vaccination providers must document vaccine administration in their medical record systems within 24 hours of administration, and use their best efforts to report administration data to the relevant system for the jurisdiction (i.e., IIS) as soon as practicable and no later than 72 hours after administration. This specification defines the COVID-19 vaccination reporting requirements to the CDC’s Immunization Data Clearinghouse (DCH). Whenever possible, existing and new connections between provider organizations and immunization information systems (IISs) should be leveraged to report vaccinations directly to IISs. This specification addresses how IISs will report these data to CDC’s DCH, as well as, how provider organizations that are unable to report to IISs can still report to CDC’s DCH to ensure a comprehensive accounting of administered doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, this specification supports the submission of deidentified case-level data. It includes reference to identified data elements, but these elements may be populated with “Redacted” or an appropriate coded value.
