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OPA COVID-19 Vaccines and Therapeutics: November 8, 2022 Update

  

New COVID-19 Vaccine Deliveries On Veterans Day

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) shared information about COVID-19 vaccine deliveries on Veterans Day. All scheduled deliveries will continue as normal until Thursday, November 10. The following shipment changes will occur:

  • Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines: No deliveries will occur on Friday, November 11. Deliveries will resume on Monday, November 14.
  • McKesson Specialty direct shipped COVID-19 vaccines (Novavax, Moderna, and Johnson&Johnson/Janssen): No deliveries will occur on Friday, November 11. Deliveries will resume on Monday, November 14.
  • ODH Receipt, Store, and Stage (RSS) COVID-19 vaccines: No deliveries will occur on Friday, November 11, AND Monday, November 14. Deliveries will resume on Tuesday, November 15.

Please monitor your email for delivery updates and COVID-19 vaccine order status. If you have any questions or issues, please call the ODH Provider Call Center between 8 am and 5:30 pm Monday through Friday at 1-844-9ODHVAX (1-844-963-4829) or email COVIDVACCINE@odh.ohio.gov. Please note, the ODH Provider Call Center will be closed on Friday, November 11, in observance of the holiday.

New Pfizer Educational Webinars on Paxlovid and COVID-19

The Pfizer medical team announced a series of educational webinars focused on providing disease education on COVID-19 and PAXLOVIDTM (nirmatrelvir tablets; ritonavir tablets). This weekly webinar will focus on reviewing high risk conditions associated with severe COVID-19 outcomes, medical educational resources available for health care providers on the Pfizer Medical Portal, and recent updates to the PAXLOVID Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) Fact Sheet for healthcare providers. The webinar series will also include a question-and-answer session that will give the audience an opportunity to ask internal Pfizer medical experts questions. Click Here to Register.

Dates and Times:

  1. November 10th: 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm EST
  2. November 17th: 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm EST
  3. December 1st: 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm EST
  4. December 8th: 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm EST
  5. December 15th: 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm EST

Reminder: Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine Approved as a Booster in Specific Cases
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended the emergency use authorization for the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine as a booster dose for individuals above the age of 18 who are unable to receive a messenger RNA (mRNA) bivalent COVID-19 booster. This could be due to allergies to ingredients, past severe reactions, and individuals who would otherwise not choose an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. The Novavax booster is the same dose as the primary series (5 mcg/0.5 mL). Vaccinators can give the Novavax COVID-19 booster dose at least 6 months after the completion of the primary series of an authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine.

Vaccinators who choose not to offer the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine can direct patients to the Ohio GetTheShot website: https://gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov/ to find sites that provide the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine. Patients can select “Novavax” under the “Tags” button to search for available vaccination locations.

Resources:

Reminder: Pfizer Training on COVID-19 Vaccine Bivalent Boosters 
Pfizer Medical offers virtual training for all providers on the newly authorized bivalent booster for individuals 5 through 11 years of age.  These sessions are for training purposes only. To access dates and links for upcoming training sessions, please visit https://www.pfizermedicalinformation.com/en-us/medical-updates.

Reminder: Funds Available from ODH Uninsured COVID-19 Vaccine Grant 
The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) still has a small amount of funds available to reimburse pharmacies for vaccinating patients who are uninsured with the COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccinators are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Applicants shall not seek reimbursement through any other source for vaccines administered with this funding. Click here to download the Application for Uninsured Vaccine Administration Reimbursement. Downloaded applications will need to be signed, then emailed to Procurement@odh.ohio.gov.

Funding will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Vaccine providers will receive the money upfront based on the provider’s estimated number of vaccinations of uninsured individuals from the date of award through June 30, 2023. Providers will have the option of payment by electronic fund transfer or by check. Providers will be required as part of the agreement to submit quarterly reports with a total number of vaccinations of uninsured individuals to be reviewed and validated by ODH. Providers will be required to return any funding received in excess of the actual vaccines administered. Please submit any questions regarding this funding opportunity to ODH by email at Procurement@odh.ohio.gov.


OPA is working diligently to facilitate communication between state decision-makers and member pharmacists. OPA has created multiple COVID-19 resources, including a COVID-19 Vaccine Information Webpage, COVID-19 Testing Hub, and COVID-19 Resources Webpage, on the OPA website www.ohiopharmacists.org under the Resources drop-down box. Please contact Myriam Shaw Ojeda, Director of Pharmacy Extension and Public Health Initiatives, for further questions at mshawojeda@ohiopharmacists.org.

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