New ODH Announces Preorders for COVID-19 Vaccines for Children Younger than 5 Years The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) announced that vaccine providers can preorder Pfizer BioNTech's and Moderna's COVID-19 pediatric vaccine formulations for children ages 6 months to 4 years. This will allow the vaccines to be shipped out to providers as soon as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends these vaccines for use. Ordering is now open through the ImpactSIIS Vaccine Ordering Management System (VOMS). Providers are encouraged to order only one of the two vaccine options to avoid administration or storage errors. A separate order form for the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine formulation must be submitted without other COVID-19 vaccine formulation orders. These orders will be fulfilled in the order they are received.
Note: The new Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are specially made for young children and are not interchangeable with the current Pfizer or Moderna products for adults, adolescents, and children.
New ODH Shares Interim Provider Guidance for COVID-19 Vaccine for Children Younger than 5 Years
ODH prepared a guide titled Interim Provider Guidance for COVID-19 Vaccines for Children Younger than 5 Years to provide preliminary guidance on the ordering, storage, handling, and administration of COVID-19 pediatric vaccine formulations. This guidance document will be updated following federal regulatory action and clinical considerations that the CDC will publish.
Reminder: CDC Resources to Promote COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Teens
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released several resources addressing COVID-19 vaccines for children and teens. This comes after the FDA's approval of boosters for children ages 5 and above, with upcoming reviews of data presented by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna for COVID-19 vaccines for children below the age of 5.
The Interim COVID-19 Immunization Schedule for individuals ages 5 and older provides a visual representation of vaccine schedules based on current FDA emergency use authorizations (EUAs). The Resources to Promote the COVID-19 Vaccine for children and teens offers digital and downloadable resources to post on social media or physically post at your pharmacy. The 6 Things to Know about COVID-19 vaccination in children outlines 6 reasons why children should be vaccinated against COVID-19. Finally, the Barriers to Equity in Childhood COVID-19 Vaccination provides resources to help children at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19, and who may face additional barriers in getting their vaccines.
Reminder: CDC Expands Eligibility of COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters to Individuals Ages 5 and Above
Last week the FDA, upon the recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP), expanded the eligibility of COVID-19 vaccine boosters to all individuals ages 5 and above. The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) released an updated guidance document on administering COVID-19 booster doses based on the FDA approval.
Note: Children ages 5 to 11 can only receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine from vials with orange caps. These vials are diluted with 1.3 mL of 0.9% NaCl to yield 10 does of 0.2 mL (10 mcg) for injection.
Reminder: ODH Announces COVID-19 Therapeutics for Pharmacies
ODH announced that they are expanding their oral and injectable COVID-19 therapeutic provider network to include pharmacy providers. This expansion will allow ODH to ship the Pfizer oral therapeutic Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir tablets and ritonavir tablets, co-packaged for oral use) and the Merck oral therapeutic, Molnupiravir for dispensing in pharmacies. A short onboarding process is required to receive these shipments. If your pharmacy is part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy (FRP) partnership, use this ODH Therapeutics FRPP Information Document. If your pharmacy is not part of the federal retail pharmacy network, use this ODH Therapeutics Site Information Document. Both documents contain information about enrollment, reporting, therapeutics locator, wastage management, and additional reference documents.
Reminder: The following incentives end on Thursday, June 30, 2022.
Reminder: Medicaid Patients Eligible for $100 Incentive for First COVID-19 Vaccine and All Booster Doses
ODH and Ohio’s Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) announced continued and additional incentives for Medicaid and MyCare patients to receive their COVID-19 vaccine series and booster shots. Here is additional information:
Reminder: $100 COVID-19 Vaccine Administration Fee
ODM and Ohio’s MCOs announced that the administration fee for COVID-19 vaccines is $100 for all COVID-19 shots, including first, second, and booster doses for Medicaid members, has been extended to June 30, 2022. See further details on the https://www.covidvaxonthespot.com/providers/ Provider and Pharmacy Resources webpage. The MCO leadership encourages pharmacies to assist Medicaid patients with accessing first, second, and booster shots through phone calls, walk-in appointments, and other personalized outreach.
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.