OPA COVID-19 Vaccines: April 5, 2021 Update

OPA COVID-19 Vaccine Update

The vaccine distribution continues to be available to all eligible individuals over 16. All individuals from previous phases continue to be appropriate candidates for the vaccine.

Vaccinating Employer Groups

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) recognizes the need to continue to make vaccines accessible to all Ohioans. Therefore, ODH has released the following guidance, that allows up to 25% of the weekly allocated vaccines for a specific employer or organization. Pharmacies can contract with organizations to provide vaccines to the organization's employees in a clinic setting.

Appointment Availability Notification

As vaccine allocation increases over time, some Ohio regions may reach capacity in terms of interested patients. To better inform the state government, please contact OPA through Myriam Shaw Ojeda mshawojeda@ohiopharmacists.org to provide additional insight.

Changes to Moderna Emergency Use Authorization (EUA)

Last week the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced changes to Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine EUA. The following are the changes included:

• The maximum number of 0.5 ml doses extracted from a vial range from 10-11 doses.
• Moderna will be offering an additional multi-dose vial option that contains a maximum of 15 doses. The doses that may be extracted from such vials range from 13 to 15 doses.
• The vaccine can be kept at room temperature (2 degrees Celsius to 25 degrees Celsius or 35 degrees Fahrenheit to 77 degrees Fahrenheit) for 24 hours once removed from the refrigerator for administration. This time limit has increased from 12 hours. Vaccinators are still required to monitor temperatures for the vaccines.
• The vial, once punctured, can be used for up to 12 hours instead of the previously allowed six hours.

Stories of COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts

OPA seeks to highlight the fantastic work of our members in the fight against COVID-19 through vaccination efforts. If you have a story or pictures to share, we would like to showcase them to the rest of the membership. Please send your stories and photographs to Jessica Wotruba at jwotruba@ohiopharmacists.org.

    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. For further questions, please contact Myriam Shaw Ojeda, Fellow in Policy and Innovation, at mshawojeda@ohiopharmacists.org.