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OPA COVID-19 Vaccines and Important Survey: April 26, 2021 Update
OPA COVID-19 Vaccine Update and Important Survey
COVID-19 vaccine distribution continues to be available to all eligible individuals over age 16. All individuals from previous phases continue to be appropriate candidates for the vaccine as well.
RESPONSE REQUESTED: Vaccine Allocation Survey
The Governor’s office is seeking to create targeted allocation drives among independent pharmacy vaccinators. If you are contracted with the state as a vaccinator, the Governor’s office would like you to answer the following questions. Please response to this COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Survey to input your pharmacy’s responses:
- Do you require a bi-weekly vaccine allocation due to a decrease in demand?
- Are you interested in conducting employer vaccine clinics?
- If you answered yes, how many vaccines will you need in the coming week (5/3)?
We will continue to send this update weekly to better facilitate allocation decisions. Please respond to the survey by Wednesday April 28, 2021.
Johnson and Johnson (Janssen) Vaccine Administration Resumed
Following a thorough review by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the CDC recommend resuming vaccination efforts using the J&J (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine for persons 18 years of age and older. The panel concluded that the benefits of protection outweighed the risks of rare blood clotting seen with a small number of patients.
Ohio vaccine providers can resume vaccinations immediately. The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) will share information about future shipments as they become available. Vaccinators are required to review the updated Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers Administering Vaccine and Fact Sheet for Recipients and Caregivers.
Vaccine Second Doses and Vaccine Wastage
ODH has updated their guidance on Vaccine Wastage and COVID-19 Vaccine Second Doses. The newly updated information contains direction on:
- Use of unused doses
- Vaccinating individuals under age 16 and 17
- Vaccinating individuals who are homebound
- Proper disposal of expired or unusable vaccine
- Second dose flexibility
NOTE: If your site has more than 20 doses at risk of wastage, please call the ODH Provider Call Center at 1-844-963-4829 immediately to discuss options, including the transfer of vaccine to other enrolled providers.
Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (Reminder)
ODH encourages vaccinators to use the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) to report vaccine administration errors. This document highlights errors that have previously been reported regarding COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccinators are urged to report any clinically relevant adverse events following vaccination.
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.
