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County of Santa Clara COVID-19 Vaccine Information for Healthcare Providers

Last content update: 12/28/22

See COVID-19 vaccine information for the general public

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Enrolling to be a COVID-19 vaccine provider


First Steps to Becoming a Vaccine Provider

Review COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Requirements

Double check that your practice meets the necessary requirements to be a COVID-19 vaccine provider. There is some training, reporting, and storage unit information that may be asked of you as you go through this process. 

Enroll in COVID-19 Vaccine State and Federal Systems

There are three online platforms that all COVID-19 vaccination providers use.

  1. California Immunization Registry (CAIR2)
    CAIR2 is the State of California’s immunization information system where individuals’ vaccination data is stored. Ensure your facility is enrolled in CAIR2, has a CAIR2 ID (aka: Org Code), and is able to report vaccine doses within 24 hours of administration. You will need your organizational CAIR ID during the registration processes for the other online platforms.

    Visit the CAIR2 website if you need to enroll.

    Questions about data exchange between your electronic health record and CAIR? Visit the CAIR data exchange website or email [email protected] to reach a CAIR data exchange specialist.

    Questions? Contact your local CAIR representative, email the CAIR help desk at [email protected], or call (800) 578-7889 during business hours.

  2. myCAvax
    All vaccine providers must enroll in the myCAvax state system, the state’s COVID-19 vaccine provider management platform. Use this provider enrollment worksheet from the state to help you prepare for the questions in the myCAvax online application. If you have multiple locations that you expect to receive vaccine, you will need to register each of them in myCAvax.

    For assistance with the myCAvax enrollment process, email [email protected] or call (833) 502-1245, option 2. Additional myCAvax training is available.

  3. VaccineFinder
    COVID-19 vaccination providers are required to report their inventory once a week (every Friday by 5pm) to a national system called VaccineFinder. After completing myCAvax enrollment, you will receive information via email about creating an account in VaccineFinder’s COVID Locating Health Provider Portal.

    If you need additional VaccineFinder technical support, please email [email protected] or call (833) 748-1979.


Getting Started as a Vaccine Provider

Vaccine Provider Onboarding and Orientation Meeting

Prospective COVID-19 vaccine providers must attend a 30-minute meeting with the Public Health Department before receiving vaccine. 

Once you have completed your enrollment in the 3 required platforms, please contact us via email at [email protected] to schedule your 30-minute meeting with our team.  

Vaccine Ordering

The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department supplies vaccine following a “redistribution model,” meaning that providers request vaccine from the Public Health Department using the myCAvax platform. If approved, the vaccine request is fulfilled from our warehouse. Depending on your practice's preference and vaccination schedule, the vaccine may be delivered to your practice location or picked up from the warehouse.

Alternatively, providers that can handle the minimum order quantities set by the CDC may place orders for direct shipment by FedEx or UPS. Options for ordering will be reviewed during the 30-minute meeting with the Public Health Department to help you assess which would be best for your practice.


Vaccine Reporting

Data is very important to help the federal, state, and local health departments make informed decisions. There is also currently a County-wide health order from January 7, 2021 that guides vaccine information disclosure.

To become and continue as a COVID-19 vaccine provider, you will need to meet the following reporting requirements:

 

System Name What to Report Reports sent to…
CAIR2
  • Vaccine administration data
 State
myCAvax
  • Temperature excursions
  • Transfers and redistribution of vaccine
  • Spoiled, expired, or wasted doses
 State
VaccineFinder
  • Once a week, report of the current inventory on hand at the end of the day at the time of reporting (unless inventory is zero)
 Federal government
VAERS
  • Adverse reactions to vaccine
  • Vaccine administration errors
  • Reporting is encouraged for any other clinically significant adverse event even if it is uncertain whether the vaccine caused the event.
 Federal government

More information on California vaccine reporting requirements can be found on the CDPH website.


Understanding How to Manage and Administer Vaccines

Vaccine Management – Storage, Handling, and Inventory

A lot has changed since the COVID-19 vaccines came out in December 2020. Storing and handling COVID-19 vaccine is easier for providers. All available COVID-19 vaccines can be stored in refrigerators. This means no freezer required—ultra-low or otherwise!

For specific guidance including acceptable temperature ranges, refer to the Storage and Handling sections in the Fact Sheets for Healthcare Providers or the CDC's Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit.


Vaccine Administration

Fact Sheets for Patients

Fact sheets for recipients of the vaccine are available in place of the CDC vaccine information statements (VIS) with which you might be familiar.

 

Frequently Asked Questions for COVID-19 Vaccine Providers

    Most of my patients are already vaccinated. Why should I enroll as a COVID-19 vaccine provider?

    Vaccination continues to be the most powerful weapon in our fight against the coronavirus, especially as variants continue to evolve. COVID vaccines are not going away anytime soon and there may be additional booster doses authorized in the future. Additionally, large scale, County-sponsored vaccination efforts will begin downsizing as we return to a level of normalcy. We encourage providers to onboard as a COVID vaccine provider so they can offer the vaccine to their patients when these events occur.

    Which COVID-19 vaccines can I order after I enroll as a vaccine provider? How many doses can I order? What is the smallest amount?
    • Pfizer monovalent (primary series only) and bivalent COVID-19 vaccines available:
      • Infant/toddler Pfizer for 6 months to 4 years old
      • Pediatric Pfizer for 5 to 11 years old
      • Pfizer for 12 years and older
    • Moderna monovalent (primary series only) and bivalent COVID-19 vaccines available:
      • Infant/toddler Moderna for 6 months to 5 years old
      • Pediatric Moderna for 6 to 11 years old
      • Moderna for 12 years and older
    • Novavax for 12 years and older is also available but in limited quantities as a non-mRNA vaccine alternative.
    • The Janssen vaccine for ages 18 and above remains available in extremely limited quantities since the CDC recommends Pfizer, Moderna, or Novavax over Janssen except in very specific situations outlined in Janssen’s EUA.
    • While there is no maximum, providers are encouraged to order an amount they can reasonably administer within the “beyond use” date and/or the manufacturer’s expiration date to be good stewards of the vaccine product.
    • Providers may order a minimum of 60 doses of each vaccine from the Public Health Department.
    What is My Turn? Is it required?

    My Turn is an online platform managed by the state for clinic management, dose accountability and reporting, public scheduling, and walk-in registration for vaccine clinics. It is required only if your Electronic Health Record (EHR) is not set up for data exchange with CAIR2. Visit the MyTurn Onboarding page on the EZIZ.org/COVID website for more information.

    Should COVID-19 vaccines be stored in a refrigerator or freezer?

    Storage options vary for each vaccine. Some brands of vaccine can only be stored at refrigerated temperatures, and some may additionally be stored in a freezer or an ultra-low freezer. Acceptable temperature ranges for these storage options may vary, and expiration dates of vaccine can vary based on the storage method used. Vaccine storage and handling will be covered during provider enrollment orientation.

    For a summary of storage conditions and COVID-19 vaccine product comparison, refer to CDPH’s COVID-19 Vaccine Product Guide.

    For more information, refer to the CDC’s Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit.

    I have doses expiring soon. What do I do?

    If providers have doses that are nearing the manufacturer’s expiration date, these doses should not be disposed of preemptively. Providers should first use the supply with the soonest expiration or “beyond use” date. Doses nearing expiration may be placed on the myCAvax Vaccine Marketplace. It is important to check vaccine lot expiration dates routinely, as the manufacturers may have updated the expiration date since printing the label on the vial.

    The following tools help to check expiration dates (by manufacturer) online:

    Can we co-administer the COVID vaccine with other routine vaccines?

    Yes. COVID-19 vaccines and other vaccines, including all of those needed by children to attend school, may be administered without regard to timing. This includes simultaneous administration of COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines on the same day, as well as co-administration within 14 days.

    What if a patient received a vaccine dose or series outside of the United States?

    For more information, please refer to the CDC’s Clinical Guidance for COVID-19 Vaccination Appendix A: People who received COVID-19 vaccination outside of the U.S.

    Can immunocompromised patients who received a COVID-19 vaccine additional dose receive a first or second booster dose?

    Immunocompromised individuals 5 years of age and older who completed a 2- or 3-dose primary series for immunocompromised individuals (including what is often referred to as an "additional dose") with any authorized COVID-19 vaccine are eligible for an age-appropriate bivalent COVID-19 booster dose at least 2 months after completion of the primary series. Immunocompromised children ages 6 months to 4 years who received three doses of the Moderna monovalent COVID-19 vaccine are eligible to receive a Moderna bivalent booster dose at least 2 months later. Bivalent boosters are not recommended for immunocompromised children ages 6 months to 4 years who completed a primary series of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. 

    For further information, please visit the CDC's COVID-19 Vaccines for People Who Are Moderately or Severely Immunocompromised and Interim Clinical Considerations webpages.

    Which COVID-19 vaccine formulation should COVID-19 vaccine providers use to administer a dose to a child who transitions from a younger to older age group between their primary doses?

    People should receive the recommended age-appropriate vaccine product and dosage based on their age on the day of vaccination. If a person moves from a younger age group to an older age group during the primary series or between the primary series and receipt of the booster dose(s), they should receive the vaccine product and dosage for the older age group for all subsequent doses.

    However, FDA authorization allows for dosing options for certain age transitions for Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine as described below:

    Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine

    Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine

    When can patients with prior or current COVID-19 infection be vaccinated?

    It is safe for people with prior COVID-19 infection to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. CDC guidelines state that individuals with COVID-19 can be vaccinated as soon as they have recovered from acute illness and are able to discontinue isolation.

    Patients who received monoclonal antibody therapy for treatment, post-exposure prophylaxis, or pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 infection can be vaccinated at any time with the COVID-19 vaccine. The most updated CDC guidelines state that COVID-19 vaccination does not need to be delayed following receipt of monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma. For more information, please see the CDC’s guidelines. Vaccine providers may set their own policies for when individuals may schedule a vaccine appointment. Encourage patients to check with providers prior to scheduling an appointment. The policy for County vaccination sites can be found here.

    Clinical Management and Patient Counseling

    Educate yourself and your staff with this clinical information from the CDC about COVID-19 vaccines.

    Address patient questions and set expectations using these recommended CDC resources.

    Many patients have questions about the COVID-19 vaccines. As vaccine recipients’ most-trusted source of information on vaccines, healthcare providers play a critical role in helping their patients understand the importance of COVID-19 vaccination and when they are likely to be eligible to receive the vaccine.

    The County’s vaccine website for the public also has answers to many frequently asked questions.  See www.sccfreevax.org

    State and Federal Government COVID-19 Resources

    State of California COVID-19 vaccine activities

    U.S. federal government COVID-19 vaccine activities

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