COVID vaccine distribution (shots in the arms) is being organized at a state level. Per the CDC, each state has identified the COVID Vaccine point of contact within the state. If you do not know who that is, I would highly recommend you reach out to your state’s office of Rural Health and they should be able to tell you who within the state government is responsible for COVID vaccine administration.I cannot emphasize enough that each has developed a COVID vaccine distribution plan for that state and it will vary from state-to-state so it is imperative that you work through your state. Most states appear to be using some form of a registry whereby individual providers enroll with the state to be approved for COVID vaccine administration. This allows the state to track distribution, administration and collect patient data for the second round of vaccine administration. In addition, the registry allows the state to be sure you have the necessary storage capability for the vaccines to prevent waste or spoilage.
Depending on the type of vaccine, it comes in vials of five or 10 doses per vial. Once a vial has been prepared, you have a limited amount of time (approx. 6 – 8 hours) in which to administer the vaccine before it spoils. So the state will also want assurances that you have the capability to administer the vaccines you will receive in order to avoid waste or spoilage.
If you are approved by your state for COVID vaccine administration, you will be notified as to when to expect a shipment generally a few days in advance of it arriving at your clinic. Each state has developed a prioritization for whom the vaccines should go and you will be asked to administer the vaccines based on that priority designation. Each state has developed their own schedule so you need to know your state’s priorities and not rely on national media accounts.
I have been told by those RHCs that have received vaccines that they generally have been notified a few days in advance of the date of an allocation, the type of vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) and when to expect it’s arrival. This allows the site to schedule appointments for vaccine administration either at the RHC or an offsite location that can handle larger numbers of people.
Hope this helps.
Bill Finerfrock
bf@capitolassociates.com