COVID-19 Mass Vaccination Planning Guide

No, COVID-19 vaccines don’t contain Satan’s microchips (and other scary conspiracy theories aren’t true either).

Vaccine distribution

• Limited COVID-19 vaccine doses may be available in December 2020.
• COVID-19 vaccine supply will increase substantially in 2021, allowing regular shipments to states.
• Vaccine providers will be required to enroll in the Illinois Comprehensive Automated Immunization Registry Exchange (I-CARE).
• Vaccine providers will be required to agree to follow CDC guidance on vaccine administration, storage, and handling by signing the CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Program Provider Agreement.
• Vaccine providers will be allocated vaccine, as it becomes available, based on the overall jurisdiction’s population size and disease burden, while ensuring equity.
• Vaccine will be delivered via the Vaccines for Children (VFC) model, shipped directly to providers, when possible.
• In the early phases of vaccine distribution for vaccines requiring ultra-cold (-80 C) temperature controls and the inability to distribute less than 975 doses, IDPH and IEMA will coordinate a centralized distribution model, by modifying the State’s Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) plan.
• Vaccine providers will be required to enroll in Vaccine Finder and report inventory daily.

Priority Groups

• It should be noted that all people are assumed susceptible to the virus.
• Initial populations prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination will be the following based on federal guidance and pending ACIP recommendations, all phases subject to change based on ACIP guidance:
  • Health Care Personnel & Residents from Long Term Care Facilities.
  • Essential frontline workers including first responders.
  • Those with high risk medical conditions and adults over 65 years of age.
• Recommendations for groups to focus on will likely change after vaccine is available, depending on characteristics of each vaccine, vaccine supply, and disease epidemiology.
• Because of the uncertainty of COVID-19 vaccine production, plans must be flexible and should include high-demand and low-demand scenarios.
  ​Note: See Section 3 “Phased Approach” for more information.

Vaccination

• Vaccination will be voluntary.
• Adequate federal funding will be available to implement a large-scale vaccination response.
• Initial doses of COVID-19 vaccine may be authorized for use under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), based on available safety and efficacy data.
• Cold chain storage and handling requirements for each COVID-19 vaccine product will vary from refrigerated (2°C – 8°C) to frozen (-20°C) to ultra-cold (-60°C to -80°C).
• Frozen and refrigerated vaccines will be shipped in 100 dose increments kitted with ancillary supplies. Ultra-cold vaccine will be shipped in 975 dose increments.
• Two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, separated by ≥21 or ≥28 days, will be needed for immunity for some vaccine candidates; It is expected that both doses of the vaccine will need to be with the same vaccine type, produced by the same manufacturer, but not the same lot of the vaccine. This will require stringent tracking of vaccine administered and patient reminders.
• Per CDC Guidance, vaccine should be provided to enough of the population to elicit herd immunity, as supply of vaccines permits.
• Vaccination will take place over many months and provided in phases, as more vaccine becomes available.
• Vaccine administration planning must reflect the four types of vaccines being manufactured:
  • mRNA – Messenger ribonucleic acid. Encodes protein of the virus, which is inserted into cells to trigger an immune response and create antibodies to the virus.
  • Nonreplicating Vector – Injecting only certain proteins of the virus to stimulate the immune system. Uses a harmless viral vector to deliver the protein into the cells.
  • Protein Adjuvant – Virus protein is packaged into a nanoparticle and delivered into cells with an adjuvant to enhance the immune response.
  • Live Attenuated – Modify the virus to be inactive but still alive. Virus can infect the cells but not replicate to cause disease.
• CDC will provide standard communication materials on the EUA for the general public, similar to the Vaccine Information Statement (VIS), and specific communication to vaccine providers on the EUA.
• Monitoring for adverse events will be necessary and important.
• Vaccine distribution for common vaccine preventable diseases will not alter from routine procedures.
• Seasonal influenza vaccine production and campaign will continue.
• Demand for the pandemic vaccine may be high throughout the response.

Originally published here.