Vaccinations

February 10, 2022

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COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility Expanded to Children 5 to 11 in Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee and RIDOH have announced that Rhode Island has expanded eligibility for COVID-19 vaccination to children 5 to 11 years of age. On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended vaccination for children in this age group with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. COVID-19 vaccine is effective and safe. Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines have been administered to hundreds of millions of people worldwide. The formulation of the vaccine for younger children was studied and reviewed extensively before federal health officials authorized its use. It was determined to be 90.7% effective against symptomatic COVID-19 disease in children 5 to 11, and no significant safety issues were identified. “The approval of the Pfizer vaccine for 5 to 11 year olds is the next big step towards protecting all Rhode Islanders from COVID-19,” said Governor Dan McKee. “With more than 90% of adult Rhode Islanders at least partially vaccinated, Rhode Island is second in the nation in vaccinations. Now, it’s time for our youngest Rhode Islanders to get vaccinated too. Together, we’ll be able to vaccinate even more of the Ocean State.” Read the full release. Where can Rhode Islanders Make Appointments for Children Age 5 to 11?

  • Find school-based vaccination clinics for children age 5 to 11 at covid.ri.gov/5to11vaccine.

  • School-based clinics and other clinics offering COVID-19 vaccines for children age 5 to 11 are also available at VaccinateRI.org.

  • For help finding COVID-19 vaccine clinics and appointments for children age 5 to 11 over the phone, please call 844-930-1779 or 211.

To learn more about Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, visit covid.ri.gov/5to11vaccinefaqs. COVID-19 Pediatric Vaccine Resources for Healthcare Providers Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children age 5 to 11 is now authorized for use and is available in Rhode Island. To help direct parents and your patient community on how to get their children vaccinated against COVID-19, please view the handout here. If you or your practice does not currently offer COVID-19 vaccine but would like to, please visit https://covid.ri.gov/vaxproviders to learn more about and to begin the enrollment process. Updates Regarding Pfizer 5 to 11 Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine Diluent The diluent provided with the Pfizer 5 to 11 pediatric vaccine may arrive in 2mL or 10mL vials. Please note:

  • Both diluent vial formats (10ml and 2ml) contain the same 0.9% sodium chloride. This is the only type of saline that should be used.

  • Pfizer 12+ purple cap needs 1.8ml of diluent per vial while the 5-11 Pfizer orange cap needs only 1.3ml.

  • Regardless of the volume of the diluent vial, it must be used ONE TIME for dilution (one puncture and then the rest is waste). THIS ONE IS EXTRA IMPORTANT. Diluent: 1 vial of diluent to 1 vial of vaccine.

  • 10ml diluent will work for BOTH Pfizer 12+ and Pfizer 5 to 11 and you may receive this format for either vaccine.

Expiration date The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for ages 5 to 11 is a new formulation. The vial has an orange cap. This formulation does NOT have an expiration printed on the vial. Instead, each vial has the lot number and date of manufacture printed on the label. Again, the date on the label is NOT the expiration date. How to tell expiration: a. For sites that receive vaccine directly from Pfizer, the expiration date is clearly stated on the packing label provided by the manufacturer. b. For sites that receive a redistribution from a RIDOH courier, the expiration date, pull time, and the use by date (which is often sooner than the manufacture expiration date because the vaccine can only be redistributed in thawed/refrigerated state) is clearly written on the Chain of Custody Form. CDC will have clinical materials to assist with tracking expiration and beyond-use dates posted soon. Pfizer Continues Training Sessions Pfizer is continuing to host daily medical updates and immunization site training for all providers. The sessions focus on emergency use authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for children 5 to 11 years old. In addition to medical updates, sessions will focus on the storage, handling, and administration for currently available vaccine presentations. These sessions will be updated to reflect new information and changes that evolve. Such updates will be identified at the start of each session and further explained during each presentation. Please click on the links below to join the sessions at the designated times.* Date & TimePasswordAttendee link – November 5 – 12 PM ET [pfizerevents.webex.com]rJSpNPts332 Attendee link – November 8 – 5 PM ET [pfizerevents.webex.com] BtJSxJqw942 Attendee link – November 9 – 5 PM ET [pfizerevents.webex.com] aRDjkmMD349 Attendee link – November 10 – 12 PM ET [pfizerevents.webex.com] QPfX8RMy8M7 Attendee link – November 11 – 12 PM ET [pfizerevents.webex.com] Tntjh4UMr55Attendee link – November 12 – 12 PM ET [pfizerevents.webex.com] mfP2vm8HhD5 Attendee link – November 15 – 5 PM ET [pfizerevents.webex.com] SUeJ7teYc45Attendee link – November 16 – 5 PM ET [pfizerevents.webex.com] ZMjtfDdn438 Attendee link – November 17 – 12 PM ET [pfizerevents.webex.com] YYkSGJGT848Attendee link – November 18 – 12 PM ET [pfizerevents.webex.com] 8ZGbRrha2f8Attendee link – November 19 – 12 PM ET [pfizerevents.webex.com] PzpX4ZPnT63 Attendee link – November 22 – 5 PM ET [pfizerevents.webex.com] YKwPs6P85cH Attendee link – November 23 – 5 PM ET [pfizerevents.webex.com]S4wspGuhN33Attendee link – November 24 – 12 PM ET [pfizerevents.webex.com]iWpzpvHh667 Before administration of the vaccine, please see full Prescribing Information (16+ years of age) [labeling.pfizer.com]and EUA Fact Sheets for Vaccination Providers: 12+ years of age [labeling.pfizer.com] (DILUTE BEFORE USE/Purple cap), 12+ years of age (DO NOT DILUTE/Gray cap) and 5 to 11 years of age (DILUTE PRIOR TO USE/Orange cap).Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) Call Focuses on Pfizer 5 to 11 Pediatric Vaccine On November 4, CDC held a COCA call to provide an overview of its recommendations and clinical considerations for administering the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination primary series in children age 5 to 11 years old. Click here to view the meeting slides. Other Headlines On November 3, Rhode Island had 294 new cases of COVID-19 and 0 deaths. As of November 4, this brings Rhode Island’s case count to 180,809. Rhode Island’s number of COVID-19 associated fatalities is now 2,881. Currently, 106 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized in Rhode Island. Review our full COVID-19 data summary for Rhode Island.RIDOH to Host Virtual Town Hall on Facebook Pediatrician Dr. Elizabeth B. Lange and RIDOH Medical Director Dr. James McDonald will host a virtual town hall on Monday, November 8 from 6 – 7 p.m. on RIDOH’s Facebook page. The topic will be COVID-19 vaccination for children 5 to 11 years old. Feel free to submit your questions in advance. Click here to view the event flyer.Testing Updates

  • All State-run COVID-19 test sites will be closed on Thursday, November 11 for Veterans’ Day. Patients can schedule a COVID-19 test before or after the holiday on portal.ri.gov or by calling 401-222-8022. Regular hours of testing will resume on Friday, November 12.

  • Some community test sites closed on November 1. These were locations that offered COVID-19 testing without appointment with assistance from the Rhode Island National Guard. RIDOH will continue to update its online weekly mobile testing calendar with community-based testing events coordinated through MedTech. If patients are looking for asymptomatic COVID-19 screening without appointment, please direct them to the location on that calendar that is closest to you. The following printable flyer has more information about COVID-19 testing options in Rhode Island: [English] [Español] [Português]

Vaccine and Science Updates

 

RemindersBiweekly Public Health Out Loud – Grand Rounds The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) together with the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University hosts a biweekly Public Health Out Loud – Grand Rounds for primary care providers. Our next call will be in two weeks, on Wednesday, November 17, from 12 to 1 p.m. To play a recording of the November 3 call, complete the evaluation, claim credit, and access the slides, visit cme-learning.brown.edu/PublicHealth. On this call, RIDOH clinical experts and invited guest experts highlighted recent provider advisories and offered updates on the topics below For your reference, we’ve included the timestamp for when each agenda item was discussed. This will allow you to locate the part of the recording you wish to listen to. Agenda

  1. Introduction, Dr. James McDonald 0:00 – 3:25

  2. Vaccine update, Anna Tomasulo 3:25 – 7:23

  3. Vaccine and science update, Dr. Philip Chan 7:23 – 16:42

  4. Testing and epi-ops update, Dr. Ailis Clyne 16:42 – 26:45

  5. Epi and COVID-19 trends update, Dr. John Fulton 26:45 – 33:42

  6. Colon Cancer Screening: Keeping up to Date, Dr. Sean Fine 33:42 – 60:22

  7. Rhode Island situational awareness, Dr. James McDonald

All other information referenced in these calls appears in this weekly Provider Briefing. Each session is designated for 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Rhode Island Specific: each session qualifies for 1 hour of risk management and cultural awareness. Find details at cme-learning.brown.edu/PublicHealth. Public Health Out Loud Podcast RIDOH’s Public Health Out Loud podcast delves into the broader public health concerns and issues facing everyday Rhode Islanders. Podcast hosts Dr. James McDonald and Dr. Philip Chan deliver accurate, light-hearted, and informative public health updates that matter to you. Information Resources

Connect with a RIDOH provider representative by email to get answers to questions related to COVID-19.