North Carolina Association of Pharmacists 2021, Issue 1 of 12 ncpharmacists.org
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Advancing Pharmacy. Improving Health.
General News Enrollment Portal for COVID-19 Vaccine Providers NC DHHS has established the COVID-19 Vaccine Management System (CVMS). Pharmacists/Pharmacies interested in receiving and administering COVID-19 vaccine, must apply through the CVMS Provider Enrollment Portal. Any provider enrolling through the portal will be reviewed and considered for approval by the NC Immunization Branch to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. Enrollment can be initiated here. COVID-19 vaccine providers must be credentialed/licensed in North Carolina. Completing the enrollment process does not mean that once approved you will have immediate access to vaccine. NC DHHS is following a plan that currently has hospitals in Tier 1, physician practices in Tier 3, and community pharmacies in Tier 4. Access to vaccine for community pharmacies is currently estimated to occur no earlier than February or March time frame. However, pharmacists can complete their enrollment and the training of
their staff to prepare for rollout once the supply of vaccine is more plentiful and it begins being distributed to community pharmacies. Please visit the North Carolina Immunization Branch COVID-19 training website for Provider Enrollment Portal training content. NC COVID-19 Status and First Case of Variant Strain As of early this week, 99 of 100 North Carolina counties’ COVID alert status is either red (86) or orange (13). Some important COVID-19 statistics for our state: 13.3% Test Positivity Rate; number currently hospitalized is 3,368; to date 8,776 deaths, and 630,734 people have received the first dose of the vaccine. On January 23, the NC Department of Health and Human Services reported the first case of the COVID-19 variant (B.1.1.7), which was first detected in the United Kingdom in December. In the United States, there have been 195 cases, of this variant strain, reported in 21 states. The case in North Carolina was in an adult from Mecklenburg County. Early data suggest this variant may be more contagious, but still susceptible to the approved
COVID-19 vaccines. The arrival of the variant at the same time that we are experiencing very high COVID-19 case numbers, emphasizes vigilance in adhering to social distancing, washing your hands and wearing a mask. Also, North Carolina’s Modified Stay at Home order is still in effect, until further notice. What Clinicians Should Know About the Second Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine The recommended dosing intervals for the 2-dose mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are 21 days for Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine and 28 days for Moderna’s. Some vaccination clinics are scheduling dose #2 appointments up to 4 days early (i.e., at 17 days) for Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine, and as early as 24 days for Moderna’s. COVID-19 vaccines are not recommended to be administered at shortened intervals. The CDC immunization guidelines allow for a “4-day grace period.” This means that if a vaccine dose is inadvertently administered earlier than the recommended time, then, according to CDC, that dose can still be counted as valid. However, the 4-day grace period is not recommended to be used
NCAP E-News Issue 1 of 12 Page 1