SCHD Enhances Access to COVID-19 Vaccines for Clinics Serving Kids Under 5

With COVID-19 vaccines now approved for children under age five, some parents are facing difficulties getting young children vaccinated. Pharmacies cannot vaccinate children under three years old, and many providers serving this group are only vaccinating existing patients or are not vaccinating at all.

Some pediatric practices have expressed hesitancy to vaccinate because of concerns about wasting vaccine or lack of ultra-cold storage.

Sedgwick County Health Department can help alleviate these concerns:

• Providers can request as little as one vial of vaccine (10 doses) from SCHD through the partner portal (https://bit.ly/3I2He5C) and pick up the vaccine the next day
• Unopened vials can be safely stored at refrigerated temperatures for up to 30 days (Moderna vaccine) or 10 weeks (Pfizer vaccine).
• SCHD can pre-draw vaccine into syringes prior to pick-up. Providers can request as little as five doses of pre-drawn vaccine.
• Punctured vials and drawn syringes remain safe for up to 12 hours if kept between 2°C and 25°C. (Room temperature is about 20°C.)

Here are two examples of how clinics could request COVID-19 vaccine from SCHD:

On Monday morning, a clinic’s front-desk staff identifies six patients under five years old on the Tuesday appointment schedule. Staff completes an online request for six pre-drawn syringes from SCHD. The following morning, staff picks up the syringes, keeps them at room temperature, and clinic nurses vaccinate the six children later that day.

A different provider designates two hours on Friday afternoons to give COVID-19 vaccinations to its youngest patients. During the week, the clinic identifies nine children needing COVID-19 vaccines on Friday. Thursday afternoon, clinic staff orders one vial of vaccine from SCHD and picks it up the following morning. On Friday, the clinic vaccinates the nine children and disposes of the remaining dose.

For additional information on requesting COVID-19 vaccine through SCHD, please contact Danielle at (316) 779-1341 or email us.