New Vaccine Program Targets 60+, Pfizer Vaccine Storage Options May Expand
Feb. 23, 2021
State Accepting Applications for Targeted Vaccination Program
The Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS) and the Protect Michigan Commission released application materials today for special vaccination and outreach projects focusing on people ages 60 and older in communities with the highest percentile of the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) and high COVID mortality rates.
The application allows applicants to apply for up to 2,500 doses. Doses of vaccine would be provided to federally COVID-enrolled providers and their partners who have specific plans to remove barriers to access to vaccination for people aged 60 and up. MDHHS’s goal is to complete review of applications and order processing in time for vaccine to be in the hands of successful applicants on March 9 and March 10, 2021.
Letters of application should be emailed by 5 p.m., Monday, March 1, 2021. Applications should be succinct, descriptive and no longer than 3 pages (not including letters of support, diagrams or other supplementary material). All questions about this application should be sent to MDHHS-VaccineOutreach@michigan.gov.
Pfizer: Vaccine May Be Stable at More Common Temps
Pfizer has submitted new data to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) demonstrating the stability of the vaccine when stored at -25C to -15C, temperatures more commonly found in pharmaceutical freezers. The data submitted to the FDA is to support a proposed update to the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) Prescribing Information.
If approved, the update would allow for vaccine vials to be stored at these temperatures for a total of two weeks, as an alternative or complement to storage in ultra-low temperature freezers.
