On Monday May 10, 2021, the FDA amended the December 11, 2020 emergency use authorization (EUA) of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine authorized for use in adolescents 16 or older to include adolescents 12 -15 years of age.   The FDA has determined that Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine has met the statutory criteria to amend the EUA, and that the known and potential benefits of this vaccine in individuals 12 years of age and older outweigh the known and potential risks, supporting the vaccine’s use in this population.  

Pediatric Practices who have not already signed up for the COVID-19 Vaccine Management System (CVMS) should have received an email from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) with important updates on the COVID-19 vaccine program.  See below for more details. 

On April 16th, 2021 NC Department of Health and Human Services hosted a webinar to announce the new allocations process for the COVID-19 vaccine.  North Carolina will be shifting to a new allocations process where providers are asked to request the number of first doses of vaccine they would like for the coming week. Click here to download PDF of webinar slides.

Out of an abundance of caution, the CDC and FDA announced a recommendation [ncdhhs.us4.list-manage.com] to pause use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Therefore, NCDHHS is following the recommendation of the CDC and FDA and has asked vaccinating providers to pause the administration of the J&J COVID-19 vaccine until we learn more.   

On Monday March 15, 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the Medicare reimbursement for administration of the COVID-19 vaccine would nearly double. 

Online module available to the public for statewide use

The Northwest AHEC Practice Support team is committed to bringing you up to date COVID-19 information and resources. Please send any questions or updates on blog content to Tamela Yount, MSHAI, PCMH CCE.

NCDHHS Launches New Vaccine Tools 

NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, MD stated the Goal for North Carolina's Vaccine Program is to vaccinate as many people as quickly and equitably as possible, although supplies of the vaccine remains limited.  

North Carolinians have new tools to find out if they are eligible to get their vaccine and where to go to receive it. 

North Carolina’s COVID-19 Vaccination Plan builds on the foundation of the state’s overall goals and
pillars of response to the pandemic: Prevention, Testing, Tracing, Isolation and Quarantine. North
Carolina took early and aggressive action to slow the spread of the virus, built statewide capacity for
testing, PPE supplies and contract tracing, developed hospital surge plans, and promoted aggressive prevention strategies. Check out the full NCDHHS Vaccine Plan