COVID-19 Vaccine Information for Health Care Providers

Washington State COVID-19 Information

• Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine
• COVID-19 vaccine toolkits and resources 
• Healthcare provider resources & recommendations

COVID-19 Vaccine Resources for Providers

• Pregnancy and the COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit (PDF) | Spanish
• Provider/Partner Discussion Guide: Building COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence Before, During and After Pregnancy (PDF) | Spanish
• Discussion guide for building confidence in COVID-19 vaccines for immigrants and refugees (PDF) (Additional Languages)
• Discussion guide for homeless service providers (PDF)
• Provider discussion guide: building confidence in COVID-19 mRNA vaccines (PDF)
• Provider discussion guide: building confidence in the COVID-19 Novavax vaccine (PDF)
• Provider discussion guide: building parental/guardian confidence in COVID- 19 vaccine (PDF) 
• Interactive COVID-19 vaccine conversations module for healthcare professionals (CDC)
• COVID-19 vaccine conversations with patients (CDC)
• Communication Card (PDF)
• Vaccine product characteristics table (PDF) 

Frequently Asked Questions

Who should get an additional dose of the COVID-19 vaccines?

You can find more information on additional doses for immunocompromised people in CDC's interim clinical considerations for COVID-19 vaccines.

What ages are the vaccines recommended for?

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended the following age groups to receive vaccine:

• Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine: 6 months and older
• Moderna vaccine: 6 months and older
• Novavax: 12 years and older

Can people who are pregnant, lactating, or planning to become pregnant get the vaccine?

Yes, data show that COVID-19 vaccines are safe during pregnancy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) recommend the COVID-19 vaccine for people who are pregnant, lactating, or planning to get pregnant.

Some studies show that a vaccinated parent can even pass antibodies against COVID-19 along to their baby through pregnancy and lactation. Unvaccinated pregnant people who get COVID-19 are at increased risk of severe complications like preterm birth or stillbirth. In addition, people who get COVID-19 while pregnant are two to three times more likely to need advanced life support and a breathing tube.

You can read more about the recommendation from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and refer to resources on this list from ACOG. Find more resources for you and your patients with the Pregnancy and COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit.

Are there any restrictions on who can receive the vaccine?

Generally, the COVID-19 vaccines should not be given to anyone who is under the authorized age or has a history of severe allergic reactions to an ingredient or previous dose of the COVID-19 vaccines.

Pfizer-BioNTech

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine should not be given to anyone:

• Under 6 months of age
• Outside of the appropriate age dose
• With a history of severe or immediate allergic reactions to an ingredient of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, such as polyethylene glycol or polysorbate
• Who had a severe or immediate allergic reaction to their first dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna)

Moderna

The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine should not be given to anyone:

• Under 6 months of age
• Outside of the appropriate age dose
• With a history of severe or immediate allergic reactions to an ingredient of the Moderna vaccine, such as polyethylene glycol or polysorbate
• Who had a severe or immediate allergic reaction to their first dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna)

Novavax

The Novavax vaccine currently should not be given:

• To anyone under the age of 12 years old until further research can support its use in that age category. 
• Outside the appropriate age dose.
• To anyone with a history of myocarditis or pericarditis.

See the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' (ACIP) interim clinical considerations for COVID-19 vaccines for more information.

Should I administer the vaccine to patients with a history of allergies?

The COVID-19 vaccines should not be given to people with a known history of severe allergic reaction, such as anaphylaxis, to any ingredient or a previous dose of the COVID-19 vaccines.

People who have had a severe allergic reaction to other vaccines or injectable therapies may still be able to receive this vaccine. However, providers should do a risk assessment and counsel them about the potential risks. If the patient decides to get the vaccine, providers should observe them for 30 minutes to monitor for any immediate reactions. People who report having mild or childhood allergic reactions to medications or vaccines may still get the vaccine.

Can patients receive both COVID-19 and other routine vaccines at the same time on the same day?

Yes. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) changed their recommendations on May 12, 2021. You can now administer COVID-19 vaccines and other vaccines to patients without regard to timing of most other routine vaccines.

Does the COVID-19 vaccine work against variant strains?

COVID-19 vaccines are working well to prevent severe illness, hospitalization, and death, even against variants. However, public health experts are seeing reduced protection against mild and moderate COVID-19 illness, especially among-high risk populations.

The updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines were created to help boost immunity and provide better protection from the omicron variant. It’s important to get all recommended doses available for best protection. Receiving an updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine can restore protection and provide enhanced protection against the variants currently responsible for most infections and hospitalizations in the United States.

Vaccination is the best protection against COVID-19 illness.

How quickly is someone protected from COVID-19 after receiving the vaccine?

It will take about two weeks after someone receives a COVID-19 vaccine dose to have maximum protection. Protection may wane over time, so it’s important to stay up to date with all doses recommended to you.

What is the recommended dosage and schedule?

The CDC recommends everyone 6 months and older get at least one dose of updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine. People 6 months and older who are moderately to severely immunocompromised who previously received an updated 2024-2025 vaccine dose have the option to receive 1 or more additional updated 2024-2025 doses at least 2 months after their last dose.

Protection may wane over time, so it’s important to get any recommended doses on time.

• COVID-19 Vaccine Immunization Schedule (PDF) (CDC)
• COVID-19 Vaccine Product Characteristics Chart (PDF)

Can I use any extra doses in the vaccine vials?

You may find that some vials contain extra doses. You can use every full dose you can get from the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccine vials. However, you should be sure to:

• Maintain the dilution concentration of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. See the Pfizer-BioNTech diluent poster (PDF) for more information.
• Discard any amount of vaccine remaining in the vial that is less than a full dose. Do not pool liquid from multiple vials to create a dose.

If you administer extra doses, you will need to reconcile your inventory in the Washington State Immunization Information System (WAIIS). We recommend you do this every Tuesday for accurate reporting. If you use an electronic health record (EHR) to input data into the WAIIS, you may need to reconcile more often. Instructions are available in the extra dose reconciliation guide (PDF).

Why should minors get vaccinated against COVID-19?

Since the beginning of the pandemic, over 15 million children in the United States have gotten COVID-19. New COVID-19 variants are more dangerous and infectious to children than the original strains and led to peak COVID-19 hospitalizations among youth.

While COVID-19 is often milder in children than adults, children can still get very sick and spread it to friends and family who are immunocompromised or vulnerable in other ways.

Children who are infected with COVID-19 can develop “long COVID-19” or persistent symptoms that often include brain fog, fatigue, headaches, dizziness and shortness of breath. Vaccination is the best way to keep kids healthy and safe.

Children who get infected with COVID-19 may be at greater risk for Multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C). MIS-C is a condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. While it is still unknown what causes MIS-C, many children with MIS-C had COVID-19 or had been around someone with COVID-19. MIS-C can be serious, even deadly, but most children diagnosed with this condition have gotten better with medical care.

• Building Parental/Guardian Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccination discussion guide (PDF) 

What can I do as a provider to support COVID-19 vaccinations for youth?

COVID-19 vaccine providers can help youth get their COVID-19 vaccine by:

• Listening to your patient's concerns and answering their questions with empathy. You can use the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine discussion guide (PDF) and the provider discussion guide: building parental/guardian confidence in COVID- 19 vaccine (PDF) for tips.
• Clearly stating your available vaccine types during the scheduling process, on the registration form, and at the clinic site. The current vaccines available for youth are:
  • Three doses of 2024-2025 Pfizer-BioNTech - 6 months- 4 years
  • One dose of 2024-2025 Pfizer-BioNTech - 5 years and older
  • Two doses of 2024-2025 Moderna - 6 months- 4 years
  • One dose of 2024-2025 Moderna - 5 years and older
  • Two doses of 2024-2025 Novavax - 12 years and older and unvaccinated
  • One dose of 2024-2025 Novavax – 12 years and older and previously vaccinated
     
• Making your consent process clear during the scheduling process. Provide any necessary forms and let youth know what they need to bring to confirm consent. You should include if your organization:
  • Requires an authorized adult to provide consent in person for the vaccine
  • Applies the Mature Minor Doctrine
  • Accepts consent from school nurses and school counselors for minors who are unhoused through the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act
• Offering incentives to compensate youth for their time.
• Asking youth to outreach to other youth. They'll be more likely to trust and listen to their peers. You can also get their input on how your clinic could better serve youth. If youth have a good experience with a provider, they are more likely to come back and more likely to tell their friends about it.

What should I do if I accidentally give a child between ages 5 and 11 the adult dose of COVID-19 vaccine?

  If a child receives adult COVID-19 vaccine, do not repeat dose. See the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's clinical considerations for more information.

Questions?

General questions can be sent to covid.vaccine@doh.wa.gov. Any media inquiries can be sent to doh-pio@doh.wa.gov.

You can also subscribe to the bi-weekly Vaccines for Respiratory Illnesses Newsletter on GovDelivery.