Back in December 2020, the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines were approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use. Since then, thousands of U.S. citizens have received vaccine doses to help protect themselves against the novel coronavirus. The rollout is expected to continue until at least the spring of 2021.
For the first phase, retail pharmacies like Walgreens and CVS are offering vaccinations at long-term care facilities. Other companies including Costco and Walmart also offer vaccinations. To help push the vaccine distribution process forward, numerous pop-up clinics have also opened in different areas across the country. For instance, Dodger Stadium and Disneyland have both turned into massive COVID-19 vaccination sites.
All of the records for these vaccinations will eventually be entered into a state immunization registry. These registries play a crucial role in managing vaccination rates and other public health matters. Learn how these pop-up clinics are tracking vaccinations now.
General Timeline for the Vaccine Rollout
Let’s review the general strategy and timeline for the COVID-19 vaccination process.
The distribution process for COVID-19 vaccines includes four steps:
- Authorization
- Prioritization
- Allocation
- Distribution
Once a vaccine is authorized, the CDC will determine the order in which vaccines are given out. Healthcare workers and residents at long-term care facilities are currently at the front of the line for vaccines. Essential workers, adults over the age of 65, and people with high-risk medical conditions are also being prioritized for the vaccine. Most young adults are at the end of the line for vaccinations. COVID-19 vaccines are then allocated and distributed to different U.S. states and jurisdictions.
Pop-Up COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics
Pop-up clinics are starting to appear all over the country. Here’s why they are important.
In order to successfully vaccinate mass amounts of people, states are starting to open pop-up clinics. Many states, like New York, want to vaccinate tens of thousands of people a week. Many clinics are also attempting to ensure members of underserved communities are receiving the vaccine. Therefore, they’ll need to open some extra locations to help reach their goal. These community-based pop-up clinics are appearing in a wide variety of locations, including churches, cultural centers, parks, and fire stations.
In some states, community groups, rather than the state government itself, are hosting pop-up clinics to ensure the most vulnerable members of the population are vaccinated as soon as possible. Many groups also aim to ensure traditionally underserved communities that have been severely impacted by the virus receive vaccinations. Right now, the CDC is even offering tips and tools for local communities organizing these clinics. Vaccination clinics that operate in satellite, temporary, or off-site locations can reference the CDC’s best practices checklist for operational efficiency.
Connection with State Immunization Registries
The Pub Hub 2.0 connects different state immunization registries together to help physicians determine patient needs.
Any organization that offers vaccines, whether it is a pharmacy or a pop-up clinic, must submit vaccination records to their respective state immunization registry. Uploading this information allows researchers to track vaccination rates and determine the risk of an outbreak for a certain region or group of people.
If you need to access any immunization records outside of your state, you’ll need to find a platform that offers access to these external registries. The Pub Hub 2.0 offers bi-directional access to immunization registries around the country. This innovative platform is connected to every immunization registry in the country, allowing users to procure key data points about coverage rates and determine immunization needs for their own patients.
When you’re ready to implement the Pub Hub 2.0 into your organization’s workflow, you can rely on our professional team of IT experts to guide you through the entire process.
As new vaccines are made and more people are vaccinated, the country can grow closer to going back to normal. Thousands of people have already gotten both shots of their respective COVID-19 vaccine. If everything goes according to plan, most of the country will be vaccinated against COVID-19 by June 2021.
Iron Bridge offers a number of cutting-edge data integration, public health, patient access, and data aggregation solutions. As the healthcare industry continues to grow and expand, your company needs to keep up with its new demands. The team at Iron Bridge can help you stay at the forefront of the medical industry by guiding you through its innovative health IT solutions. Contact us today for more information!
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