Guidance for COVID-19 vaccine providers

Review guidance for safe and efficient administration of COVID-19 vaccine.

Table of Contents

Massachusetts COVID-19 Program (MCVP) agreements have ended

With the authorization of the updated 2023-2024 mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Moderna and Pfizer) and their availability for private purchase in the commercial marketplace, the Massachusetts COVID-19 Program (MCVP) Agreements will be discontinues, resulting in all signed MCVP Agreements being considered null and void.  

 If your site is already enrolled in the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program (currently order and receive state-supplied pediatric vaccines), you will not need to complete any additional steps in order to receive pediatric COVID-19 vaccines. Current VFC enrolled sites will start seeing COVID-19 vaccines as one of the vaccine ordering options once the formulations become available for routine ordering.   

If your site is not currently enrolled in the VFC Program and would like to continue to receive COVID-19 vaccine for patients aged 18 years or younger, your site will need to enroll in the VFC Program and follow all programmatic guidelines detailed in the Guidelines for Compliance with Federal Vaccine Administration Requirements. If your site has questions on how to enroll in the VFC Program, please contact the Vaccine Management Unit at (617) 983-6828 or dph-vaccine-management@mass.gov.  

Additionally, there is a subset of public provider sites (local health departments, community health centers, Indian health services, county jails, state-sponsored mobile vendors) that are eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines to administer to uninsured and underinsured adults, as part of the federal COVID-19 Vaccine Bridge Access Program (BAP). Providers that are eligible to take part in the BAP have received additional instructions by the Vaccine Management Unit. 

COVID-19 2023-2024 vaccine recommendations

Everyone 6-months and older is recommended to get at an updated 2023–2024 (monovalent, XBB containing) COVID-19 vaccine to protect against the potentially serious outcomes of COVID-19 illness.  

Updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccines are now available. 

Reporting of vaccine adverse events

Adverse events that occur in a recipient following COVID-19 vaccination should be reported to VAERS. Vaccination providers are required by FDA and the provider agreement for the CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Program to report the following that occur after any COVID-19 vaccination: 

  • Vaccine administration errors whether or not associated with an adverse event 
  • Serious adverse events, irrespective of attribution to vaccination 
  • Cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS) in adults and children 
  • Cases of myocarditis 
  • Cases of pericarditis 
  • Cases of COVID-19 that result in hospitalization or death 

Reporting is encouraged for any other clinically significant adverse event, even if it is uncertain whether the vaccine caused the event. Information on how to submit a report to VAERS is available at vaers.hhs.gov or by calling 1-800-822-7967. 

Resources for healthcare professionals

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