COVID-19 Vaccination Program Operational Guidance

COVID-19 Vaccination Eligibility Guidance

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has determined that vaccination is an important tool to help stop the COVID-19 pandemic and up until now the ACIP recommendations for phased allocation have provided guidance for federal, state, and local jurisdictions while vaccine supply was limited. However, given substantial increases in the supply of vaccines, it is appropriate to transition beyond priority groups and allow broad eligibility for receipt of COVID-19 vaccines consistent with applicable Emergency Use Authorizations. The following information provides eligibility guidance for federal, state, and local jurisdictions as well as those enrolled in the federal pharmacy program.

Key Operational Considerations for Jurisdictions Planning to Operate COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics

To meet vaccination goals, jurisdictions are planning for and operating multiple, temporary, large- and small-scale vaccination sites, both fixed location and mobile, as strategies to vaccinate more of the population rapidly. This guidance provides information that informs the planning and operations of all types and sizes of vaccination clinics, including key considerations to maximize throughput at vaccination sites in large venues, drive-through vaccination clinics, and smaller-scale mobile vaccination venues. Jurisdictions can use this printable PDF to begin planning for, optimizing, and maximizing vaccinations in a variety of temporary vaccination sites.

CDC Fall Vaccination Operational Planning Guides

On June 30, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advised manufacturers seeking to update their COVID-19 vaccines to add an Omicron BA.4/5 spike protein component to the current vaccine composition to create a bivalent booster vaccine. This operational planning guide includes details about the bivalent COVID-19 booster.

CDC Novavax COVID-19 Vaccination Operational Planning Guide

On July 13, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Novavax COVID-19 vaccine for use among people ages 18 years and older for primary series vaccination. On July 19, 2022, CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended use of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine in this population. The Novavax COVID-19 vaccine is administered as a two-dose primary series, with the doses given 3 weeks apart. A limited number of doses of Novavax COVID-19 vaccine will be distributed and not all providers are expected to carry Novavax COVID-19 vaccine. This operational planning guide includes details about the anticipated Novavax product.

The COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Operational Guidance for Jurisdictions Playbook

The interim playbook serves as an interim playbook for state, territorial (including the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands [USAPI] of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau), tribal, and local public health programs and their partners on how to plan and operationalize a vaccination response to COVID-19 within their jurisdictions. The document’s sections cover specific areas of COVID-19 vaccination program planning and implementation and provide key guidance documents and links to resources to assist those efforts. Many, but not all, of the COVID-19 Vaccination Program activities described may overlap with routine activities; routine immunization and pandemic influenza program activities can serve as a foundation for COVID-19 vaccination planning.

COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Playbook for Jurisdictions Operations Annex

This companion to the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Playbook for Jurisdiction Operationspdf icon provides:

• New guidance and considerations to jurisdictions regarding when and how to transition from vaccinating initial populations of focus to reaching and increasing uptake in additional priority populations
• A framework for balancing equitable access, service delivery, and vaccine demand
• Tools for engaging priority populations and increasing vaccine confidence
• Strategies for leveraging private-public partnerships