The 92d Medical Group is currently in Phase One Charlie of the Vaccination Effort, which at this time includes personnel identified by Command Teams as mission essential, authorized beneficiaries aged 65 and older, and authorized beneficiaries 16 to 64 with high risk conditions as defined by the Centers for Disease Control.  Vaccinations are provided by appointment only.  The 92d Medical Group will contact beneficiaries to book appointments.  Mission Essential personnel will coordinate vaccination appointments through their respective Command Teams.  It is important to make sure that your contact information is correct in the DEERS system which is maintained by the Military Personnel Flight.

You may contact the Military Personnel Flight at 509-247-4026. If available, beneficiaries are encouraged to receive the COVID-19 vaccination through the TRICARE Network and/or city, county, or state vaccination programs.  If you are not an eligible beneficiary 65 or older or high-risk aged 16 to 64, we respectfully ask to limit inquiries to the 92d Medical Group as we are actively focusing on following the approved DoD Prioritization Schema. If you would like to know the current status of our COVID Vaccination efforts, please call our COVID Vaccine Information Line at 509-247-2580 for updates made every duty day.

Yes. Vaccination is recommended because the duration of immunity following COVID-19 infection is unknown and the vaccine may have value in protecting previously infected people.

Yes. The intent of the vaccine is to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We will still need to wear appropriate face covings and practice physical distancing in order limit the spread of the virus. Additionally, initially, we will not have enough vaccine to vaccinate everyone who wants the vaccine and COVID-19 pandemic risks will continue. We will continue to recommend wearing masks and practicing physical distancing, for everyone, until the pandemic risk of COVID-19 is substantially reduced. We know that the vaccine is effective in preventing illness caused by a COVID-19 infection. We do not yet know if it is fully prevents asymptomatic infection and onward transmission of SARS CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

No, you maintain your priority if you later decide to take the shot.  If you initially decide not to take the vaccine, you can later change your mind and receive the vaccine.

Yes, it is important that initially, everyone continues to comply with all COVID-19 mitigation & preventive measures even after receiving the vaccine.  The more efficient we are at distributing the vaccine and the more people who accept it, the faster we’ll be able to ‘return to normal’.  The experts predict we’ll need about 70% of the population vaccinated in order to show signs of ‘herd immunity’.  The closer we get to 100%, the safer we all will be.

It will be included in your shot records, ASIMS, MHS GENESIS electronic health record, and you will receive a card specifying the vaccine you received.

Some vaccinations, such as the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines, are a two shot regimen.  A second Pfizer dose cannot be given sooner than 21 days (28 days for Moderna). The initial shot by itself can provide significant benefit and protection, while the second shot provides even greater protection. Based on what we know about other vaccines in development, it will likely also lead to longer lasting immunity.

No.  Individuals will receive both doses of the same manufacturer only.

.Vaccination distribution prioritization will focus on those providing urgent medical care, first responders, maintaining essential installation functions, deploying forces, and those at highest risk for developing severe illness from COVID-19.Once we have completed immunizing the personnel in one priority group, we will move onto the next priority group.  After the above priority groups are immunized, then we will immunize ‘healthy populations’ as soon as ample vaccine is available.


 

Your unit will inform you.

No. The vaccine will be offered on a voluntary basis. Priority populations are highly encouraged to receive the vaccine. When formally licensed by the FDA, a vaccine may become mandatory for military personnel as is the case for the influenza vaccine.

You should not be concerned about any adverse effects from the shot putting your family at risk. Current data show that about 10-15% of vaccine recipients have side effects from the COVID vaccine. These can include redness, soreness at the injection site, feeling tired, feeling generally ill and fever. It is recommended that those who have fever stay home from work and away from their family members as much as possible. That is not because of any risk from the shot, but rather, because it is possible that someone with a fever might have a different infection, completely unrelated to receiving the shot, that simply occurred at the same time as vaccine receipt. For most people, side effects from the shot last a day or two, anything longer than that could be caused by something different than the shot. If after receiving the vaccine, you still have concerns regarding side effects, you can contact your medical provider at 1-509-247-2361 or the MHS Nurse Advice Line at 1-800-TRICARE, Option 1.  For severe symptoms, contact your Primary Care Provider or go to the emergency room

To the greatest extent possible, 92d Medical Group patients, including Military family members, should get their vaccine as soon as it is available according to the priority list.

Yes, according to the DoD Population Schema, or priority list, retirees and their families who receive care at Fairchild Air Force Base will be offered the vaccine, but only after sufficient supplies are available and after medical staff, first responders, essential personnel and high risk patients have received their vaccines.

We do not know how long protection will last following vaccination but it will be critically important to measure long-term protection (at least two years) in the phase 3 trials and in other groups prioritized for early vaccination. We are still learning about the duration of protection following infection with COVID-19 and it is too early to tell how long protection will last.

Current vaccine trials have not studied the safety and efficacy for children under the age of 16 and manufacturers are not currently asking the FDA for authorization to vaccinate children. COVID-19 vaccines will not be available to children until the safety and effectiveness of these vaccines has also been fully studied in children.   The good news is that children tend to not get as sick or be as symptomatic as adults who have COVID-19, which likely factors into this decision making process at the national level. 

The Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine advocates for pregnant women receiving the vaccine. Because data on vaccine in pregnancy is limited, pregnant women should consult with their OB provider or Primary Care Provider.  We are committed to assuring that pregnant women are provided full access to the vaccine. They will be able to choose if they’d like to receive it or not.

Drugs and vaccines have to be approved or authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure that only safe and effective products are available to the American public. In situations when there is good scientific evidence that a product is safe and is likely to treat or prevent disease, the FDA may authorize its emergency use under specific circumstances. Safety and effectiveness of the vaccine are still carefully evaluated. However, the current FDA approval process is very long (generally years long), so the EUA process provides for an interim approval, on a much shorter timeline.

The distribution process is phase driven to safely protect the DoD from COVID-19 as quickly as possible and uses the same principles are being applied by the CDC and other nations. In the initial phase, a limited number of sites were selected to receive vaccine. Initial sites also allow the DoD to validate distribution and administration processes and structures and inform senior leader decisions to increase distribution and administration as vaccine manufacturing and CDC allocation permits. The phase driven approach is founded on basic medical ethics principles.

The DOD will only distribute vaccines that have been through all three Phases of vaccine trials and that have undergone sufficient review by the FDA. Vaccines and therapeutics to prevent and treat diseases are developed in stages. In Phase 1 Trials researchers test an experimental drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time. In Phase 2 Trials the experimental drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety. In Phase 3 Trials the experimental study drug or treatment is given to very large groups of people. Researchers confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the experimental drug or treatment to be used safely. Manufacturers are required to submit their raw data for the FDA to review. Safety, immune response, and efficacy data from the trial stages are submitted to the FDA before they are authorized for use and distribution.

No, it is not possible to get COVID-19 from vaccines. Vaccines against COVID-19 use inactivated virus, parts of the virus, or a gene segment from the virus. None of these can cause COVID-19.

Yes, it is very important to get the influenza vaccine early, particularly this season when both influenza viruses and COVID-19 will infect people.   Typically every year during the winter months, influenza causes many hospitalizations and deaths, especially in the very young and very old.  We have also been advised that individuals need to wait a minimum of 14 days after receiving the influenza vaccine to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. 

People who are offered the first-available vaccine are considered to be in groups that are most in need of COVID-19 protection. Vaccinated people will be protecting themselves, as well as their families and all people with whom they interact. Evaluation of the first-available vaccine will continue, even after its pre-licensure release. The release of other vaccines cannot be fully predicted, so people who are offered the first-available vaccine will be encouraged to receive this vaccine.

When a vaccine product becomes available under pre-licensure status, such as FDA Emergency Use Authorization, recipients have the option to accept or refuse the EUA product.  The Department of Defense does not independently have the authority to mandate an EUA vaccine to Service members. However, The President of the United States (POTUS) may, under certain circumstances, waive the option for members of the armed forces to accept or refuse administration of an EUA product. To date, the Department of Defense has not requested a waiver to POTUS for consideration of mandating a COVID-19 vaccine issued under an EUA to Service Members.  When formally licensed by the FDA, the COVID-19 vaccine may become mandatory for military personnel, as is the case for the influenza vaccine.

The DoD is confident in the stringent regulatory process and requirements of the FDA.  Manufacturers are required to submit their raw data for the FDA to review. Safety, immune response, and efficacy data from the trial stages are submitted to the FDA before they are authorized for use and distribution. Per FDA requirements, the DoD will be monitoring and tracking vaccine reports of vaccine side effects through various surveillance activities both internal and external to the DoD.

The Selected Reserve have been accounted for in vaccination planning and we are working with the Reserve and National Guard on this effort as well.

DoD follows the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and CDC’s recommendations as much as possible. CDC recommendations, in addition to input from Service leaders, U.S. Coast Guard, and Joint Staff resulted in the current DoD priorities for vaccination.

COVID-19 vaccination will be documented in medical records and readiness reporting systems.

The 92d Medical Group defines high risk patients as older adults and those with certain medical conditions.  The risk for severe illness with COVID-19 increases with age, with older adults at the highest risk.  Patients generally older than 65 run higher risks with those over 85 facing the highest risk.  The list for underlying medial conditions is long and includes, but is not limited to:  Diabetes (type 1 and 2), obesity, chronic kidney disease, cancer, heart conditions, COPD, weakened immune systems, smoking, asthma, sickle cell disease, high blood pressure, liver disease, chronic lung diseases.

According to the DoD priority list, high risk patients will be able to get the vaccine after medical staff, first responders and some critical military personnel have been inoculated, and ahead of the general and healthy service members and patient population.  Availabilities of the vaccine is dependent upon future deliveries and for planning purposes is expected to happen in 2021.

Concerns about rare but severe allergic reactions were sparked by recent reports that two health-care workers in Britain and two in Alaska had such reactions after being vaccinated.  As of 19 December, the CDC is reviewing six cases of anaphylaxis in people given the Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine.  Medical experts state that these rare reactions should not deter the general public from taking the vaccine, although the standard guidance is that people who receive the shot should remain for 15-30 minutes of observation if they have a history of severe allergic reactions.  Anaphylaxis can be quickly reversed with epinephrine and other medicines.  If you have a history of severe allergic reaction to another vaccine or injectable therapy, that should not necessarily preclude you from getting the shot; however, the CDC advises that you consult your doctor beforehand.