Peer Vaccination Protocol:
- Ask 3 questions prior to administering the flu vaccine:
- Do you have a severe egg allergy?
- Have you had an allergic reaction to a prior flu shot?
- Have you had Guillian-Barré syndrome?
If the answer to any question is "yes", do not vaccinate the employee. Please refer them to the Occupational Health Clinic.
If the answer to all 3 questions is "no", give the employee a Vaccine Information Statement
- Employee under age 65? Administer 0.5ml Fluarix vaccine IM in the deltoid muscle (do not use alternate sites).
- Employee age 65 or older? Offer high-dose flu vaccine if available. Administer 0.5ml Fluad vaccine IM in the deltoid muscle (do not use alternate sites). If high-dose flu vaccine is not available and employee wants it, direct them to the Occupational Health Clinic. Note that they have the option to decline the high-dose vaccine if they prefer to receive the standard dose instead
- Activate your safety device!!!
- Document the vaccination (using the link sent to you by your manager).
- DO NOT access eStar to document vaccine given to your co-workers!!
OHC will upload the vaccine records into the occupational tracking system and eStar. Allow one week for vaccine records to all be uploaded.
After the upload, employees can view/print their vaccination record by logging in to the Health & Wellness Information Portal.
FAQ for Peer Vaccinators:
- Can pregnant women safely take flu vaccine? Yes
- Is the vaccine latex-free and thimerosal-free? All commercially supplied influenza vaccine at VUMC is now latex-free and thimerosal-free.
- Is it a live vaccine? No, injectable flu vaccine is not a live vaccine.
- Can I take flu vaccine if I am sick? Yes if you have a mild illness without fever. If you have a fever, it is best to delay vaccine until the fever is gone.
The Vaccine Information Sheet for flu season from the CDC.
