Peer Vaccination Protocol:
- Ask 2 questions prior to administering the flu vaccine:
- 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 both 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 Fluad vaccine if available. Administer 0.5ml Fluad vaccine IM in the deltoid muscle (do not use alternate sites). If Fluad vaccine is not available and employee wants it, direct them to the Occupational Health Clinic. Note that they have the option to decline the Fluad 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.
