"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for two Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines, sponsored by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, and millions of vaccine doses are being distributed nationwide. Both vaccines require two doses, which are generally not interchangeable. Key to this effort, several existing and new data systems are in use to track, specifically,
where the vaccines supply is: for example, whether vaccines are in a storage center or at
a provider site, through the Vaccine Tracking System (VTrckS);
who has received a vaccine: that is, recipients who have received one or both doses of
which vaccine, through jurisdiction-based Immunization Information Systems (IIS); and
if any new safety issues occur: several monitoring systems aim to identify new safety
issues and inform public health recommendations or FDA actions.
The federal government has long supported data capabilities for vaccines, primarily through the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As with public health data generally, vaccine data systems use
both federal and nonfederal (e.g., state-based) systems. For a number of years, 64 state, territorial, and
local jurisdictions have received Immunization Cooperative Agreements (commonly referred to as
“Section 317 grants”) administered by CDC. Among other functions, this flexible grant program has
supported implementation of VTrckS for vaccine supply tracking and IISs for vaccine recipient tracking.
IISs (commonly referred to as immunization registries) enable both (1) consolidated immunization
histories for a given individual, and (2) tracking of administered vaccines across the population. IISs also
aid with vaccine reminders, including second-dose reminders. Most, but not all, jurisdictions have had
IISs. New Hampshire created one for the COVID-19 vaccination program..."
COVID-19 Vaccinations
