To successfully enroll in the COVID-19 Vaccine Provider Program, each facility must complete all required agreements and verification forms. Facilities must meet program standards for vaccine storage and handling, and review and be familiar with training requirements specific to handling and administering the COVID-19 vaccine. You must agree to report COVID-19 vaccine administration and inventory daily ,7 days a week, to the State IIS (DelVAX), plus an additional database designated by CDC according to CDC documentation and data requirements (i.e. VaccineFinder). Training opportunities will be provided for DelVAX inventory and ordering. For more information.

On Tuesday, the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) in partnership with the Medical Society of Delaware held a very well-attended conference call for physicians and practice managers to discuss the impending arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine in Delaware. State Medical Director Rick Hong, MD helped answer questions about the vaccine, the State's Vaccination Playbook, and what physicians and practices can expect. Thank you to everyone who participated and thank you the DPH for making this call a priority! To listen, click here.

Pfizer leaders will be holding an update on the COVID-19 vaccine on December 8th at 4:00 p.m. David Hering, President, Pfizer Vaccines North American and Alejandro Cane, MD, Vaccines Scientific and Medical Affairs Lead North America, will be the featured speakers. Topics covered will include information on the vaccine development program as well as the U.S. distribution plans. Read more.

Event number: 145 068 5229

Event password: t6ZJM69GP3K

Event address for attendees: https://pfizerevents.webex.com/pfizerevents/onstage/g.php?MTID=eb763a601c259a88e5428286a53100d91

Thank you to all the MSD physicians who responded to this week's request and sent in their photo wearing PPE with the completion of the sentence "I am getting the COVID-19 vaccine because..." Social media graphics have been designed and are circulating broadly and are trending very well.

The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) in partnership with MSD is hoping each of you will take a few minutes to send us your picture (ideally wearing a mask/PPE) and email the completion to the sentence "I am getting the COVID-19 vaccine because..."

To submit your photo and sentence, please email them to Mary.Fenimore@medsocdel.org. Don't forget to give us your full name as you would like it to appear.

View gallery of graphics.

Governor John Carney and the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) announced a new Stay-at-Home advisory, strongly advising all Delawareans to avoid gathering indoors with anyone outside your household from December 14 through January 11. Also issued is a universal mask mandate statewide, requiring Delawareans to wear a cloth face covering anytime they are indoors with anyone outside their immediate household. Governor Carney has recommended that Delaware schools pause in-person learning beginning December 14, transition to virtual learning through January 8, and return to hybrid learning on January 11, allowing schools to plan operationally for the second half of the 2020-2021 school year. Read more.

Health care professionals can now provide telehealth services across state lines during the COVID-19 emergency regardless of state and local prohibitions. The new allowance was released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The policy overrides any state law that bans, or effectively bans, out-of-state health care professionals from delivering coronavirus-related medical countermeasures. This is the fourth amendment to the 2020 Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) declaration to increase access to COVID-19 countermeasures. Read more.

According to the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH), Delaware has a total of 782 fatalities due to COVID-19. Yesterday reported the largest number of cases in a single day at 916 cases. The seven-day average for new daily cases is 607.7, and the seven-day average for the percentage of persons who tested positive for COVID-19 increased from 13.7% as of Nov. 26, to 20.7% as of Thursday, Dec. 3.

Aggregate K-12 School-Related COVID-19 Statistics: Delaware cumulative number of COVID-19 positive students and staff, statewide, who were in-person at a school or child care facility while potentially infectious, reported to DPH between between Nov. 26 - Dec. 3: 

Read more for additional information and an update on outbreaks in long-term care facilities.

Additional demographic data on COVID-19 cases and deaths, including race/ethnicity, more age-specific data and rates information by ZIP code, and information on Delaware's contact tracing efforts can be found on the Division of Public Health's My Healthy Community data portal. 

The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) has released important information for physicians to share with their patients regarding safety measures to take during the holiday season.

View printable flyer.

View tip sheet - English.

Register now for the next MSD Practice Management Education lunchtime webinar, Emotional Well-Being Over the Holidays, on Thursday, December 17th from noon - 1:00 p.m. For many physicians and health care professionals, the “most wonderful time of the year” can quickly turn into the most stressful time of the year. The season can bring about feelings of being overwhelmed and anxious. As the holidays draw near, it is important to prioritize your mental health and take steps to prevent the stress and depression that often descends during the holiday season.

To register.

The November/December Delaware Medical Journal (DMJ) is hot off the presses and available online for your convenience. The DMJ is one of your membership benefits! This month read:

Read DMJ.

MSD's Membership Department is pleased to announce the newest member of the Medical Society of Delaware. Welcome to the third oldest medical society in the country!

If you know someone interested in joining the Medical Society of Delaware, please contact Michelle Seymour at 302-224-4905 or Michelle.Seymour@medsocdel.org.

MSD members are afforded a seven day review period from the date of this publication to comment regarding an applicant applying for membership. Please contact Mary LaJudice at (302) 224-5183 or Mary.LaJudice@medsocdel.org with any questions or concerns.