As State Deaths Tops 5,000, Third Vaccine is Approved

Vashon Emergency Operations Center COVID-19 Pandemic Situation Report

March 11, 2021 10:55 am
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THE VIRUS

Virus statistics: Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC) reports 108 positive cases of COVID-19 on Vashon since the pandemic began. That’s an increase of two in the number of cases since last week’s edition. Three Vashon residents have died from COVID-19 related illnesses.

VASHON VACCINATION AVAILABILITY

The overview: Vaccination availability for this week has been low compared to previous weeks, and the two active vaccination operations on the island have been working mostly from stocks of vaccine leftover from the previous week. Both vaccinators say they will be meeting commitments for second doses. The two operations have been able to vaccinate a large percentage of newly eligible education and daycare employees this week.

Educators/child care workers: As of the beginning of this week, nearly 300 teachers, para-educators and other staff of schools and licensed child care facilities on Vashon had received their first dose of vaccine. The Vashon Pharmacy drive-through site and the Sea Mar clinic at Sunrise Ridge both had very active outreach efforts that helped reach a total of 300. Even though new vaccine doses are not arriving in quantity, the success of a large number of educators’ vaccinations was made possible because Vashon’s tier 1b1 vaccination progress is very high, leaving extra vaccine doses available to help cover the needs of the newly eligible category of education and childcare employees. Over the last week, a steady stream of education and childcare employees were being served at the drive-through site, brought in by outreach to the School District, Harbor School, Vashon Wilderness Program, Camp Sealth, Camp Burton and perhaps a dozen others. The Sea Mar clinic has been working especially closely with the School District, administering well over 100 vaccinations to that group in just one week.

Overall vaccination progress: The data dashboard compiled by Public Health — Seattle and King County (PHSKC) shows more than one-third of the island’s population over age 16 has received at least one dose of vaccine. According to the PHSKC tabulation, more than 97% of Vashon seniors aged 65 and over have received at least one dose. Other areas of King County are beginning to catch up with Vashon but their vaccination rates remain far below the comparable statistics for Vashon.

Vashon Pharmacy: The Pharmacy did not expect to receive any new vaccine doses this week, likely because the vaccination rate on Vashon has climbed to a very high level for the currently eligible group and vaccine doses are being allocated by the state to other areas instead to help them catch up. Vashon’s second dose needs were being met. The vaccination appointment online portal was opened for a limited time for first doses earlier this week.

Sea Mar at Sunrise Ridge: The clinic at Sunrise ridge currently had no plans to hold any public vaccination clinic in the coming week but Sea Mar has been receiving small batches of the vaccine on an irregular schedule, so that could change.

Three providers: VashonBePrepared continues to support the three providers who are approved by the state to do vaccinations on Vashon. They are Vashon Pharmacy, Sea Mar at Sunrise Ridge, and Vashon Natural Medicine. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) recommends that you check the following four websites to see if there is updated information: VashonBePrepared.org/COVID-Vaccine; VashonPharmacy.com/covid; SeaMar.org/covid-vaccine; VashonNaturalMed.com

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTS

Dates for next vaccine tiers: Gov. Jay Inslee and the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) have set dates for moving to the next phases of COVID-19 vaccine eligibility. Vaccine supplies have been tight but DOH is seeing federal vaccine allocations increase each week. The Governor and DOH anticipate that the allocation to the state will support the new timeline. These dates are tentative and subject to change based on vaccine supply and demand.• Phase 1a and 1b1 are currently open and have been expanded to include educators and staff.

• Phase 1b2 opens March 22 for critical workers in certain congregate settings and people age 16 or older who are pregnant or have a disability that puts them at higher risk.

• Phase 1b3 opens April 12 for people with 2 or more co-morbidities age 50 or older. It expands to persons 16 and older with 2 or more comorbidities on April 26 along with phase 1b4; people who live in congregate housing, and staff and volunteers who work in congregate settings not covered in 1b2.

Third Vaccine Advances in West: Gov. Jay Inslee announced the authorization of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine by the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup. “The Workgroup’s authorization gives us further confidence around the safety and efficacy of the J & J vaccine,” Inslee said. “Like the other two, this vaccine offers strong protection against serious illness from COVID-19, which is critical in our fight against this deadly virus. “With the delivery of the J & J vaccine this week and the overall increase in the number of vaccine doses coming to Washington, we have increased our capacity to get the vaccine to all parts of the state. We are making good progress on vaccination rates, and this third vaccine will help our efforts to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible.”

State Deaths Top 5,000: Over 5,000 Washington residents have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Gov. Jay Inslee issued a statement: “As we recognize the loss of 5,000 Washingtonians to COVID-19, let us both mourn for the families who have lost loved ones and be thankful for the Washingtonians who have pitched in to prevent further passing. At the same time, it is fitting and proper to be thankful for the efforts of our citizens to fight COVID-19. Our residents have kept each other safe. If we had suffered the same death rate as other states, such as South Dakota, we would be mourning 11,000 additional Washingtonians right now. Washingtonians do right by each other.”

Veterans Get Shots: The Veterans Administration (VA) is offering the COVID-19 vaccine to Puget Sound area veterans already receiving care from the VA. Veterans of the Puget Sound area who are enrolled in the VA system — no matter their age, health or living situation — can now get a COVID-19 vaccine at VA Puget Sound Health Care Systems facilities. VA vaccines are administered only by appointment; no walk-in vaccinations will be accepted. Veterans now eligible to receive a vaccine may call 206-716-5716 to schedule a vaccination. The VA COVID Vaccine Hotline, 206-277-4040 (recorded message only), is updated daily with current vaccine availability. Veterans who are not enrolled or do not currently receive care at VA can visit VA’s Eligibility web page to learn more at va.gov/health-care/eligibility.

EMERGENCY OPERATIONS

Emergency Operations Center (EOC): The EOC and other elements of our island emergency response coalition were activated in response to the pandemic emergency on March 12, 2020. That was 11 months and 22 days ago (359 days). Four operational priorities established by the Incident Commander, Fire Chief Charlie Krimmert, and approved by the VashonBePrepared Board, continue to guide our work: health, food security, housing security and economic recovery.

Vaccination Operations: A major change in vaccination group eligibility and a forecast improvement in vaccine supply has been driving a series of action steps in anticipation of a coming need to maintain and potentially increase vaccination capacity.• Expansion of group 1b1 to educators and staff at schools and licensed child care facilities required adjustments in the Vashon Pharmacy drive-through vaccination appointment portal, and an outreach program to help the new 1b1 group members access it.

• Forward planning has begun for a major increase in vaccination demand now that Governor Inslee has announced future dates for vaccine eligibility and supply, beginning with a move to group 1b2 on March 22, and continuing through April with the remaining members of phase 1b.

• Study of siting and traffic flow options continues in order to sustain the drive-through vaccination at its current base, or possibly at a new site. Multiple factors are in play, including the availability of a parking area for checking in arriving patients, vaccine storage, potential increased throughput capacity, and more.

• Preparations continue for a public education effort that will be aimed at reaching the hundreds of island residents who will be entering vaccination eligibility for the first time over the next two months.

EOC Team/Community Care Team/Spiritual Resources Group: As the one year anniversary of our activation approaches, several steps are underway to mark the milestone, including the Gratitude Project to thank volunteers with community thank you cards, and a commemorative memento page to be published in The Beachcomber newspaper.

Volunteers: Hours contributed by volunteers in the VashonBePrepared coalition continue to run at a high level. For the most recent reporting period, 45 volunteers contributed 664 hours of work to VashonBePrepared’s pandemic emergency response. That brings the total contributed hours to almost 24,700 since the activation began. At the FEMA reimbursement grant rate of $31.72/hour, VashonBePrepared volunteers have logged more than $783,000 of in-kind value available to be applied to the 25% match requirement for reimbursement grants. VashonBePrepared gives thanks as well for the many hours of extra work logged during the pandemic in support of the Vashon community, by the staff and volunteers at local social services agencies.

ABOUT

This information is compiled from the Situation Reports produced by the EOC Situation Section and provided to The Beachcomber to help islanders stay informed and safe. To receive reports and other emergency information emails, go to VoiceofVashon.org/alertsignup.