Vashon Emergency Operations Center COVID-19 Pandemic Situation Report

Here’s what you need to know about March 9 through March 15.

March 18, 2021 1:30 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 case count means there has been no increase since last week’s edition. Three Vashon residents have died from COVID-19 related illnesses.

VASHON VACCINATION AVAILABILITY

The overview: No new vaccine shipments were expected for Vashon this week. A very limited number of first-dose vaccinations will be available for new Tier 1b2-eligible individuals, using leftover vaccine stock. The need for new vaccine shipments will increase going forward, now that the Governor has opened vaccine eligibility to 1b2 individuals, the next tier of eligibility.

Overall vaccination progress: The data dashboard published by Public Health — Seattle & King County (PHSKC) continues to show Vashon as more vaccinated than all other communities in the county. The general population on Vashon aged 16+ is about 39% vaccinated. The vaccination rate of the island’s seniors, aged 65+, rose slightly to about 108%. As this impossible statistic demonstrates, a number more than 100%, it is quite challenging to conduct accurate counts of vaccination percentages. Still, it essentially makes clear that the island has reached the vaccination saturation point for the 65+ age group.

Educators/child care workers: Since the addition of this population to the Tier 1b1-eligible group, hundreds of employees of Vashon schools and licensed child care facilities have been vaccinated. It appears that most of this group that wanted vaccinations have received them through the Vashon Pharmacy drive-through clinic or the Sea Mar clinic.

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

Vashon Pharmacy: The Pharmacy’s request for vaccines for this week was denied by the state Department of Health, probably because Vashon already has the highest vaccinated rate in King County according to PHSKC. However, the Pharmacy was hoping to open up the online appointment portal to use up some leftover doses from previous shipments.

Vaccination Tier 1b2 rules: On March 17, at the order of the Governor, the next vaccination tier was opened. The Pharmacy added two questions to its appointment form, in order to conform to the 1b2 requirements. Failure to conform to the requirements could cause the state to cut off vaccine shipments to a provider. The two new questions ask: 1) are you a critical worker, and 2) do you work in a congregate setting?

  • The list of critical worker categories is quite broad, and jobs are very specifically described. To find out if you qualify, you can check the list published by the state Department of Health online.
  • To evaluate whether you qualify as a worker or resident in a congregate setting, you will be asked if your situation fits this definition from the Washington State Department of Health: “An environment where individuals work and/or reside in an enclosed space and where they are interacting with a high volume of people over an extended period of time and not able to consistently maintain physical distance.”

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

Phase Three of reopening coming: Phase 3 of the state’s Roadmap to Recovery plan will begin statewide on March 22. Phase 3 allows up to 50% occupancy or 400 people maximum, whichever is lower, for all indoor spaces. This applies to all industries and indoor activities currently allowed; restaurants, gyms and fitness centers and movie theaters, among others, may all increase their capacity.

Open season vaccination in May: President Joe Biden announced that he will direct states to make all adults, ages 18 and up, eligible for the coronavirus vaccines by May 1. Biden commented on the importance of getting vaccinated: “If we do all this, if we do our part, if we do this together, by July 4th there’s a good chance you, your families and friends will be able to get together in your backyard or your neighborhood and have a cookout and a barbecue and celebrate Independence Day.”

Long term care guidelines changing: The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services says it is working on changes to the state’s reopening plan for long-term care facilities, following federal guidance issued last Wednesday stating that nursing homes may resume visits for all residents. The federal guidance, however, doesn’t change states’ individual restrictions, and Vashon Community Care indicates it is still studying the new guidance.

Extended unemployment benefits: Unemployment benefits are being extended and enhanced by the American Rescue Plan Act. If you are receiving regular Unemployment Insurance (UI), Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), or Extended Benefits (EB), you are automatically eligible for Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), plus $300/week Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) through the week ending 09/04/2021. For assistance with unemployment or tax issues, contact deborah@vashonbeprepared.org or (206) 200-3236.

Lower health insurance costs: Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler said that President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) will expand access to free and low-cost health insurance for over 200,000 people in Washington. “Despite the progress made under the Affordable Care Act, we know that too many families have struggled to afford critical health coverage, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Kreidler. Of the more than 224,000 people who selected a plan during the last open enrollment, 62% qualified for a subsidy to help with premium costs. Subsidies are available to people based on their income but now the income caps to gain access have been lifted. In the past, subsidies were only available for people earning between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level ($26,200 to $104,800 annual income for a family of four). The American Rescue Plan Act reduces the percentage of income that people must pay toward their health coverage and removes for two years the cap on income to qualify for premium subsidies.

Governor requires some classroom teaching: Gov. Jay Inslee issued an emergency proclamation that requires Washington’s K-12 school districts to offer students at least some opportunity for in-person learning in April. Under the pending order, K-6 students statewide must be allowed an opportunity for hybrid instruction — a mix of remote and in-person teaching — by April 5. The remainder of the students are to have hybrid learning by April 19. Also, by April 19 all school districts will be required to hold at least 30% of their weekly average instructional hours as in-person, on-campus instruction for all K-12 students.

The Brazil variant arrives: The UW Medicine Virology Lab informed Public Health – Seattle & King County that it detected the presence of the P.1 variant, first identified in travelers from Brazil, in a COVID-19 test sample originating in King County. The P.1 strain contains a number of mutations, including ones that seem to make it less vulnerable to our bodies’ immune response. Viruses mutate all the time, and numerous strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that cause COVID-19 have been identified around the world. Experts believe the threat of variants increases the need to reduce transmission and increase vaccination to decrease the opportunities for these and other variant strains to develop and spread.

EMERGENCY OPERATIONS

Emergency Operations Center (EOC): It has been one year since the EOC and other elements of our island emergency response coalition were activated in response to the pandemic emergency, March 12th, 2020. Our four operational priorities were put in place shortly after activation, established by the Incident Commander, Fire Chief Charlie Krimmert, and approved by the VashonBePrepared Board. Those priorities continue to be health, food security, housing security and economic recovery.

Vaccination operations: The operational terrain has shifted in significant ways in the last week:

  • The Vashon Pharmacy drive-through vaccination operation will stay at its present location with check-in/staging at the Vashon Theatre parking lot, and the injection and post-vaccination observation taking place in the parking area behind the Pharmacy.
  • The analysis of alternative sites has developed several potential backup locations if a move should become necessary and has provided a good experience for future unknown disaster response needs, particularly in working with Vashon Center for the Arts.
  • The operational days for the drive-through and volunteer service scheduling for MRC and CERT continue to be fluid, dependent on the supply of vaccine in state allocations to the island.
  • The Governor’s decision to advance the vaccination eligibility window by one week to March 17 for vaccination Tier 1b2 category patients required schedulers to customize their systems to optimize use of the small number of vaccine doses remaining in stock since no additional vaccine will be coming to the Pharmacy next week.

Future: A working group is being formed to study how the new stimulus plan signed into law by President Biden last week will apply to the people of Vashon. The EOC Team and VashonBePrepared will be assessing ways to advise Vashonites, nonprofits, and businesses on how they may take advantage of the benefits put in place by the new plan.

Community Care Team/Spiritual Resources Groups (CCT/SRG): The Creating Strength resilience project has been completed; all nine weeks of training and short video talks were transmitted to the public via email and social media. The entire set of nine is available online at vashonbeprepared.org/creatingstrength. Meanwhile, the Gratitude Project community thank you card writing campaign has begun in earnest, with personal thanks being sent by CCT and SRG members to volunteers who have stepped up for service during the first year of the pandemic.

One year: Volunteers commemorated the one-year anniversary of our activation at the weekly All Hands Briefing meeting last Friday, March 12.

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.