These 30,000 Whatcom County residents will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccines this week
Here is the latest on who is eligible for the COVID-19 virus vaccine and where you can get it in Whatcom County. The information is frequently updated as vaccine availability changes.
The Washington State Department of Health allocates vaccines it receives from the federal government based, in part, on reported need and providers’ ability to properly store and distribute doses. These allocations are going to state clinics and county clinics, private and public health care clinics, and pharmacies.
Ahead of an expansion — called phase 1B, tier 2 — that will allow up to 30,000 more Whatcom County residents access to the COVID-19 vaccine, health care providers here said they will have another mass vaccination clinic on Saturday, March 20.
The first one at the Community Vaccination Center occurred Saturday, March 13, in Building G at Bellingham Technical College, where just under 400 people received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The Whatcom County Health Department said it will share details Tuesday, March 16, about the next clinic.
Also on Monday, March 15, PeaceHealth said it expects to receive 2,340 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week and about 3,500 booster, or second doses.
“Because of the significant number of expected booster doses, PeaceHealth is able to use some Pfizer doses it had been holding to add to the first dose total. The total number of Pfizer first doses we plan to distribute is 2,600 — similar to last week’s total,” Bev Mayhew, its spokesperson, said in the weekly vaccine update.
Family Care Network said it will open scheduling on Tuesday, March 16, for 150 appointments for the Moderna vaccine.
Who is eligible for vaccination
Washington state is allowing vaccinations by phases. Check yours online.
Eligible phase 1B, tier 2, starting March 17:
▪ Critical workers employed in certain congregate settings, including agriculture, food processing, fishing vessels, grocery stores, public transit, firefighters, law enforcement, and prisons and jails.
▪ Those who are 16 years and older who are pregnant or who have disabilities that put them at high risk.
Not included are restaurant workers. The state has yet to determine where they’ll fall in the queue.
Most of those in phase 1B, tier 1, have been eligible for vaccination since Jan. 18:
▪ All people 65 years and older.
▪ People 50 years and older in multi-generational households where they live with and care for their parents or a grandchild.
▪ People who are over 50 and unable to live independently, who either receive long-term care from a paid or unpaid caregiver or are living with someone who works outside the home.
▪ Under President Biden’s direction, Washington state added educators and school staff as well as licensed child care workers to its phase 1B-1 group starting March 2.
The addition means that about 5,000 more Whatcom County residents can now be vaccinated.
The county has 4,829 people employed in preK-12 education fields and 161 child care workers, according to The Bellingham Herald’s analysis of Washington State Employment Security Department data.
Not eligible in this phase are people younger than 50, people over 50 who care for a partner or friend, or any parent or guardian caring for their small child or teen.
Previously and still eligible for vaccination from phase 1A:
▪ High-risk health care workers.
▪ High-risk first responders.
▪ Residents and staff of congregate living settings, such as nursing homes.
▪ All other workers in health care settings who are at risk.
Where to get vaccinated
As of Monday, most of these health care systems have an appointment-only process and those seeking appointments should do so online.
Some have said they will reach out to qualified patients themselves. Many sites were seeing phone systems overloaded with those seeking vaccines and ask people not to call to inquire about getting their shots.
Vaccine supply continues to lag behind demand.
▪ Associates in Family Medicine: Says its vaccine supply remains limited. It asks people to fill out a form online for contact when more doses are available.
▪ Family Care Network: Is providing the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine and will have appointments for its established patients in eligible tiers as supplies become available. It is not maintaining a waitlist.
It will open scheduling at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 16, for 150 Moderna appointments, including for those in phase 1B, tier 2.
Make an appointment online at covidvaccine.fcn.net or by calling 360-733-1342.
Family Care Network also plans to open more slots for additional Johnson & Johnson as well as Moderna vaccine appointments later this week.
Additional information will be posted by the end of the day Wednesday, the health care provider said in its weekly vaccine update on Monday, March 15.
▪ PeaceHealth: Its St. Joseph hospital has cold-storage facilities that allow it to receive the Pfizer vaccine. It also receives the Moderna vaccine.
Whatcom’s largest health care provider is offering vaccine appointments to community health care workers, PeaceHealth patients who have seen a primary care doctor or specialist within the last three years, patients of other area medical providers, school district employees, licensed child care workers, people in underserved communities, as well as people newly eligible.
On Monday, PeaceHealth said it has reserved several hundred appointments for vulnerable Punjabi and Hindi speakers who are eligible for vaccination.
PeaceHealth will offer appointments for Wednesday through Saturday at its vaccine clinic at the Health Education Center via a PeaceHealth patient portal, or an automated or live phone call.
People also can call 360-752-5232 but won’t be able to leave a message.
PeaceHealth says it expects to release a self-scheduling tool for COVID-19 vaccine appointments sometime this week to make scheduling easier.
▪ Sea Mar: Has a first-come, first-served walk-in system, but check availability online first. As of an update at 7 a.m. Friday, Sea Mar had no vaccine for its clinics in the state, including in Bellingham and Everson.
▪ Unity Care NW: The health care provider said it will contact eligible patients to schedule vaccinations as it gets more doses.
“You may get a text or email from our partner Luma Health. This is a legitimate and safe way to secure your vaccine appointment,” Unity Care said on its website.
▪ Department of Health map: It can be found on a website that lists some vaccine providers in Whatcom and other parts of the state. Because vaccine supply remains limited, the featured providers may not have the vaccine or may be fully booked.
The map is at covidvaccineWA.org, which also breaks out the information for the county in a list. The information is different between the two, so check both.
Only providers that want to be are listed. There also is information on whether the listed providers have vaccine appointments available, although not all providers are updating the availability information in a timely manner.
In addition to Associates in Family Medicine and Sea Mar, the list for Whatcom County now includes Costco on Arctic Avenue; Ferndale Pharmacy on Alder Street; Fred Meyer on Lakeway Drive and West Bakerview Road; Haggen on Woburn Street; Mt. Shuksan Family Medicine and Dermatology on Cornwall Avenue; Safeway on Guide Meridian Road; Nooksack Valley Drug on East Main Street in Everson; and Walmart on Meridian Street.
▪ Federal pharmacy program: The federal government has started to send vaccines directly to retail pharmacies to create new access for people who are eligible.
In Washington state, participating pharmacies include Albertsons Companies (Safeway, Haggen and Albertsons); Costco; and Health Mart Independent Pharmacies.
Check for appointments at Albertsons in-store pharmacies at one website, mhealthappointments.com/covidappt.
The state said that more chain pharmacies in Washington are joining the program because allocation is expected to increase. The pharmacies are Walmart, Rite Aid and Kroger (Fred Meyer and QFC).
Check whether Rite Aid is scheduling vaccine appointments at riteaid.com/pharmacy/covid-qualifier.
Pharmacies also can receive vaccines from the state Department of Health.
Government sites
▪ Whatcom County: A mass COVID-19 vaccination effort has been launched by a coalition of Whatcom County health care providers and the health department. Appointments are required and are based on vaccine supply.
The first clinic at the Community Vaccination Center was Saturday, March 13, in Building G at Bellingham Technical College, where just under 400 people received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Another clinic is set for Saturday, March 20. Officials said they will share more details later.
Learn more whatcomcounty.us/covidvaccine and clicking on Community Vaccination Center on the right.
▪ Skagit County: The Health Department has set up a mass vaccination site at the fairgrounds in Mount Vernon but vaccinations depend on supply.
New appointments are announced each Saturday at 9 a.m. on skagitcounty.net/covidvaccine. Appointments may be added throughout the week depending on vaccine availability.
People who received their first dose elsewhere can’t get their second dose at the Skagit vaccination site.
Search for appointments at prepmod.doh.wa.gov.
▪ Washington: The state is offering large-scale vaccination in Spokane, Ridgefield, Wenatchee and Kennewick. They are open by appointment only to people who register and are eligible for the vaccine phase.
See what’s available at prepmod.doh.wa.gov. The site also features vaccine clinics elsewhere in the state. For example, on Monday it showed open appointments for people willing to drive to Island Drug in Oak Harbor.
One-stop help
Volunteers have stepped forward to help people find vaccines or find them easier. Both are online.
▪ CovidWA.com is compiling just about all of the available vaccine appointments throughout the state, according to a KING 5 story. Users type in their zip code to get the information, and they may have to travel to get their shots.
People also can follow @covidwashington for live alerts, as well as call or text their zip code to 425-292-1727 for three nearby clinics with availability, organizers said.
▪ Find a COVID shot WA, a private group on Facebook, has volunteers that help people find appointments if they post using #searching. It has more than 43,000 members.
The group also focuses on obtaining vaccine appointments for those most affected by COVID-19 — people with disabilities, those who are 65 years and older, people with limited English, those who are Black, Indigenous and people of color, school employees teaching in-person. Vaccine seekers in these categories post using #support.
▪ Covid Vaccine Tracker: Discussion in Bellingham WA Area, a private Facebook group, has volunteers who are stepping in to try to help Whatcom County residents find appointments. It has over 800 members, who share information about appointments and what people are experiencing (good and bad).
▪ In addition, Whatcom County residents trying to find vaccine appointments but who don’t have a computer or internet access are being advised to call the state Department of Health toll-free hotline at 1-800-525-0127, then press #. Language assistance is available.
Hotline hours are:
▪ 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday.
▪ 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and on observed state holidays.
About the vaccines
Vaccines approved and currently available in Washington are:
▪ Pfizer: Requires two doses 21 days apart; authorized for people 16 years and older; 95% effective.
▪ Moderna: Requires two doses 28 days apart; authorized for people 18 years and older; 94.1% effective.
▪ Johnson & Johnson: Requires only one dose; authorized for people 18 years and older; 66.9% effective.
The CDC provides more information about the vaccines.
