Here‘s when Whatcom expects an ‘abundance of vaccine to match the expanded eligibility‘
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.
The amount of COVID-19 vaccine coming to Whatcom County will remain limited for the next few weeks but it should be predictable instead of yo-yoing, health officials said during a vaccine town hall.
The state Department of Health is expected to send 3,500 to 3,600 first doses each week for the weeks of March 22 and March 29 to the county’s providers, said Erika Lautenbach, Whatcom County Health Department director.
“While these aren’t high numbers and we will continue to be limited in appointments, this does help in our planning efforts to be able to have some predictability for scheduling purposes and staffing, for both our clinics, pharmacies and for our community site,” Lautenbach said during a vaccine town hall on Thursday night, March 18.
Those allocations don’t include vaccine doses that the federal government sends directly to large chain pharmacies, tribes and federally qualified health centers such as Unity Care NW and Sea Mar Community Health Centers.
Lautenbach said vaccine appointments will remain limited for the next three weeks.
Up to 30,000 more Whatcom County residents became eligible for the vaccine starting on Wednesday, March 17, as phase 1B, tier 2, opened.
But prior to that, Lautenbach said, about 72% of Whatcom County residents who could get the vaccine under phase 1A and phase 1B1 have received their first dose.
“We are making good progress in our community,” she said.
There are a total of 48 sites in Whatcom County that the state has approved to administer the vaccine, according to Lautenbach.
They have stepped up even as supply lags.
“It’s been frustrating for the public. It’s been frustrating for all of us,” Lautenbach said. “But we recognize that within probably the next four to six weeks that will change and there should be an abundance of vaccine to match the expanded eligibility.”
More vaccine expected
Vaccine demand in the state is still greater than supply, according to the Washington State Department of Health’s update on Thursday, March 18.
Federal allocations to the state continue to gradually increase over the next three weeks but lag providers’ requests, according to the update, which noted that providers asked for 454,670 doses (239,780 first doses and 214,890 second doses) of vaccine.
The state expects to get:
▪ Week of March 21: 345,080 total doses (181,420 first doses, 163,660 second doses).
▪ Week of March 28: 343,700 doses (173,020 first, 170,680 second).
▪ Week of April 4: 343,700 total doses (173,020 first, 170,680 second).
The federal government also allocated 8,400 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to the state, which is included in the March 21 forecast.
“The addition will be sent to counties where allocations were lower to ensure they have a proportional share of vaccine that matches their eligible population,” the state said of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
But the state sounded a hopeful note for next month, when federal allocations could nearly double.
“Based off current long-term forecasts, April is predicted to be a promising month for vaccination. According to the federal government, next month 30 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine will be available across the nation,” the Department of Health said in its vaccine update.
Of that, the state should receive about 600,000 doses a week — divided between weekly state allocations and federal efforts that include retail pharmacies.
In other vaccine news, Gov. Jay Inslee is expanding eligibility that will allow others, including restaurant workers, to get the COVID-19 vaccine starting March 31.
The expansion for tiers 3 and 4 opens vaccination to another 2 million Washington state residents.
The Whatcom County Health Department said it was determining how many more Whatcom County residents will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine at the end of March and didn’t yet have those numbers as of Friday, March 19.
Who is eligible for vaccination
Washington state is allowing vaccinations by phases. Check yours online.
Eligible phase 1B, tiers 3 and 4, starting March 31:
▪ People age 60 to 64 years old.
▪ People with two or more comorbidities, which are underlying health conditions listed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control website that increase the risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
▪ More people living in congregate settings, including correctional facilities, group homes for those with disabilities, and people who are homeless and living in or access services in such settings.
▪ More workers in congregate settings, including restaurants, manufacturing and construction.
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.
Previously and still eligible, Phase 1B, tier 1:
▪ 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.
▪ Educators and staff in grades pre-kindergarten through 12th grade as well as licensed child care workers.
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, 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 Friday, most of these health care systems have an appointment-only process and those seeking appointments should do so primarily 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.
▪ 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 vaccine and will schedule appointments for its established patients in eligible tiers as supplies become available. It is not maintaining a waitlist.
It also continues to offer a small number of same-day appointments when it can draw extra doses from a vaccine vial.
As of Thursday, Family Care Network administered 2,100 first doses of Moderna, 1,600 second doses of Moderna and 125 doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, said Dr. Rodney Anderson, its president and chief executive officer, during the vaccine town hall on Thursday.
PeaceHealth: Is administering the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to all who are currently eligible under the state’s phased rollout, although its focus is primarily Pfizer. People don’t have to be PeaceHealth patients.
The county’s largest health care provider also recently launched online scheduling for vaccine appointments.
Find it at peacehealth.org.
Within the first 18 hours of its opening, over 700 people scheduled their own appointments, according to Dr. James Bochsler, PeaceHealth’s chief medical officer, at the Thursday vaccine town hall.
People also can call 833-375-0285 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone line doesn’t allow the caller to leave a message.
PeaceHealth has given 14,454 first doses and 7,012 second doses, Bochsler said on Thursday.
▪ Sea Mar: Has a first-come, first-served walk-in system, but check availability online first. As of Thursday, Sea Mar had no Pfizer vaccine for its clinics in Washington state, including 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.
It has administered 2,584 doses — both first and second doses — of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines so far, according to Shannon Hardie, Unity Care NW chief operating officer.
Hardie said the health care provider also is piloting an online scheduling system.
▪ Department of Health: The state on March 17 launched a new Vaccine Locator tool, which it says will make it easier for people to find doses.
Go to vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov and put in your ZIP code to search for appointments from different providers within 50 miles.
▪ Federal pharmacy program: The federal government is sending vaccines directly to retail pharmacies.
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.
A second clinic at the Community Vaccination Center is set for Saturday, March 20, in Building G at Bellingham Technical College, where 400 doses of the Moderna will be given. Appointments have been filled for this clinic.
The next vaccination clinic is set for Saturday, March 27, and appointments for it will open on Wednesday morning, March 24.
When registration opens, people can go to prepmod.doh.wa.gov.
People who don’t have internet access, an email address, or who need language interpretation can call 360-778-6075 for help in scheduling an appointment.
Learn more about the clinic, what to expect, and directions for driving or taking public transportation to BTC by going to vaccinatewhatcom.org.
▪ 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 at noon on Fridays 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.
People who can’t access online appointments can call 360-416-1500 for help from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Spanish speakers will be available for those who need it.
On Wednesday, March 17, Skagit Public Health announced that it had given its 10,000th dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
It began offering vaccinations in December.
▪ 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 provides information on other vaccine clinics elsewhere in the state.
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.
The site said it tries to check over 800 vaccine providers in the state about every 5 minutes.
▪ 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 45,000 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 900 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.
