COVID-19 Update - February 5, 2021

Veterans who have symptoms of COVID-19 such as a fever, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing that’s new or getting worse, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of smell or taste, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, current runny nose or nasal congestion or have had contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, should contact VA Puget Sound before coming to one of our care sites for a scheduled visit. This can be done by sending a secure message through My HealtheVet or by calling 1-800-329-8387. This helps VA Puget Sound protect our Veterans, medical staff, and other patients.

COVID-19 Vaccine

VA Puget Sound is now providing Pfitzer (https://www.fda.gov/media/144414/download) and Moderna (https://www.fda.gov/media/144638/download) vaccines depending on the site, which include:  Seattle, American Lake, Silverdale and Mount Vernon. We continue to proactively contact Veterans to make vaccine appointments when it is their turn. No walk-in vaccines, by appointment only. Eligible Veterans can call 206-716-5716 to schedule, or contact their primary care team.

Getting a COVID-19 vaccine adds one more layer of protection against infection for you, your families and friend, and our staff who care for you.

We continue to follow VA’s Vaccination Plan—https://www.publichealth.va.gov/docs/n-coronavirus/VHA-COVID-Vaccine-Plan-14Dec2020.pdf (page 27 is the risk stratification). We receive limited amounts of the vaccine each week. Our ability to expand vaccines is dependent on the amount we receive.

• If you are receiving a second dose vaccine, please bring in your COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card. And for your own safety, please don’t take selfies featuring the card as it features your full name and birth date.
• Veterans 70+ years or older are being actively scheduled now for the vaccine. 
• Our next priority group will be Veterans 65 years and older. Your VA health care team will contact you for scheduling when you’re eligible to get a vaccine.
• Veterans must be health care eligible to be scheduled for vaccination, but do not need to be enrolled in primary care/Patient Aligned Care Team.
• On January 22, 2021, VHA announced today that health care facilities will begin offering COVID-19 testing and vaccinations to designated family caregivers of Veterans participating in the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers. VA Puget Sound, like all VHA care facilities, will determine the start date for vaccines for eligible Caregivers based on our site-specific resources, needs and vaccine available.
• If you are eligible to get a vaccine earlier than what we can offer, through Washington State Department of Health, you are encouraged to do so. Washington currently vaccinates Tier 1 residents including health care workers, first responders, residents and staff who live or work in long-term-care facilities, anyone aged 65 or older, and all people 50 and older who also live in a multigenerational household. Here’s the link to the Washington state Department of Health website—https://www.doh.wa.gov/YouandYourFamily/Immunization/VaccineLocations. The state offers residents a “phase finder” tool to determine eligibility and be notified when residents become eligible.
• Veterans are encouraged to check out the VA’s new Community Care Customer Service Guide—www.va.gov/COMMUNITYCARE/docs/programs/OCC-Customer-Service-Guide.pdf—to assist eligible Veterans referred to a community provider for services. The two-page guide is a roadmap describing eight key points in the Veteran’s community care customer experience: from being referred to a community provider, all the way to billing at the end of the cycle. This guide will improve the Veteran’s experience by providing a high-level "what to expect" guide to VA community care.

Despite the fluid nature of the pandemic and the limited amount of the initial vaccine, we continue to work diligently to address the prioritization, scheduling, administration, handling, logistics, allocation, safety, wastage, tracking and distribution strategies for our Veterans and staff. The amount of vaccines provided to us weekly determines the amount we are able to administer. So we appreciate your continued understanding.

Patient and staff safety remain paramount, and our rigorous safety measures remain in place:

• 100% screening for signs of COVID-19 infection.

• 100% use of approved face masks for everyone entering and inside any of our care sites (if you don’t have one, we will provide you with one; no medical waivers).

• 100% physical distancing.

• No walk-in patients outside of emergent care needs.

• No routine visitors.
  • Inpatient Visits:
    • Exceptions must be coordinated with your care team in advance.
    • Visits 30 minutes or less unless care team believes longer visit is in  best interest of the patient.
  • Outpatient Visits:
    • Patients can bring one person as an escort for navigation assistance or to provide care support.
    • Visitor must stay with the patient throughout visit unless specified otherwise by the health care team.
  • Approved Visitors:
    • Must be approved by care team in advance of visit.
    • Must be at least 18-years-old.
    • Must adhere to all safety measures.
    • Must use hand gel when entering and exiting a care area.
    • Are not allowed in the room during aerosol-generating procedures.

• No visitors under 18 allowed, with one exception: American Lake’s Child Care Center.

• Do not leave unaccompanied minors outside during your visit.

• 100% environmental cleaning recommendations as outlined by the CDC.

Questions?

• Veterans with questions about COVID-19 or vaccination should call 1-800-myVA411 or (1-800-698-2411). press 8 for COVID information or visit www.va.gov/health-care/covid-19-vaccine/
• Veterans seeking additional information should visit the VA Coronavirus Vaccine FAQs webpage. 
• VHA Keep Me Informed which allows Veterans to sign up to receive email updates: https://www.va.gov/health-care/covid-19-vaccine/stay-informed

You can also get updates on social media: https://www.facebook.com/vapugetsound and https://twitter.com/VAPugetSound. If you would like to receive automated updates via email, please sign up with your email address on our website - https://www.pugetsound.va.gov/index.asp - look under the social media icons on right for "Subscribe to Receive Email Updates."

We also continue to maximize personalized virtual care options. We know these services have been a valuable link to our Veterans during this challenging time, providing increased access to care regardless of where you live. Here are some examples of ways you can access care from home:

• Telephone or Video Appointments: Receive care at home—either over the phone or via video using VA Video Connect on your computers, smartphones or tablets. To set up virtual appointments, send your health care team a secure message on My HealtheVet by visiting myhealth.va.gov. While Veterans may also call us at 1-800-329-8387, VA is requesting that Veterans only call with urgent needs at this time.
• Prescription Refills: Veterans can request prescription refills, order and ship medications home using My HealtheVet or Rx Refill mobile app. Download the app at mobile.va.gov/app/rx-refill.
• Secure Messaging: With a free My HealtheVet Premium account, Veterans can send secure messages to their health care team online to ask non-urgent health questions, request referrals and send updates about medical conditions. Other tools and services available to Veterans with the Premium account include, ability to access health records, view military service information and ability to join video visits using the VA Appointments tools. There are two ways to register, online or in-person at a VA facility. With the threat of COVID-19, the in-person option has been suspended.

To upgrade online using a VA HealtheVet sign-in partner (DS Logon and ID.me), follow these steps: From the My HealtheVet sign in page, sign in to your Advanced My HealtheVet account using a sign-in partner. Select the Upgrade Now button. Check the certification box to verify account owner. Select Continue. Check the Accept My HealtheVet Terms & Conditions box. Select Continue to complete the upgrade.