[REVISED] COVID-19 Vaccinations for Veterans

Sign Up For Your COVID-19 Vaccination

Dear Spokane VA Veteran:

(To stop receiving further COVID vaccination invitations, you can unsubscribe at the bottom of this email.)

We are pleased to offer you the COVID-19 vaccination! While Monday-Friday vaccine operations continue with direct calls from our staff to VA-enrolled Veterans, we are now also offering a new online reservation system that we hope will allow many more eligible Veterans to be scheduled without delay.  Our online reservation tool for you includes appointment slots available for Saturday, March 6^th and  Saturday, March 13^th and is specifically for Veterans wanting the single-dose Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine – who have not yet received any COVID-19 vaccine.  In this e-mail, you’ll find the option to schedule your Saturday clinic appointment with us.   

CLICK HERE to learn more about the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine versus the Moderna vaccine.

The Saturday vaccine clinics are available BY INVITATION ONLY to select Veterans 55 years or older who are ENROLLED for care at Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center.  Do not forward this message to friends or family; if they sign up they will be turned away when they arrive.

Our schedulers continue calling eligible Veterans by phone to make vaccination appointments for Monday-Fridays at the medical center and our rural clinics.  If you have not already received a phone call to schedule your vaccination, we invite you to try the online reservation tool to sign up for your shot on Saturday, March 6^th or 13^th. 

A few other things to be aware of:

• At this time, Spokane VA is offering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which requires one dose, ONLY on Saturday March 6^th or 13th .  As vaccine supply increases, we will announce more opportunities for Veterans to schedule an appointment with VA.
• You should NOT sign up to be vaccinated if:
  • You have had a major allergic reaction to other vaccines or any ingredient of this vaccine, including polyethylene glycol (PEG)0 or polysorbate, or 
  • You have received any other immunization in the last 14 days.
• The CDC DOES recommend vaccination for almost everyone else, including people who have had other types of allergic reactions (e.g., to food, pets, venom, latex, or oral medications).  If you are immunocompromised or have an autoimmune condition, or you are pregnant, there is not much information to guide your decision.  You should consider talking to your provider but can choose to be vaccinated.

On the day of your vaccination:

• Do not come to the vaccine clinic if you have a fever, cough, or are otherwise feeling ill.  Please cancel your appointment, and we will work with you to reschedule it.
• Please arrive 5 minutes early to your appointment, not sooner.  If you arrive earlier, please stay in your car until your appointment time.  This will help us keep the clinic from becoming overcrowded.
• You will be required to wear a mask and maintain social distancing during your vaccination visit.  If a caregiver accompanies you, they should stay in the car during your visit unless you absolutely cannot manage without them.
• You will be observed for at least 15 minutes after your vaccination to ensure you don't have a reaction to it.  The risk of a serious reaction appears to be very low - approximately 1 in 100,000.
• Upon arrival at VA and completing our drive-thru screening process, you can park where ever you prefer but please know that you must proceed through our main hospital lobby entrance to be directed to our vaccine clinic and check-in area.  On-site shuttle service is available from the parking lot to the front door for those Veterans who need it.   

Thank you for your service!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Click here to reserve your vaccination appointment.

Instructions:

1. Ensure the date is highlighted on the calendar and select your preferred time. If you see no available appointments, this means all slots have already been taken. 
2. Enter your:
1. FULL NAME
2. Email address
3. Phone number

Please double check for typos, paying special attention to your email address. 

1. You will receive an email confirmation. There is an option to cancel or reschedule on the confirmation email.  You will not be able to cancel or reschedule after 11am the day before your scheduled appointment.

PLEASE DO NOT REPLY to the confirmation email from the online scheduling tool; it will NOT be monitored.

If you have any questions about scheduling your vaccination appointment, please contact us at SPOWEBMASTER@va.gov.