DOH-ODW COVID-19 Update 12/22/2020

Washington State
Department of Health

Office of Drinking Water

To our water sector partners and others:

First, Department of Health (DOH) wants to give each of the water utilities and their staff a very big thank you for your continued efforts to keep your customers and each other safe during this ongoing pandemic.

We want to keep you informed regarding current activities involving the COVID-19 vaccine prioritization, and how it relates to each of you and your staff as essential workers in a critical infrastructure sector. For access to the latest information and developments on vaccinations, we want to direct you to our webpage dedicated to Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccine.

DOH has taken steps to collect and utilize information from the federal government and has gathered information through significant community engagement efforts to inform the development of strategies to prioritize the various phases of vaccination distribution. Currently DOH has only issued final guidance on phase 1-A vaccine distribution (WA Guidance Phase 1-A).

• For answers to frequently asked questions on this topic, please see the DOH FAQ Vaccine Planning Information.
• You also shared some great questions and comments. The Office of Drinking Water has shared your feedback with the DOH vaccination planning team. We want to make this process more efficient and ensure you have the most up-to-date and accurate information. As such, we ask that, moving forward, you send any questions or comments about vaccine prioritization directly to vaccine.engagement@doh.wa.gov. This ensures all inquiries and feedback are triaged appropriately so the COVID-19 Vaccine Team can provide timely and appropriate responses.
• We do not know how much time there will be between current and future phases. There are many factors that determine that progression and you should stay connected to our vaccine webpage for the latest information.
• We acknowledge your questions about the CDC October 2020 document that suggests essential workers for critical infrastructure utilities should be moved to phase 1-b. We are aware of that recommendation.
• Consider evaluating your complete roster of employees to determine who are the most critical to the continuity of the operations for your utility (treatment plant operators, control room operators, designated crews or individuals that would be tasked with responding to and repairing line breaks, etc.). Create and keep this list current, as that level of self-prioritization may become very useful should vaccine availability be an issue requiring such a strategy.

Please feel free to forward this message. If you or someone else would like to be added to our email list for water systems and operators, contact Elizabeth Hyde. If you have technical questions or concerns, please contact your favorite ODW staff member.

Thanks once again for your continued efforts!

Best,

Emily Sanford
Acting Office Director