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This weekly newsletter provides summarized content on COVID-19 vaccine related topics. This broad level of information is tailored towards health care professionals, partners, and the general public. |
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WASHINGTON COVID-19 VACCINATION STATUS: |
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 Click to view the visual PDF
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VACCS LEVERAGES PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP INNOVATIONS TO HELP WASHINGTONIANS FIND VACCINE APPOINTMENTS
The Vaccine Command and Coordination System (VACCS) Center continues to bring large and small Northwest employers together for a common goal: to help all eligible Washingtonians get vaccinated. This unique public-private partnership includes both large and small Northwest employers coming together for a common goal: making it easier for all Washingtonians, whether digitally savvy or not, to easily find information about vaccines and vaccine providers, schedule an appointment and then receive their COVID-19 vaccine.
In early February, the VACCS Center identified several areas for improvement within the appointment system, including:
- The need for a central location for Washingtonians to find a provider near them with vaccine appointments, and a link to the appointment registration sites for those providers.
- The need to improve the experience for callers to the state COVID-19 assistance hotline (1-800-525-0127) by reducing hold times and increasing capacity to schedule vaccine appointments.
The VACCS Center is now pleased to announce three points of progress:
Read more about these areas of progress in the full news release in English.
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COVID-19 VACCINE DISTRIBUTION UPDATE
As of March 13, more than 2,517,506 doses of vaccine have been given across the state, which is nearly 80% of the 3,165,350 doses that have been delivered to our providers and long-term care programs. Washington is currently averaging 44,165 vaccine doses given each day. This information can be found on the DOH data dashboard under the vaccines tab, which is updated three times per week.
Washington’s three-week allocation forecast from the federal government shows the state will receive a steady amount of vaccine through the end of March.
- Week of March 21: 345,080 total doses (181,420 first doses, 163,660 second doses)
- Week of March 28: 343,700 total doses (173,020 first doses, 170,680 second doses)
- Week of April 4: 343,700 total doses (173,020 first doses, 170,680 second doses)
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. Of that, about 600,000 doses of vaccine should be allocated to Washington each week. The vaccine will be divided between weekly state allocations and federal strategies, such as the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.
Read the full news release in English.
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STATE MOVES TO VACCINATION PHASE 1B-2, INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES THAT PUT THEM AT HIGH RISK NOW ELIGIBLE FOR VACCINES
Governor Jay Inslee announced last week that Washington state will make an early move to vaccination Phase 1b-2, advancing on March 17 instead of March 22. Phase 1b-2 includes pregnant people and individuals with disabilities that put them at high risk for severe COVID-19 illness. Phase 1b-2 also includes a number of high-risk worker groups. Read more about who is eligible here.
Individuals with disabilities are eligible for the vaccine in Phase 1b-2 if their disability alone puts them at higher risk for severe illness, or if they have a disability coupled with another underlying condition identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
If people are unsure if their disability puts them at greater risk, they should have a conversation with their health care provider.
Read the full news release in English and in Spanish.
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STATE-LED MASS VACCINATION SITES ADMINISTER OVER 110,000 DOSES OF COVID-19 VACCINE
As of March 13, 2021, the four state-led mass vaccination sites have administered over 111,072 doses of COVID-19 vaccine. The four mass vaccination sites are located at Spokane, Ridgefield, Wenatchee, and Kennewick.
First dose appointments are available at all four sites this week. To make an appointment you must first confirm you’re eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine using Phase Finder. Phase Finder does not make you an appointment. Once confirmed through Phase Finder, you can make an appointment at one of the mass vaccination sites. Please note, hours and registration information are different for each location and may be different than in weeks past.
Read the full news release in English or in Spanish.
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PEOPLE WITH APPLE HEALTH MAY BE ABLE TO GET A RIDE TO GET VACCINATED
Those with Apple Health or Medicaid and have no other way to get to vaccine appointments can use a service offered by the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA). The HCA offers help with transportation for non-emergency health care appointments.
You are eligible for transportation help if:
- You have a current ProviderOne services card (the Apple Health ID card).
- You have no other way to get to your health care appointment.
- The health care visit is covered by your Apple Health program. Visit the Apple Health website for more information about covered services.
If you’re eligible, a transportation broker can help you find a way to get to your appointment. They can help with options like public transit, gas cards, taxis, ferries, or accessible vehicles like wheelchair vans.
To get a ride for a health care visit, call your county’s transportation broker. The HCA keeps a list of transportation brokers for each county here. All brokers have language support for callers who do not speak English.
Read the full Department of Health article with more information about this service here.
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH REAFFIRMS COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER VACCINE ELIGIBILITY
The Department of Health (DOH) confirms that Community Health Workers (CHWs) are currently eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. CHWs, also known as Promotoras de Salud, Community Health Navigators, and Community Health Advocates, are critical members of the health care workforce and are included in Phase 1A Tier 2. These positions are eligible for vaccine regardless if they work full time, part time, or are volunteers.
Due to some issues with CHWs getting vaccine eligibility through Phase Finder, DOH and community partners developed a Vaccine Eligibility Verification Letter. This letter should be honored in the same manner as any other documents demonstrating vaccine eligibility.
For additional information on CHW vaccine eligibility, please review Washington state's interim vaccine allocation and prioritization guidance PDF.
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 CDC'S V-SAFE APP NOW IN FIVE DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues its work to reach as many people as possible to ensure monitoring of COVID-19 vaccine safety. Recently, the CDC announced V-Safe is now available in five languages:
People can change their preferred language on the v-safe sign-up page under the "Get Started" button.
V-safe uses text messaging and web surveys to provide personalized health check-ins after COVID-19 vaccination. Participants report health conditions after COVID-19 vaccination to CDC in almost real-time. V-safe also gives participants a second dose reminder, if needed.
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TRANSLATED MATERIAL RESOURCE LIBRARY INCLUDES COVID CONTENT
The University of Minnesota hosts the Translated Materials Library, a resource that offers fact sheets, posters, videos, audio recordings and other resources in English and more than 100 languages. These materials come from organizations across the country and include various COVID-19 resources that may be helpful for different communities and health care providers.
Check out the Translated Materials Library here.
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 BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TIPS FOR GETTING THE COVID-19 VACCINE
Even for someone eager for protection from COVID-19, getting the shot can still feel stressful or scary. This new flyer offers tips to stay calm and communicate clearly with the provider when someone gets vaccinated.
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If you’re getting your shot soon, please read this over so you have a plan for how to approach it. You can print and take a copy with you if you want.
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If you manage a vaccine clinic, consider handing these out to attendees as they arrive.
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GOVERNOR INSLEE SIGNS PROCLAMATION REQUIRING IN-PERSON EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES
Gov. Inslee's emergency proclamation prohibits all public K-12 schools in Washington from failing to provide opportunities in both remote instruction and on-campus, in-person instruction. The proclamation aims to address educational inequities and mental health concerns among students due to prolonged remote education. Read the full news release here.
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UPDATED K-12 SCHOOL GUIDANCE DOCUMENT
The Department of Health updated their school guidance document recently. This update applies to the current school year and includes aligning language with recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announcements regarding masks and quarantine recommendations for those who are fully vaccinated. Information was added to sections on cleaning and disinfection, along with an update to physical distancing requirements for K-12 performing arts activities. Read the full guidance document here.
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 WASHINGTON VACCINE ALLOCATION FOR WEEK OF MARCH 22
Demand for COVID-19 vaccine is still higher than supply. As a reminder, the Department of Health (DOH) is not getting any Johnson & Johnson vaccine next week. Please keep vaccinating everyone who is eligible, especially those 65 and older, and people from communities most at risk for COVID-19. This guide tells you how you can prioritize older adults in your practice. Thank you for vaccinating the people of Washington state!
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COVID-19 VACCINE ORDERING REMINDER
COVID-19 vaccine ordering is available for approved providers from Friday at 12pm to Monday at 1pm. All COVID-19 vaccine orders placed outside of this ordering window will be cancelled. If you need to make changes to your submitted orders, email covid.vaccine@doh.wa.gov before 12pm on Wednesday.
Health care providers can enroll in the COVID-19 vaccine program here.
Find helpful resources for COVID-19 vaccine program providers here.
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MEDICARE PAYMENT FOR COVID-19 VACCINE INCREASES
On March 15, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) increased the Medicare payment amount for COVID-19 vaccine administration. This higher payment rate will support important actions taken by providers to increase the number of vaccines they can administer each day.
Effective for COVID-19 vaccines administered on or after March 15, 2021, the national average payment rate for physicians, hospitals, pharmacies, and many other immunizers will be $40 to administer each dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. This is an increase of $12 from the previous amount of approximately $28 per dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
As a condition of receiving free COVID-19 vaccines from the federal government, vaccine providers are prohibited from charging patients any amount for COVID-19 vaccine administration.
For more information, please see the following CMS webpages:
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 MAXIMIZING DOSES OF PFIZER-BIONTECH COVID-19 VACCINE
The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) recently published an extremely informative 3 page guide on how to maximize the number of doses one can get from a Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine vial. It has step-by-step instructions beginning with the use of the proper needle through to pulling the needle out after drawing a dose. There are pictures throughout the instruction, making it clear what to do at each stage. This is a great tool to have on sight as a reminder for vaccination teams.
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QUESTION: What types of symptoms are normal after receiving COVID-19 vaccine?
ANSWER: Like other routine vaccines, the most common side effects are a sore arm, fatigue, headache, and muscle pain.
These symptoms are a sign that the vaccine is working. In the Pfizer and Moderna trials, these side effects occurred most often within two days of getting the vaccine, and lasted about a day. Side effects were more common after the second dose than the first dose. In the Johnson & Johnson clinical trials, side effects lasted an average of one to two days.
For all three vaccines, people over 55 were less likely to report side effects than younger people.
Clinical trials found that approximately:
Pfizer
- Eighty percent of people reported pain at the injection site
- Fifty percent of people reported fatigue and headache
- Thirty percent of people reported muscle pain
Moderna
- Ninety percent of people reported pain at the injection site
- Seventy percent of people reported fatigue and headache
- Sixty percent of people reported muscle pain
Johnson & Johnson
- Sixty percent of people reported pain at the injection site
- Forty-five percent of people reported fatigue and headache
- Forty percent of people reported muscle pain
You may see some rumors about untrue side effects online or on social media. Make sure any time you see a claim about a side effect that you check the source of that claim. This video can teach you more about how to figure out if a claim online is true or not.
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ADDRESSING THE VACCINE CONCERNS OF OTHER ADULTS
The Department of Health (DOH) partnered with American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Washington for a tele-townhall event on March 9, 2021, to address vaccine questions and concerns of older adults. Washington's AARP Director Doug Shadel led the conversation with DOH Secretary Umair Shah and Attorney General Bob Ferguson.
The tele-townhall was attended by over 6,000 people, and questions were answered on vaccine fraud, vaccine supply, getting appointments, and what to do after vaccination.
You can listen to the tele-townhall recording here, or read the full DOH article on the event here.
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THE CDC OFFERS NEW TRAINING MODULE ON JANSSEN COVID-19 VACCINE
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has created a new on-demand, self-paced training module for health care professionals administering Janssen vaccine. The training module follows the same format as the Moderna and Pfizer modules but is tailored to the Janssen vaccine. This module provides information on storage, handling, preparation, administration, and documentation of this product. Continuing education credit is available for this module.
You can view the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine: What Healthcare Professionals Need to Know training here.
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WEBINAR: ADDRESSING PATIENT CONCERNS ABOUT COVID-19 VACCINES
The Department of Health (DOH) is hosting the "Addressing Patient Concerns About COVID-19 Vaccines" webinar on Thursday, March 25, at 12pm. This webinar will include discussion on how our state’s experts are addressing vaccine hesitancy with patients. This webinar is for all health care professionals.
Topics include:
- The most effective ways to address patient concerns.
- Addressing vaccine hesitancy in communities with significant health disparities.
- Reviewing new toolkits specific to each vaccine.
Panelists include Bob Lutz, MD, from the COVID-19 Response Team, Douglas Opel, MD, MPH, from the University of Washington School of Medicine, and John H Vassall MD, FACP, from Comagine Health. Jenny Arnold, Pharm.D., BCPS, CEO of the Washington State Pharmacy Association, will moderate.
Live ASL and Spanish interpretation will be provided.
Register for the webinar and submit your questions here.
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WEBINAR: PROVIDER ENROLLMENT OPEN DOOR SESSION
The Department of Health vaccine management team hosts bi-monthly COVID-19 provider open door sessions to help answer questions about COVID-19 program enrollment and vaccine ordering. The next session is:
Thursday, March 25, 2021
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Join the video call
Access code: 848-481-621
Phone access: +1 (571) 317-3122
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FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC
- Washington gets a limited supply of vaccine and we don’t yet have enough for everyone. Want to know more about how we allocate doses across the state? Visit our vaccine distribution webpage for the latest information.
- The CDC's After Getting the Vaccine page shares what you can expect after getting vaccinated, including common side effects.
FOR INDUSTRY
FOR HEALTH PARTNERS
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This newsletter summarizes content from the week of March 14, 2021 and was sent out on March 19, 2021. |
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