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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.
WASHINGTON COVID-19 VACCINATION STATUS: ALL AGES 12 AND UP
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 WASHINGTON READY FOR REOPENING, BUT SOME COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS REMAIN
As Washington state reopens for business and recreation on June 30, the Department of Health (DOH) is encouraging people to keep doing their part to stop the spread of COVID-19. Reopening does not mean the pandemic is over or that the risk of COVID-19 is gone.
The Secretary of Health’s mask order remains in place. If you are unvaccinated:
- Continue wearing masks when indoors in public places.
- Keep washing your hands and watching your distance.
- Enable WA Notify for completely private exposure notifications and get tested if you have COVID-19 symptoms.
As businesses begin to resume normal operations, these precautions will be needed more than ever to help protect people who are not vaccinated, including children who are not yet eligible.
People who are vaccinated can return to their regular lives for the most part, with a few exceptions like limits on large-scale events and mask requirements in some high-risk settings. Most sectors can operate as they did in January 2020, as long as they follow workplace safety requirements from the Department of Labor & Industries. However, counties and businesses can have more protective requirements and DOH urges people to respect the rules of the room they’re in.
Read the full news release in English or in Spanish.
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DON'T FORGET YOUR MASK AFTER JUNE 30
The Secretary of Health’s mask order will remain in place even after June 30, which means that people who are not fully vaccinated need to continue to wear a face mask in public indoor settings even when things start to go back to normal as the state reaches a reopening milestone.
All people, regardless of vaccination status, are still required to wear masks in certain places, such as schools and health care settings. In most other settings, people who are fully vaccinated do not need to wear a mask.
Businesses and local authorities can set their own more protective mask requirements, even though some state restrictions are being lifted. That’s why the DOH message around masking is “Respect the rules of the room you’re in,” since those rules may change depending on where you are. Guidance for employers is available on the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries website.
Read the full news release in English or in Spanish.
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 HELP! I NEED MY VACCINE RECORDS
Due to COVID-19, vaccines seem to be on everyone’s mind these days. Along with COVID-19 vaccine questions, you may also be wondering: “What vaccines have I already had? Which vaccines do I still need to get? How can I find out if my kids have all their vaccinations for school?”
Another pressing question might be, “What do I do if I lose my COVID-19 vaccination card?”
There’s good news — most of your vaccine questions can be answered easily with the help of an online portal. Washington State offers an authorized service called MyIR Mobile which allows you to safely access your and your family’s immunization records online. It’s free, it’s official, and it’s secure. Once registered, you can access all of your vaccination records — including your COVID-19 vaccine records.
To learn more about MyIR, read the full blog here.
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 DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR COVID-19 VACCINES FOR IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES
The Discussion Guide for Building Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccines for Immigrants and Refugees (PDF) is a resource for partners serving immigrant/refugee communities to help build COVID-19 vaccine confidence with community members. The resource is an easy to follow discussion guide followed by common concerns, frequently asked questions and example responses. We hope the proposed talking points will help support vaccine conversations and build confidence within communities and/or clients you may serve.
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COVID-19 VACCINE TRANSPORTATION RESOURCE UPDATED
The Community Relations & Equity has updated the COVID-19 transportation resource document to support communities and partners with access barriers to vaccination sites. This document will be updated with additional transportation resources monthly. If you would like to contribute additional transportation resources or have questions please email equity@doh.wa.gov with any inquiries.
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VACCINATION STATUS FOR THOSE VACCINATED OUTSIDE OF THE U.S.
As travel restrictions relax and allow for more travel across borders, identifying who is appropriately vaccinated has been a challenge. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) put out recommendations for those who have been vaccinated outside of the United States:
- If an individual completes a World Health Organization (WHO) recognized vaccination series outside the US, they should be considered fully vaccinated.
- If an individual did not complete a COVID-19 vaccination series recognized by WHO, they can be offered FDA approved COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. If someone starts a series in the United States after being partially vaccinated elsewhere, they must wait at least 28 days from their last COVID-19 dose given outside of the U.S.
- Those traveling back to the U.S. without a completed COVID-19 vaccination series will be required to completed self-quarantine upon arrival to the US prior to initiating the their COVID-19 vaccination series in the US.
You can learn more about this on CDC's International Travel During COVID-19 page.
Health care providers should refer to CDC's Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines.
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Will I need to get a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine?
With recent news on the spread of the Delta Variant of COVID-19, the Department of Health has seen an increase in questions around COVID-19 vaccine boosters. There have also been questions on if the COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the US protect against COVID-19 variants.
There is no recommendation for a booster vaccine for any of the COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. at this time. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has research which suggests that COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the US offer protection against most variants currently spreading in the U.S. However, there are some variants that might cause illness in some people even after they are fully vaccinated. The CDC is still collecting data in order to provide the best guidance for managing response to these variants.
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MYOCARDITIS INFORMATION FOR CLINICIANS DOCUMENT AVAILABLE
The Department of Health has written a document that helps clinicians understand myocarditis and its probable link to some COVID-19 vaccines. It provides talking points clinicians can use when discussing the benefits and risks of these vaccines with their patients. The document offers guidance on what to do if a provider has a patient who presents with myocarditis following vaccination, regardless of whether that provider gave the vaccine.
Please share this document with your members, constituents, or other health care provider partners who can use this information. It is intended for both COVID-19 vaccine providers and providers who do not administer vaccine.
View the Myocarditis Information for Clinicians PDF.
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AVOIDING COVID-19 VACCINE WASTE GUIDE
The Avoiding COVID-19 Vaccine Waste Guide is now available. This guide includes best practices to reduce vaccine waste, information on avoidable vs unavoidable waste, manufacturer contact information, resources and more.
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COVID-19 VACCINE ORDERING UPDATE
The Washington State Department of Health is excited to announce the transition to a COVID-19 Vaccine open ordering model. Due to manufacturing processes meeting vaccine demand, COVID-19 vaccine will now be available to order seven days a week with approval occurring within 24 hours Monday through Friday.
Providers are still required to review the Vaccine Advertisement Page within the Washington State Immunization Information System prior to placing orders to help prevent waste. If providers do not review the Vaccine Advertisement page and there is available vaccine within their county, providers will be individually contacted by DOH to provide support in the transfer process. This process will go into effect beginning week 31 (7/4/2021).
Please send any questions or concerns to COVID.vaccine@doh.wa.gov.
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ADDING COVID-19 VACCINES TO YOUR INTAKE PROCESS
The Department of Health has developed a document to help providers add COVID-19 vaccine prompts into their normal patient intake process. The document provides tips around:
- Advertising
- Screening
- How to talk about COVID-19 vaccination
- Answering questions
- Follow through
Check out the document here.
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RESOURCES ON THE PFIZER COVID-19 VACCINE 12-15 AGE EXPANSION
In response to the authorized of Pfizer COVID-19 to children ages 12-15, the CDC has developed several useful tools for parents and clinicians to utilize.
Information for healthcare and vaccine providers provides basic information regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, consent and tools for communication to the community:
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This newsletter summarizes content from the week of June 27, 2021 and was sent out on July 2, 2021. |
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