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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Earlier this afternoon, Governor Inslee announced that he is making changes to his Healthy Washington reopening plan, allowing King County to progress to Phase 2 starting on Monday. At this time, King County restaurants will be allowed to reopen indoor dining at 25% capacity. Gyms and indoor entertainment such as museums and bowling alleys can also open to 25% capacity. You can read more about this at King 5 News.
King County is working hard to rapidly vaccinate the 1.8 million adults who live in our region, starting with those at highest risk, with a goal of reaching 70%, or 1.26 million people, by the end of summer.
Under the state guidelines, the following populations are eligible for vaccination:
Phase 1a:
- Tier 1: Long-term care facility residents and staff
- Tier 2: All other workers at risk in health care settings, including home care and home health
Phase 1b:
- Tier 1: All people 65 years and older and people 50 years and older living in multigenerational households.
The biggest constraint on vaccination efforts continues to be the limited supply of vaccines King County has received from the federal government. This week, King County providers are expected to receive only 22,250 first doses – compared to 38,325 last week.
Despite the constraints, I am encouraged that the County has made significant progress. An estimated 473,000 King County residents are currently eligible for the vaccine, and at least 160,000 of them have received their first dose. King County will be opening its first high-volume vaccination site next week, with plans to open another one shortly after.
If you are eligible for a vaccine, here’s how you can get one:
- Go to Washington state’s Phase Finder to confirm your eligibility.
- If you have a health care provider, visit their website or call to see if they have available vaccination appointments.
- If you don’t have a provider or if your provider doesn’t have the vaccine available, the state’s website will provide you with a list of possible vaccination locations.
- If you can’t use Phase Finder and have no one to assist you, you can get help over the phone from Washington State’s COVID-19 Assistance Hotline: Dial 1-800-525-0127, then press #. The hotline is available Monday-Friday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sunday, and on observed state holidays 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
As we eagerly wait for an increased supply of vaccines in King County, I continue to work to protect the most vulnerable throughout our community, safely reopen our businesses, and get back to normal as soon as possible.
Best regards,
Reagan Dunn
Vice Chair
Metropolitan King County Council
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