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President Biden pledged in his first prime-time address to make all adults eligible for vaccines by May 1 and raised the possibility of beginning to “mark our independence from this virus” by the Fourth of July.
Biden said that as vaccine supplies continue to increase, he will direct states and territories to make all adults eligible for vaccination by May 1. The U.S. is expecting to have enough doses for those 255 million adults by the end of that month, but Biden warned the process of actually administering those doses would take time, even as his administration looks to instill confidence in the safety of the vaccines to overcome hesitance.
“Let me be clear, that doesn’t mean everyone’s going to have that shot immediately, but it means you’ll be able to get in line beginning May 1,” he said.
In an effort to get students back in classrooms by late April, Governor Jay Inslee is set to issue an emergency proclamation prohibiting Washington’s K-12 school districts from not offering students at least some opportunity for in-person learning.
Friday’s announcement of a proclamation to be issued next week comes as Inslee has expressed increasing frustration that some of Washington’s schools remain online-only. That includes the state’s largest district — Seattle Public Schools — where the local union voted earlier this month to continue teaching most students online-only.
Inslee’s new order will prohibit school districts from not offering what’s known as a hybrid model of K-12 instruction, which is a mix of remote and in-person teaching.
Under the order, K-6 students around the state must be allowed an opportunity for hybrid instruction by April 5.
Then, by April 19, all other students must be given an opportunity to have a hybrid instruction.
Separately, Governor Inslee announced Thursday that Healthy Washington: Roadmap to Recovery will be transitioning from a regional approach to a county-by-county evaluation process. The governor also announced a new third phase of the Roadmap, a return for in-person spectators for professional and high school sports. Effective March 22, the entire state will enter Phase 3.
Sports guidance will change in Phase 3 to allow in-person spectators at events for the first time in a year. Spectators will be allowed to attend outdoor venues with permanent seating with capacity capped at 25%. The change affects both professional and high school sports, as well as motorsports, rodeos, and other outdoor spectator events. Social distancing and facial covering are still required.
Additionally, the governor announced that starting Wednesday, March 17, everyone in Phase 1B, Tier 2 will be eligible for their COVID vaccine. This includes workers in agriculture, food processing, grocery stores, public transit, firefighters and law enforcement, among others. Phase 1B, Tier 2 also includes people over the age of 16 who are pregnant or have a disability that puts them at high-risk.
 Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers and Health Officer Dr. Chris Spitters provided updates Tuesday on the community’s response to COVID-19.
Executive Somers noted that VA Puget Sound Health Care System is now scheduling COVID vaccine appointments for veterans of all ages.
“We want Snohomish County’s veterans to take advantage of that service to ensure we are maximizing all available resources for getting our residents vaccinated,” he said. “We have many people who served at Naval Station Everett, Whidbey Naval Air Station, or further afield in Bremerton or Joint Base Lewis McCord who eventually settled here in Snohomish County. We are a veteran friendly county and we want to make sure you get vaccinated.”
Dr. Spitters focused on the continued decline in COVID case rates in the county, which now stands at 84 cases per 100,000 population. It is the first time in nearly five months the COVID case rate has been below triple digits
“I think we can all feel good about that but also yearn for more,” he said. “It’s good news and we’re continuing to move in the right direction as long-term care cases, hospitalizations for COVID, and deaths have also declined in parallel fashion.”
The decline in cases reflects the increasing number of vaccinations among residents and staff in long-term care facilities, and older adults in the community at large. As of Feb. 27, at least one-third of the county’s population over age 65 had received at least one dose of vaccine, the media briefing was told
Dr. Spitters also discussed new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, easing limits on social interactions for those who are fully vaccinated against COVID.
While those guidelines contain good news for families and the economy, the health district won’t immediately be endorsing them until after they are reviewed by other health officials in the state, he said.
“I’d also like to point out that the CDC recommendations do not eliminate the recommendation to wear masks when out in public venues – even if you are vaccinated,” Dr. Spitters added.
Watch the briefing: https://youtu.be/s7MI9Ocl0rs
Or read the transcript: https://www.snohd.org/DocumentCenter/View/6939/March-9-Media-Availability
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