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Snohomish County Health Officer Dr. Chris Spitters and county Emergency Management Director Jason Biermann provided updates during a virtual press conference Tuesday on the community’s response to COVID-19. Much of the presentation focused on impacts from the federal government’s announcement hours earlier that it is reviewing data related to the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine after reports of a rare type of blood clot involving six women.
In alignment with state guidance, the county on Tuesday stopped distributing the Johnson & Johnson vaccine – at least temporarily – while a review is conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The concern needs to be evaluated, but also kept in context, Dr. Spitters told the press conference. With more than 6 million doses of the vaccine distributed so far, the issue appears to be “extremely rare,” literally a one in a million risk, he said. Many routine medical decisions get made daily with known risks that are far higher.
“There is no risk-free pathway in a moment like this,” Dr. Spitters said, adding that vaccination is key to bringing the COVID crisis to an end.
The county has had no reports of problems connected to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after about 24,000 doses distributed here to date. This week, about 2,500 doses of the vaccine were scheduled for distribution by the Snohomish County Vaccine Taskforce, all at the vaccination center being operated at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett.
Those appointments were being canceled on Tuesday, and the taskforce was identifying options for rescheduling patients, Biermann said.
Vaccination appointments were continuing at the taskforce’s other sites using Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
About one in every four people in the county 16 and up is now fully vaccinated, and teams are working to reach people who are struggling with access to vaccines. Efforts include using mobile teams to vaccinate people who can’t travel, and staging vaccination events scheduled in concert with representatives from historically marginalized communities.
The state’s allocation of vaccine doses continues to be far below demand, and that problem likely will become even more acute on April 15, when everyone ages 16 and up becomes eligible for vaccination, Biermann said.
He urged people to be patient and keep trying to schedule vaccination appointments.
“Our progress is limited by supply. That continues to be our largest barrier,” Biermann said.
Watch the full briefing here: https://youtu.be/9W35JLLdP24
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As of April 12, more than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine have been administered in the U.S. CDC and FDA are reviewing data involving six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the J&J vaccine. In these cases, a type of blood clot called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) was seen in combination with low levels of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia). All six cases occurred among women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination. Treatment of this specific type of blood clot is different from the treatment that might typically be administered. Usually, an anticoagulant drug called heparin is used to treat blood clots. In this setting, administration of heparin may be dangerous, and alternative treatments need to be given.
CDC will convene a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Wednesday to further review these cases and assess their potential significance. FDA will review that analysis as it also investigates these cases. Until that process is complete, we are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution. This is important, in part, to ensure that the health care provider community is aware of the potential for these adverse events and can plan for proper recognition and management due to the unique treatment required with this type of blood clot.
See the full statement for more information.
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Snohomish County remained in Phase 3 on Monday as Gov. Jay Inslee announced the rollback of three counties that did not meet the Phase 3 Healthy Washington metrics for reopening activities.
Pierce, Cowlitz and Whitman counties all failed to pass both of their COVID metrics, which track case rates and hospitalizations.
As the state’s third most-populous county, Snohomish is eligible for Phase 3 as long as it keeps new COVID cases below 200 per 100,000 in a two-week period and hospitalizations below 5 per 100,000 across seven days.
The county’s COVID case rate during the review period was 152.3 per 100,000 residents and the hospitalization rate was 3.1 per 100,000.
Dr. Chris Spitters, Health Officer at the Snohomish Health District, told a press conference Tuesday that he and other public health experts are “tremendously concerned” about the climbing COVID case rates in Washington.
“We all think that uninterrupted, we know where that line is going – right back where we were with the third wave,” Dr. Spitters said. “So it is on us to be even more vigilant and more attentive to these prevention measures because the current strains that are going around, they are just more slippery. And I think, it’s not all the variants. We are hearing through our contact investigations about unwise gatherings -- too large or no masks or indoors. We all know better than that.”
“Vaccine is a crucial tool that will help us end the pandemic, but it isn’t the only tool, and we don’t yet have enough Washingtonians fully vaccinated to rely on this alone to keep our communities safe from the virus,” said Lacy Fehrenbach, deputy secretary for COVID-19 response, Department of Health. “We need to focus on lowering disease transmission in the next several weeks ahead as we continue our vaccination efforts in order to avoid a fourth surge of cases. This means wearing masks, watching our distancing and keeping gatherings small and outdoors.”
Read the full announcement.
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Employers play a crucial role in COVID-19 prevention and navigating our way out of this pandemic. One of the most effective ways to contribute right now is ensuring the Snohomish County workforce has information and access to COVID vaccination.
Starting April 15, all adults in Washington are eligible to be vaccinated. Here are four tips for helping your employees get their vaccine. This makes the workplace safer for them and for customers or clients, as well as helping reduce cases and severe illness so we can resume more activities.
- Proactively share reliable information. There are a lot of rumors around COVID vaccines, but extensive studies as well as what we’re seeing with ongoing vaccination in the community indicate these vaccines are safe and effective. Employers can have a direct impact on reducing the spread of misinformation. Remember that you are a trusted resource for your staff and colleagues.
- Make sure employees know their options for accessing appointments.
- Multiple mass vaccination sites are available in Snohomish County. Registration information is available at http://bit.ly/snocovaccine. When new appointments are posted, an update is shared to the Snohomish Health District and Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management social media pages. If your employees use social media, they can follow these pages on Twitter and Facebook (both Health District and Emergency Management) as well as Instagram (Health District).
- The Washington State Department of Health has an online vaccine locator tool that can help people find appointments near them, as well: https://vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov/.
- Don’t forget your primary care provider or regular pharmacy – if employees haven’t already, they should consider checking out vaccination options through their normal healthcare providers, too. The Federal Retail Pharmacy Program is shipping vaccines directly to many local pharmacies, including Albertsons, Costco, Health Mart Pharmacies, Rite Aid, Kroger, and Walmart. For a full list of Federal Retail Pharmacy Program locations, visit www.vaccinefinder.org.
- For employees who are struggling to navigate online registration or find an appointment, or who need language assistance or other support, they can connect with the COVID-19 call center for Snohomish County at 425-339-5278. This call center is staffed 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, and can register people over the phone.
- Stay informed and consider what options will work best for your employees. The Washington State Department of Health has prepared a toolkit with more information for businesses and employers. You can check out those materials here: https://coronavirus.wa.gov/covid-19-vaccines-toolkit-businesses-and-employers
- Allow time for your employees to get vaccinated so that it is not a financial hardship. While the vaccine itself is no cost to patients, worry about missing work and missing out on needed income can be a barrier. Allowing paid time for your employees to get their shots now will pay off in the long run. This helps keep your workforce healthy and reduces sick days, preventing loss of productivity due to staffing shortages. It can also improve morale and employee safety, as well as making customers feel safer and more comfortable in your place of business.
Having fully vaccinated employees also decreases the number of people who would need to quarantine if there were to be an exposure to COVID. If a fully vaccinated employee is identified as a close contact, they do not need to quarantine unless symptoms develop.
You can make the difference in whether an employee chooses to get vaccinated by ensuring they can do so without losing income or worrying about penalties for missing work – including if they need to take a day off after their first or second dose as they may feel unwell due to normal vaccine side effects like mild fever, fatigue or muscle aches. A day or two is significantly less time than an employee would miss if they became ill with COVID. You’re helping protect them, their families and their coworkers against hospitalization, long-term health complications or death due to this illness.
More info: http://bit.ly/snocovaccine and www.snohd.org/covidvaccine.
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“I believe it’s our patriotic duty and our duty to our community to get this vaccine and protect one another and move forward.” - Sara Gering, RN, Providence Regional Medical Center Everett.
Why do you vax?
#vaxupsnoco
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As children make the trek back to school (by April 19, all public K–12 schools in Washington will offer in-person learning at least two days a week), it’s important to be mindful of how the transition will affect them. While getting students back into the classroom is certainly progress in reopening our state, and good news for many parents, kids may react in all sorts of ways.
It’s critical to remind all children to practice the “three W’s” to stop the spread of COVID-19: wear a mask (children over two years old), wash your hands, and watch your distance. But beyond the basics, different age groups often require different types of support and understanding.
See the full blog post for tips on what to expect and how to best support your child while they transition back into the classroom.
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Bloodworks Northwest is reporting that local blood supplies are running dangerously low at a time when blood use by Pacific Northwest hospitals is higher than normal and rising. Blood donors are urged to continue their vital role in sustaining community health by donating at Bloodworks centers or pop-up blood drives across the Pacific Northwest.
It typically takes 1,000 donors to meet community need. In recent weeks, Bloodworks needs an additional 300 donors a week to keep up with hospital requests for blood. Not sure whether you’re eligible to donate blood? There are some basic qualifications to donate—typically you’ll need to be at least 18, at least 110 pounds and in good health. But many other factors, like travel, tattoos, and vaccinations people think might disqualify them aren’t true.
“Donating blood has no impact on your eligibility to receive the vaccine, nor do you need wait to donate blood after receiving the vaccine,” said Dr. Spitters. “Donated blood is critical for cancer patients, premature babies, and moms who experience complications during delivery need lifesaving blood transfusions.”
All donations are by appointment only. The one-hour donation appointment is a safe and essential action to support local hospitals and patients. The pop-up centers are being conducted in accordance with social distancing guidelines. No walk-ins, guests, or people under age 16 are permitted onsite. All donors are required to wear masks during their appointment. Bloodworks has posted information addressing questions and concerns for blood donors at bloodworksnw.org/coronavirus. To make an appointment, call 1-800-398-7888 or visit schedule.bloodworksnw.org.
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 Beginning April 15, all people 16 years of age and older will be eligible to be vaccinated. There are a few important reminders when vaccinating minors:
- Pfizer-BioNTech is currently the only COVID-19 vaccine authorized for those 16 years of age and older. Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are authorized for people 18 and older at this time. Please verify what vaccine brand is available at a location prior to making an appointment.
- Those age 16 or 17 may need consent from a parent or guardian to get the vaccine, unless they are legally emancipated. Providers may have different requirements for documenting consent, so please call ahead to find out what is needed. In general, Washington law does not allow unemancipated minors the right to consent to COVID-19 vaccination.
- Please do not seek or schedule appointments for ineligible minors.
At the mass vaccination sites operated by the Snohomish County Vaccine Taskforce, people who are 16 and older may be vaccinated with parent or guardian consent for the Pfizer vaccine. An adult parent or legal guardian must accompany anyone under 18 to the vaccination appointment to sign the consent form on site. They should also bring identification showing proof of age for the minor, such as a driver’s license or birth certificate. The registration process is the same as for any other eligible patient – they can sign up via the registration links at http://bit.ly/snocovaccine or call the call center at 425-339-5278.
For minors who sign up for appointments at sites that are not administering Pfizer, they will be contacted by email with an appointment cancelation because the other vaccines are not yet authorized for ages 16 and 17. They provide date of birth during registration, which allows us to notify them if they have registered for a vaccine that is not authorized for their age group. Appointments for those under 16 at sites offering Pfizer will be cancelled, as well appointments for those 17 years of age and younger at sites offering Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. If a minor appears at a Snohomish County mass vaccination site unaccompanied or without consent from their parent or legal guardian, or without validation of age, they will be turned away without vaccination.
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The state Department of Children, Youth, and Families has announced upcoming opportunities for licensed child care providers.
The Spring 2021 Child Care COVID-19 Grant is scheduled to open in late April and will be available for four weeks. All licensed child care providers who are serving children are eligible to apply.
The School-Age Incentive will offer a one-time payment to licensed school-age providers serving school-age children accessing subsidy in the months of February, March, and April 2021.
The Spring Family, Friends, and Neighbor (FFN) Incentive will offer a one-time payment to FFN providers who have provided care to children receiving subsidy during the COVID-19 pandemic and claim a subsidy payment for both January and February 2021.
More information on all of these supports will be available on DCYF’s website later this month. In the meantime, watch the DCYF Early Learning and Child Care COVID-19 page for updates.
In addition, an April 20 webinar is scheduled for a Child Care Provider COVID-19 Update webinar. DCYF plans overview of the Spring 2021 Child Care COVID-19 Supports along with details on how to access the supports.
There are two opportunities to participate in the webinar:
- April 20, from 1-2 p.m., in English
- Join Here
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Access Code: 868 6149 7054 | Password: dcyf21 | Call in Number: 253.215.8782 | Call in Passcode: 710050
- April 20, from 6-7 p.m., in Spanish
- Join Here
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Access Code: 825 0527 5732 | Password: dcyf21 | Call in Number: 253.215.8782 | Call in Passcode: 072111
If you have questions about the webinar, please email dcyf.communityengagement@dcyf.wa.gov. If you have questions about the COVID-19 supports, please email dcyf.covidgrantinfo@dcyf.wa.gov.
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Like a flower blooming out of the darkness, let’s bloom out of COVID by getting vaccinated and masking up. We can do this and come back stronger!
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Cumulative from Jan. 2020 through April 12, 2021.
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ESSENTIAL LINKS AND PHONE NUMBERS FOR UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION
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