COVID-19 vaccine eligibility is currently open to those who qualify under Phases 1A and 1B Tiers 1-4, but starting Thursday, April 15, all Washington residents age 16 and up will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

Under Phases 1A and 1B Tiers 1-4, those currently eligible includes all people age 60 and older, people 16 years or older with two or more co-morbidities or underlying conditions, people, staff and volunteers in certain congregate living settings, and additional high-risk critical workers in certain congregate settings.

Whether you are eligible now or want to learn how you can schedule an appointment once eligibility expands on April 15, find out how you can get the COVID-19 vaccine:

• Go to vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov to search for COVID-19 vaccine appointments near you by zip code.
• Call your doctor’s office or health care provider to see if they have available vaccination appointments. 
• Whether you’re a Kaiser Permanente member or not, King County employees can follow these steps to get a COVID-19 vaccine with Kaiser Permanente.
• For language interpretation, call the Washington state COVID-19 Assistance Hotline: Dial 1-800-525-0127 or 1-888-856-5816, then press #. Available Monday 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Tuesday to Sunday and observed state holidays 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. For language interpretation, state your preferred language when you are connected. Phone support is also available from the Public Health COVID-19 Call Center at 206-477-3977, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• WA COVID Vaccine Finder is a volunteer-driven effort to help Washingtonians find appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine: covidwa.com
• Preregister with the City of Seattle’s vaccination appointment notification list at the four city-affiliated vaccination clinics. You can also call 206-684-2489 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. for sign-up assistance. The sites are Lumen Field Event Center (330 South Royal Brougham Way), North Seattle College Community Vaccination Hub (9600 College Way North), Rainier Beach Community Vaccination Hub, 8702 Seward Park Ave. S., and West Seattle Community Vaccination Hub (2801 S.W. Thistle St).

Leave time: If your COVID-19 vaccine appointment occurs during a time you are scheduled to work, please follow regular procedures for requesting leave. Sick leave and COVID-19 Paid Administrative Leave may be used for COVID-19 vaccine appointments as well as recovering from side effects.

After COVID-19 vaccination: Thank you for getting vaccinated and helping our communities get one step closer to overcoming this pandemic. After vaccination, it’s important to continue COVID-19 precautions to protect co-workers, friends, and family. Please follow Public Health’s guidance at www.kingcounty.gov/vaccine.

Employee webpage: Visit out one-stop employee COVID-19 vaccines webpage where you can learn how to find out when you are eligible, how to schedule a vaccine, your leave options, and much more. 

From Public Health – Seattle & King County

As of March 17, 2021, the Washington State Department of Health has opened vaccine distribution through Phase 1b2. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) determines the distribution of vaccine for our state and eligibility for vaccination in phases. King County is currently in the state’s Phase 1a and Phase 1b, Tier 1 and Tier 2 for vaccine distribution.

Vaccination is available for the groups listed below regardless of insurance, citizenship, or immigration status. You will not be billed or charged for vaccination. The vaccine will be covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance, and the cost of vaccination will be covered for people who are uninsured.

Vaccination is currently open for people who are:

• Eligible for Phase 1a: all workers at risk of acquisition or transmission of COVID-19 in healthcare settings; long-term care facility staff and residents; and home health and care aides.
  
• Eligible for Phase 1b1:
  • Age 65 years and older
  • Age 50 and older if they live in a household where two or more generations live, (such as an elder and a grandchild), and meet these qualifications:
    • Cannot live independently and receives support from a relative or caregiver (paid or unpaid) or someone who works outside the home
    • Lives with and cares for a young child, like a grandparent with a grandchild.
  • PreK-12 educators and school staff
  • Child care workers, which includes:
    • Licensed family home child care providers, and the family members living in their home.
    • License-exempt family, friends, and neighbor providers that accept Working Connections Child Care subsidy. These in-home providers can serve up to 6 children.
    • ECEAP, Washington’s state-funded preschool providers. This is similar to the national Head Start program.
    • License-exempt school-age and youth development providers who have been providing care to school-age children since the pandemic began and schools were closed and moved to online or hybrid teaching.
      
• Not eligible in this phase (unless school or child care staff):
  • Someone younger than 50
  • Someone 50 and older who cares for a partner or friend
  • An older adult who is able to live independently and is taking care of their kin/children.
    
• Eligible for Phase 1b2:
  • High-risk critical workers in certain congregate settings in the following industries:
    • Agriculture
    • Fishing vessel crews
    • Food processing
    • Grocery store/Food bank
    • Corrections (prisons, jails, detention centers)
    • Court of law
    • Public transit
    • First responders not included in earlier tiers (except administrators or those who can work remotely)
    • Early learning a child care program workers in child care, youth development, and day camps that were not covered in Phase 1b1.
  • Pregnant people
  • People with a disability that puts them at high risk for severe COVID-19 illness.

Learn more about Washington’s vaccine prioritization guidance.

from Whitney Abrams, Chief People Officer

Leaders in Public Health tell us that the next month or two will be especially important in determining the course of the coronavirus outbreak, with the threat from new variants increasing while we work to get more people protected through vaccination.

I’m so grateful to all who are taking steps to get vaccinated when it’s your turn, and to all who are learning more and getting your questions answered about COVID-19 vaccines. King County is currently in the state’s Phase 1a and Phase 1b, Tier 1 and Tier 2 for vaccine distribution.

Next Wednesday, March 31, the state tentatively plans to open Phase 1b tiers 3 and 4 of vaccine eligibility. Washington Department of Health guidance lists the following additional groups as becoming eligible under tiers 3 and 4:

• People 16 years or older with two or more comorbidities or underlying conditions per the CDC’s list of the conditions that put people at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19
• People 60 years and older
• People, staff, and volunteers in certain congregate living settings – specifically, correctional facilities, congregate settings where people experiencing homelessness live or access services, and group homes for people with disabilities
• Other at-risk critical workers in certain congregate settings – specifically, restaurants/food services, manufacturing, and construction.

Some King County staff work in construction jobs where they cannot socially distance, and will become eligible under Phase 1b tier 4. We’ll be working with departments to identify and support those workers in understanding their options for how to get vaccinated when they’re eligible. We’ll also continue supporting previously eligible employees in connecting to vaccination opportunities.

Many other King County employees also stand to become eligible on March 31 due to age or health conditions, so now is an important time to understand how to confirm your eligibility and understand your options.

Once Phase 1B tiers 3 and 4 are opened, I encourage newly eligible employees to look for open appointments. You’ll find the latest information at kingcounty.gov/vaccine.

1. Confirm vaccine eligibility: Learn more about who is eligible at www.CovidVaccineWA.org and check your eligibility by using the Phase Finder: findyourphasewa.org
2. Schedule an appointment

• Call your doctor’s office or health care provider to see if they have available vaccination appointments. Also, learn how get vaccinated through Kaiser Permanente (KP) here. KP welcomes both KP members and non-members at their COVID-19 vaccination clinics.
• Washington State’s Phase Finder online tool can confirm your eligibility and provide you with a list of possible vaccination locations. Phase Finder is available in multiple languages here.
• Visit Washington State Department of Health’s list of vaccine locations, organized by county. DOH also has a new quick search by zip code to find COVID-19 vaccine appointments near you.
• If you need language interpretation or can’t use the online Phase Finder tool, call the Washington state’s COVID-19 Assistance Hotline: Dial 1-800-525-0127 or 1-888-856-5816, then press #. Available Monday 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Tuesday to Sunday and observed state holidays 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. For language interpretation, state your preferred language when you are connected. Phone support is also available from the Public Health COVID-19 Call Center at 206-477-3977, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• WA COVID Vaccine Finder is a volunteer-driven effort to help Washingtonians find appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine: covidwa.com
• Community vaccination site at Lumen Field. If you live or work in King County and are eligible under Phase 1A through Phase 1B, Tier 4, you can sign up for this notification list and will be notified via email when appointments become available at any of the three City of Seattle fixed vaccination sites, including the Lumen Field Event Center. 

Leave time: If your COVID-19 vaccine appointment occurs during a time you are scheduled to work, please follow regular procedures for requesting leave. Sick leave and COVID-19 Paid Administrative Leave may be used for COVID-19 vaccine appointments as well as recovering from side effects.

After COVID-19 vaccination: Thank you for getting vaccinated and helping our communities get one step closer to overcoming this pandemic. After vaccination, it’s important to continue COVID-19 precautions to protect co-workers, friends, and family. Please follow Public Health’s guidance at www.kingcounty.gov/vaccine.

Finally, we have built a one-stop employee COVID-19 vaccines webpage where you can learn how to find out when you are eligible, how to schedule a vaccine, and much more. 

Together, let’s continue our strong efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19 and reduce the risk for another serious wave of infections. Keep wearing masks, stay at least six feet apart from others, avoid crowds, and please get vaccinated when it’s your turn.

Washington state is now in Phase 3 of Governor Inslee’s Roadmap to Recovery and more activities and gatherings with increased capacity are now permitted.

King County employees remain under mandatory telecommuting through July 5, 2021, for all Executive Branch employees who are currently telecommuting, except where there is an operational need to physically return to the workplace. This also applies to King County Council, Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Department of Assessments, and King County Elections employees, where appropriate.

King County department leaders have been working with the Future of Work Committee on operational plans after July 5. It is anticipated that some employees who are currently teleworking will begin to return to the workplace after July 5, but employees will not return en masse. These decisions will be made based on operational needs, employee feedback, customer service challenges, health and safety consideration, and space configurations – all of which are being considered in Future of Work plans.

Despite this move to Phase 3, all county fitness rooms remain closed indefinitely for safety reasons, except those at the Regional Communications and Emergency Coordination Center, South Treatment Plant, and West Point Treatment Plant. The necessary teams are gearing up to resume preparations related to the closure of the Administration Building and associated moves to King Street Center and other locations. There are a lot of logistics to plan. The Facilities Management Division in the Department of Executive Services will communicate move timelines with affected departments soon. King County will use an online scheduling tool so that employees can schedule time to come on site to pack for the move. This will help keep the numbers of employees in the buildings to safe levels while COVID-19 is still a risk. Affected employees will receive additional information from their departments.

Until notified, only those employees who are approved by their supervisor or manager to report to the Administration Building for operational reasons are permitted inside. Employees can continue to use the tunnel access to the Courthouse and Goat Hill Garage.

Employees providing in-person services are reminded to continue to wear masks, stay at least six feet apart, wash hands regularly, and limit gatherings to small groups of people wherever possible.