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.

by Whitney Abrams, Chief People Officer

Starting March 17, eligibility for COVID-19 vaccine will expand to include residents eligible under Phase 1B2, including critical workers in certain industries and people 16+ who are pregnant or have a disability that puts them at high risk. 

I am delighted that so many more of our King County employees who have been on the front lines during the pandemic will now become eligible, including staff working in congregate settings in public transit, corrections, courts, and first responders not covered under earlier phases.

While this is great news, the vaccine supply is still far lower than demand. Public Health-Seattle & King County estimates that we currently have one first dose for every eight eligible people. Vaccine supply and appointment availability may go up and down for another month, and not everyone who is eligible for a vaccine will be able to find an appointment. I know this is frustrating, but vaccine supply will increase significantly over the next few months. I will provide another update with new information soon.

Below you’ll find information about how to check your eligibility, and options for where to access a COVID-19 vaccine. King County will be working to help our high-risk staff eligible under Phase 1B2 understand your options. As supply improves next month, we also look forward to providing additional convenient options and will share details as they become available. 

Once Phase 1B2 launches on March 17, I encourage eligible employees to go ahead and look for open appointments across all current options available to you, and not wait. 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. 
• 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 vaccination locations, organized by county.
• 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-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: www.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 2, 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.

3. 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.
4. 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.

Please take care of yourself and continue to take measures to keep yourself, your family, and your community as safe as possible.

From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• Improve fit to help prevent air (potentially with respiratory droplets containing the virus) from flowing freely around the edges of the mask and instead forcing air to flow through the mask.
• Improve filtration to cause more respiratory droplets containing the virus to be captured by the mask.

How to Improve Fit

COVID-19 spreads mainly from person to person through respiratory droplets that come out of the nose and mouth when people breathe, cough, sneeze, talk, shout, or sing. These respiratory droplets travel in the air and can then land in the noses and mouths of others, which spreads COVID-19. Therefore, in order to be effective, masks must always be worn over the nose and mouth.

Ensuring that masks fit well on the face is very important to help prevent getting and spreading COVID-19. A common problem with some masks is that there can sometimes be gaps between the mask and the mask wearer’s face. When there are gaps, air with respiratory droplets containing the virus can leak in and out around the edges of the mask (on the top or the sides). To help prevent air leakage, masks should fit snugly against the sides of the face and not have gaps.

Options to Improve Mask Fit

Nose Wires: Use cloth or medical procedure masks that have a nose wire (a metal strip along the top of the mask) to help prevent air leakage at the top of the mask. Nose wires can also help to prevent fogging of eyeglasses. To get a good fit, make sure to bend the nose wire over your nose to conform to your face.

Mask Fitters and Braces: These devices can be used over a medical procedure mask or a cloth mask to improve the fit by helping to reduce air leakage from around the edges of the mask.

Knotting and Tucking: This technique can be used to improve the fit of a medical procedure mask. Knot the ear loops of the mask where they join the edge of the mask, then fold and tuck the unneeded material under the edges. (For instructions, see the following video)

How to check mask fit

• Check for gaps by cupping your hands around the outside edges of the mask. Make sure no air is flowing from the area near your eyes or from the sides of the mask.
• If the mask has a good fit, you will feel warm air come through the front of the mask and may be able to see the mask material move in and out with each breath.

How to Improve Filtration

Another important step to increase the protection offered by your mask is to improve filtration. Masks capture respiratory droplets containing the virus when the wearer breathes out, blocking them from reaching the outside air and protecting others. They also serve as a barrier to protect the wearer by capturing respiratory droplets containing the virus breathed out by others, so that the wearer does not breathe them in. A mask with improved filtration will stop more respiratory droplets containing the virus from getting inside your mask if others are sick or escaping from your mask if you are sick.

Layering

Adding more layers of material to a mask (layering) is a good way to reduce the number of respiratory droplets containing the virus that come through the mask. One layering strategy is to use a cloth mask that has multiple layers of fabric. Another strategy is to wear two masks.

Improve Mask Fit and Filtration by Wearing Two Masks

Wearing a second mask on top of a first mask can

• Improve fit by pressing the inner mask closer to the face, thereby reducing the amount of air that leaks around the edges of the masks.
• Improve filtration by adding more layers of material to reduce the number of respiratory droplets containing the virus that come through the masks.

One way to do this is to wear a medical procedure mask underneath a cloth mask. A recent study conducted in a laboratory found that this combination provided much better protection to the wearer and to others as compared with a cloth mask by itself or a medical procedure mask by itself.

However, there are some mask combinations that should not be used

• Do not combine two medical procedure masks. Medical procedure masks are not designed to fit tightly and wearing a second medical procedure mask on top of the first medical procedure mask does not help to improve the fit.
• Do not combine a KN95 mask with any other masks. You should only use one KN95 mask at a time, and you should not use any type of second mask on top of or underneath a KN95 mask.