COVID-19 Vashon Situation Report
The Vashon Emergency Operations Center produces this briefing for our emergency workers and for the community. The situation report is published Tuesday and Friday and includes information on Vashon community response actions and support.
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Vashon Vaccine Availability:
Johnson & Johnson Vaccine put on hold: Vaccinations were able to continue today at the Vashon Pharmacy drive-through site with an alternate vaccine available for patients who desired it. The CDC and FDA have decided to pause administration of the J&J vaccine nationwide; the federal announcement came early this morning and WA Department of Health joined the pause later in the day. The precautionary step was taken because six cases have been identified in the U.S. with patients affected by a severe type of blood clot problem. However, nearly seven million J&J vaccinations have taken place in the U.S., so the potential side effect was described by officials as extremely rare and still under investigation. Fewer than 20 people on Vashon have received the J&J vaccine from the Vashon Pharmacy drive-through site and none at Sea Mar, although a number of Vashon residents probably received J&J doses at off-island vaccination providers. There were roughly six dozen people scheduled for J&J vaccinations today, and they were offered Moderna as a replacement so their vaccinations could go ahead. They were automatically booked for the necessary second dose appointments.
The Overview: Vaccination availability on the island has been moderate this week at both of the active vaccination providers. On Thursday, demand will ramp up when nearly all restrictions are removed and everyone 16 years or older becomes eligible. However, it will be important to bear in mind that eligibility does not equal vaccine supply, and demand will probably far exceed the available doses at first.
Sea Mar: The Sunrise Ridge clinic has been holding walk-up vaccination clinics every day this week, and hopes to continue at that daily pace. Check day-to-day availability at https://seamar.org/covid-vaccine. Sea Mar has set aside vaccine for all currently booked second dose appointments. Sea Mar asks that you not show up any earlier than 6:00am. Arriving patients are registered and given a place in line for the day. To avoid long outdoor wait times, when patients are registered they are given a time to come back or they are asked to wait in their cars until they receive a phone call to come into the clinic to have their vaccine administered.
Vashon Pharmacy: Despite the news about J&J vaccinations being put on hold, the drive-through site was continuing with a good flow of injections. Most people opted in to the offer of substituting Moderna vaccine for the previously scheduled J&J vaccine. The vaccination appointment registration system was open last night, and the next operational drive-through vaccination day on Saturday is heavily booked.
Reminder About Young People: A protocol has been established at the drive-through site to maintain safety when young people are being vaccinated. People 21 years and younger are more prone to fainting than other age groups. So, the normal drive-through process was modified so they would not be in the driver's seat after vaccination. At the Vashon Pharmacy drive-through site:
- 16 and 17 year olds must have parental consent and be driven to the site to go through the drive-through line.
- 18-21 year olds do not need consent or driver, but if they arrive driving solo they will be vaccinated in a designated area, not in the drive-through line.
The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) recommends that you check the following four websites to see if there is updated information about local vaccination opportunities, beyond what we compile in these Situation Reports which are published on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Going off Island for Vaccination: A number of sites within driving distance are accepting appointments from residents in King, Pierce and Kitsap counties. Here are some websites to check for vaccination opportunities:
Each of these sources lists some potential vaccination locations within a few miles of the mainland ferry docks. Check these websites frequently and refresh your browser to find the most convenient location for you. Also, keep in mind that your mainland healthcare provider may be a vaccination resource (CHI Franciscan, Multicare, Kaiser, etc.). And all patients enrolled in the Veterans Administration system are eligible at VA facilities.
Current Virus Statistics:
Vashon Island COVID-19 Case Count as of 4/13/21:*
- 113 confirmed positive cases, 0 new cases since last Situation Report on Friday*
- Date of last positive test: April 7
- 0 new positives in past 7 days and 3 new positives in the past 14 days
- 4 people have been hospitalized. Date of last hospitalization: March 18
- 3 Vashon deaths per the King County dashboard, last death reported 2/27/21
* Over the weekend a new cases was incorrectly posted to Vashon’s count, but has been removed.
King County COVID-19 Case Count as of 4/13/21:*
- 91,802 confirmed positive cases, 1,221 new since last Situation Report on Friday
- 1,485 deaths, 2 new since last Situation Report on Friday
Washington State COVID-19 Case Count as of 4/12/21:*
- 379,056 confirmed positive cases, 5,844 new since last Situation Report on Friday
- 5,340 deaths, 24 since last Situation Report on Friday
*Note 1: The statistics above are from the Public Health – Seattle & King County dashboard as of the date listed. Numbers may not be complete, as data processing lags and the actual number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths may not yet match the dashboard.
Note 2: Federal law prohibits Public Health - Seattle & King County (PHSKC) from releasing the names of patients (HIPAA Act). For consistency of day-to-day data reporting for Vashon, the EOC uses only the Zip code data from the Public Health – Seattle & King County dashboard
Health Tips:
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) today offered some advice for those concerned about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine being put on pause. Dr. Umair A. Shah, Secretary of Health, said today that the risk of blood clots is extremely rare, with 6 cases reported nationwide of the 6.8 million persons receiving the vaccine (less than 1 in a million). About 149,000 doses of J & J vaccine have been administered in Washington, and none of the six patients who experienced these blood clots were Washington residents. All reported cases were women under 50 years old and previous low platelet count patients.
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If you got the J & J vaccine more than a month ago, Dr. Shah stated that the risk of this complication is very low at this time.
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If you received the J & J vaccine more recently, see your healthcare provider if you develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination.
Dr. Scott Lindquist, Acting State Health Officer said the pause demonstrates how well the robust vaccine safety monitoring systems work, since this potential safety concern was identified quickly and vaccines were paused to allow for further investigation. No definitive cause has been identified yet, but the FDA said today that a probable cause is a rare immune response generated by an individual after receiving the vaccine. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s0413-JJ-vaccine.html
New Developments since Last Report:
Governor Inslee announced on Monday that King County will stay at Phase 3 reopening status and will not be required to roll back to Phase 2 restrictions. That means Vashon restaurants, along with other businesses and nonprofits, can stay open at 50% capacity limits and will not need to cut back to 25%. Although King County’s case count and hospitalization metrics have been increasing sharply in recent weeks, performance indicators on the Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC) data dashboard stayed short of the red line that would have triggered a rollback. On the decision deadline date, Monday, April 12th, King County averaged 195 cases per 100,000 population over 14 days, just five points below the red line mark of 200. New COVID hospitalizations were at 3.7 per 100,000, well below the red line mark of five. https://www.governor.wa.gov/news-media/inslee-announces-three-counties-rollback-phase-2
Pierce County didn’t meet requirements to remain in Phase 3 of the Healthy Washington–Roadmap to Recovery plan, said Governor Inslee. The county will move back to Phase 2 effective April 16. Pierce county case data reports 250.3 new cases per 100,000 population averaged over 14 days and 6.8 new hospitalizations per 100,000 population over 7 days. Both metrics exceed the levels required to sustain the more relaxed Phase 3 COVID safety measures. Phase 2 will reduce maximum gathering sizes and capacity of retail, food, worship and entertainment establishments. https://www.tpchd.org/Home/Components/News/News/230/286
Three Counties moved back to Phase 2 of the Healthy Washington–Roadmap to Recovery plan. In addition to Pierce County, Whitman and Cowlitz were also rolled back to Phase 2. "When we see increased rates of cases and hospitalizations, we need to act fast and do the right thing county-by-county to prevent more serious consequences from COVID-19 in our state,” said Dr. Umair A. Shah, Secretary of Health, describing the move as a tough decision. Shah said, “There is still time to turn the tide and slow the spread of COVID-19 before it turns into a fourth wave, but we need to take these preventative measures over the next few months at least to get numbers going in the right direction again. Vaccine is a crucial tool, but it isn’t the only tool, and we don’t have enough vaccine yet to keep the majority of Washingtonians safe from the spread of disease. To keep yourself and others safe we still need to follow simple protection.” Everyone, including fully vaccinated people, should continue to:
- Wear masks and socially distance in public.
- Avoid medium or larger-sized gatherings
- Delay domestic and international travel. If you do travel, you still need to follow CDC requirements.
- Watch for symptoms of COVID-19, especially if you have been around someone who is sick. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, get tested and stay home and away from others.
- Follow guidance at your workplace.
Vashon High School students return to hybrid in-person learning this week. The return will be phased in over several days, starting with freshman orientation. Students will be assigned to one of two hybrid learning groups. The move completes the weeks-long process of bringing back all the Vashon Island School District students to at least some classroom learning. https://www.vashonsd.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=13
Vashon Senior Center Virtual Talk presents: “Are We Prepared Yet?” Presenter Vicky de Monterey Richoux, President of VashonBePrepared, will give an interactive presentation about easy steps to take to increase our preparedness for any kind of adverse incident in our homes, our neighborhoods, and beyond. People who attend preparedness talks are often surprised to learn how resilient they already are. Bring your ideas as well as your questions. The Zoom talk is Friday, April 16 from 1:00 to 2:30 pm. Zoom Meeting ID: 925 3699 0595
Free Home Fire Safety Sessions: The Red Cross wants to teach you how to prevent a home fire and stay safe if one does occur, and you can get the help virtually. Home fires claim seven lives every day in the United States, but you can help change that. At the link below you can learn about home fire safety topics including the most common causes of home fires, the importance of creating an escape plan, how to test your smoke alarms, and how to prepare for an earthquake or wildfire. And, you can schedule a free one-on-one call with one of our virtual Home Fire Campaign safety team members. You will be offered a free smoke alarm installation once it is safe to do so. Visit www.redcross.org/nwhomefire or call 833-918-1531 to request a virtual home fire safety appointment.
Pfizer/BioNTech has requested amendments to the US FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for their SARS-CoV-2 vaccine to expand its use to adolescents ages 12 to 15 years. The current approval authorizes the vaccine’s use among people ages 16 and older. The request is based on data from a Phase 3 clinical trial among adolescents ages 12 to 15 with or without evidence of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, which demonstrated 100% efficacy and robust antibody responses after vaccination. The trial data are not yet published, but the companies plan to submit the results for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky predicted the vaccine could be authorized for the younger age group by mid-May.
Progress on Community Support Operations:
Emergency Operations Center (EOC): Four operational priorities -- health, food security, housing security and economic recovery -- were put in place for Vashon's pandemic emergency response shortly after our activation nearly 57 weeks ago. The four priorities were established by the Incident Commander Fire Chief Charlie Krimmert, and approved by the VashonBePrepared Board.
EOC/MRC: The vaccination team scrambled this morning to adjust to an unexpected CDC recommendation that put the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on hold. The announcement came out just four hours before the Vashon Pharmacy drive-through vaccination site morning shift was scheduled to arrive for duty. Command, Operations, Public Information, and Medical Reserve Corps staff met within a few hours, made an action plan, and put it into effect. As a result, vaccinations went ahead as scheduled today with a substitute vaccine, as described earlier in this report.
Support for Unemployed: An estimated $48 million has come to islanders who received unemployment boosts and stimulus checks. The Chamber of Commerce Ask the Expert consultant has so far done 1,500 telephone consultations. Although it is challenging to be precise, an estimated 35% of the unemployment benefits and 10% of the stimulus payments resulted from the Ask the Expert support, which translates to a total of $10.8 million to the island. If you need unemployment assistance, call or text Deborah Diamond, (206) 200-3236, to set up an appointment.
Volunteers: A total of 36 volunteers contributed 358 hours of work to VashonBePrepared's pandemic emergency response last week. That brings the total contributed hours to almost 27,500 since the activation began. At the FEMA reimbursement grant rate of $31.72/hour, VashonBePrepared volunteers have logged about $872,000 of in-kind value available to be applied to the 25% match requirement for reimbursement grants. VashonBePrepared gives thanks as well for the many hours of extra work logged during the pandemic in support of the Vashon community, by the staff and volunteers at local social services agencies.
