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.

You can read the full text of today's report as a PDF and access older ones at:
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Current Virus Statistics: 

Vashon Island COVID-19 Case Count as of 1/19/21:*
  • 94 confirmed positive cases, 0 new cases since last Situation Report on Friday
  • Date of last positive test: January 15
  • 1 new positives in past 7 days and 2 positives in the past 14 days  
  • 3 people have been hospitalized. Date of last hospitalization: December 28
  • 1 Vashon deaths on King County dashboard, last death reported 1/1/21, (1 Vashon death not yet posted)

King County COVID-19 Case Count as of 1/19/21:*
  • 72,600 confirmed positive cases, 1,369 new since last Situation Report on Friday
  • 1,185 deaths, 5 new since last Situation Report on Friday

Washington State COVID-19 Case Count as of 1/18/21:*
  • 291,989 confirmed positive cases, 6,019 new since last Situation Report on Friday
  • 3,940 deaths, 37 since last Situation Report on Friday

Data Lag: A data reporting lag continues on the official dashboard of pandemic statistics maintained by Public Health -- Seattle & King County (PHSKC). For example, although there have been two COVID-related deaths of Vashon residents to date, the PHSKC dashboard still shows only one death.

*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:

As the vaccine rollout advances, remember that mental health is critical during this long pandemic.  VashonBePrepared’s Community Care Team/Community Engagement Team has launched a mental health and resilience campaign, called Creating Strength.  You can receive each installment of the nine-week schedule of mental health tips and videos.  Videos via email (VoiceOfVashon.org/AlertSignup) or check out the page at: https://vashonbeprepared.org/creatingstrength.

Several emerging variants of the COVID-19 virus with evidence of increased transmissibility continue to raise alarms as they are identified in more countries. Viruses continually mutate, and the COVID-19 virus has evolved throughout the pandemic.  Researchers from the US CDC COVID-19 Response Team projected that the B.1.1.7 variant would contribute to a rapid growth in cases in the US early in 2021. The B.1.1.7 variant has been identified in 122 cases in 20 US states.  CDC officials projected that the B.1.1.7 variant is likely to become the dominant variant in the US. In order to avoid uncontrolled spread of this variant, health experts encourage individuals to recommit to recommended control measures such as mask wearing, physical distancing, and hand washing.  https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7003e2.htm

Vashon Vaccine Availability Survey #5

Many Provider Options: When vaccine doses are more available, there will be three primary providers here on Vashon. They are Sea Mar clinic, Vashon Pharmacy, and Vashon Natural Medicine. In addition, mainland providers such as Kaiser, Multicare, Polyclinic, and CHI Franciscan are beginning to offer vaccinations according to the state Department of Health rollout schedule. Public Health -- Seattle & King County says it will be opening two vaccination sites in south King County in early February. Pharmacy chains such as CVS, Safeway Pharmacy, Walgreens and others are ramping up and promise vaccination availability soon.

Vashon Pharmacy will open its high volume drive-through vaccination site on Thursday morning, January 21.  An appointment is absolutely mandatory. To make an appointment go to: VashonPharmacy.com/covid to be screened and get a time slot. If you do not have access to the internet, you can call during Pharmacy open hours to make an appointment: 206-463-9118 Option 9 (9am to 7pm).  It is important to understand that only a small number of vaccine doses are arriving at this early stage of the operation. Appointments will be available only for the known number of vaccine doses, and when those doses are reserved, no additional appointments will be available until new supplies are known to be on the way. The Pharmacy expects to open the calendar for each week on Monday mornings after the Pharmacy gets advance notice of how many doses it will receive for the week. The drive-through site will be accessible only through the south end of the alley between Vashon Theatre and Chase Bank, although there will be an option to make an appointment to arrive on foot if you do not have a vehicle.. Detailed instructions for where to go and what to do will be provided at the time an appointment is made. VashonBePrepared volunteers from the Emergency Operations (EOC) team, Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) are providing support for the vaccination site, including logistics, patient check-in, traffic direction, and required post-vaccination medical observation. The Pharmacy and the VashonBePrepared volunteers hope everyone will be patient with any glitches as procedures are refined during this startup period.  

Sea Mar clinic at Sunrise Ridge has a small number of vaccine doses, and has been reaching out to established patients to schedule appointments, initially on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. The Sea Mar clinic welcomes calls from the general public after 4:00pm each day (206/463-3671) on the possibility that a few vaccine doses might be available at the end of the normal vaccination schedule so leftover doses won't go to waste.  An appointment will be required. 

The other island clinic, Vashon Natural Medicine, also will be notifying established patients but has not yet received any vaccine. 

Washington State Department of Health has a vaccine tool to find out if you’re currently eligible or to be notified when it’s your turn.  If it’s your turn now, this new tool will provide you with a confirmation of eligibility that you can print or take a screenshot of on your mobile phone.  Although the current Vashon providers are not currently requiring it, some mainland providers will want you to present your confirmation of eligibility before innoculation. The tool will also send you to a website to locate the vaccination sites near you and from there you can schedule an appointment. Don’t worry, you won’t need to keep filling out the tool until you become eligible.  If you provide your email address or phone number, the site can send you a notification when it is your turn.  The tool is completely private and secure, none of your information will be shared. Visit: FindYourPhaseWA.org.   

VashonBePrepared has a web page for up-to-date vaccine information. Visit 

Local COVID Activity:

Vashon Island School District was notified of a new positive COVID-19 case at Vashon High School. This positive case was not a result of any school program or activity.  The individual who tested positive is safely isolating at home.  Seattle King County Public Health and Vashon Medical Reserve Corps are informed and the close contacts of the individual were notified and advised as appropriate.  Anyone who has not been directly contacted but is concerned about possible exposure, should visit Washington State's Department of Health website at www.doh.wa.gov for guidance on “What to do if you were potentially exposed to someone with confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19).”   VISD is completing an investigation regarding the confirmed case.  In an abundance of caution, VISD is following our normal protocols and some staff will be getting tested and will remain in quarantine as directed by DOH guidelines. 

New Developments since Last Report:

Late Monday, Governor Inslee ordered an aggressive new initiative for ramping up the vaccination rate for Washington residents. “This is a massive effort, and as noble as any cause will be in 2021: Because this is the year we choose to get vaccinated, Washington,” Inslee said during a press conference Monday.  “We are removing as many impediments as possible to Washingtonians getting vaccinated, we are going to deliver every dose that comes into our state.  We will still be dependent on the federal government for doses, but we are doing everything we can once it gets here.” The plan included six initiatives:  
  1. Immediately Moving to Phase 1B-1, and opening up vaccine eligibility to age 65 and older, lowering the eligibility age by five years.
  2. Setting a goal of administering 45,000 vaccine doses a day going forward, but it’s important to understand that the vaccine is still in short supply since the current federal government allocation to the state falls far short of the amount that would be needed to meet Inslee’s goal.
  3. Establishing mass vaccination sites statewide for equitable distribution.  Initially, Four state sponsored sites will be set up in other parts of the state, such as Spokane.
  4. Requiring vaccination partners to administer 95% of the supplied vaccine supply within one week of receipt.
  5. Enhancing use of the FindYourPhaseWA.org tool
  6. Establishing public/private partnerships with large stakeholders to take advantage of their existing strengths, which includes logistical coordination, allocation strategies, infrastructure support and development, and cross-organizational and agency operational communications.

What does multigenerational household mean?  Some confusion has arisen over what the Department of Health means by multigenerational in the new eligibility criteria.  It is defined as a household where individuals from 2 or more generations live together.  People 50 years and older in a multigenerational (2 or more generations) household - These individuals would be at risk either due to:
  • Vulnerability – specifically, an older adult or elder who cannot live independently and is being cared for by a relative or in-home caregiver or being cared for by someone who works outside the home
  • Risk of exposure – specifically, an older adult or elder who is living with and taking care of kinship (along the lines of a grandparent with a grandchild)
  • This group does not include an older adult who is able to live independently and is taking care of the individual’s kinship/children.

New vaccination progress dashboard launched by Public Health – Seattle & King County. The dashboard is still in its initial stage and should have more data in the next couple weeks. Of particular interest to islanders is that the data and demographics are available by zip code. Updated daily Monday through Friday, the dashboard currently reports that as of January 19th a minimum of 180 islanders have received one or more doses. This is a minimum number, as some delay in reporting is expected. Visit the dashboard at https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/data/vaccination.aspx

Progress on Community Support Operations:

Emergency Operations Center (EOC): The EOC activated in response to the pandemic emergency on March 12th, ten months and one week ago (314 days). Four operational priorities established by the Incident Commander, Fire Chief Charlie Krimmert, and approved by the VashonBePrepared Board, continue to guide our work: health, food security, housing security and economic recovery.

Volunteers: Work by our volunteers has spiked upwards over the last two weeks as they advance the effort to support COVID-19 vaccination on the island. Weekly hours are up by around 60%. For the most recent reporting period, 43 volunteers contributed 447 hours of work to VashonBePrepared's pandemic emergency response. That brings the total contributed hours to just about 21,200 since the activation began. At the FEMA reimbursement grant rate of $31.72/hour, VashonBePrepared volunteers have logged nearly $672,300 of in-kind value available to be applied to the 25% match requirement for reimbursement grants. The total includes hours contributed by the Vashon EOC Team, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), and Community Care Team (CCT). VashonBePrepared gives thanks as well for the many hours of work in support of the Vashon community by the staff and volunteers at local social services agencies.

EOC/MRC/CERT/Vaccination: As described elsewhere in this report, the Governor has significantly increased the number of people eligible now for COVID-19 vaccination, although it is important to understand that the supply of vaccine doses allocated by the federal government is not yet sufficient to provide for the demand. This shift in plans triggered an even more intensive effort to get the high volume drive-through vaccination operation going at Vashon Pharmacy. Site maps, signage, volunteer shift planning, site preparation, training, test runs and many other steps are being fast-tracked. In addition, our teams have been collaborating closely with the two island clinics, Sea Mar at Sunrise Ridge and Vashon Natural Medicine.

EOC/MRC/Community Engagement Team: Emails, Facebook, and website posts have been readied for the day when the high-volume drive-through vaccination site goes live, including instructions on how to sign up for an appointment slot. Appointments will be mandatory - no ad-hoc drive-ups will be accommodated.

Community Care Team/Community Engagement Team: The teams have readied week 2 of the Creating Strength mental health and resilience campaign, which will go out via email and Facebook on Thursday of this week. There are nine steps in the entire program. You can read about them and view the videos at the dedicated webpage: VashonBePrepared.org/CreatingStrength.