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.
Spanish translations of each Situation Report are available.
La traducción del SitRep o Reporte de la Situación en la isla, está disponible en español. Pare recibir una copia por correo, pídala a: laguilarkir@gmail.com
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Vashon Vaccine Availability:
The Overview: The vaccine scarcity problem of a month or two ago has disappeared. Both of the island's active vaccinators -- Sea Mar clinic and Vashon Pharmacy -- have consistent supplies of vaccine. Shots are available Monday through Saturday at one or the other location, and at both locations on many days.
12- to 15-Year-Olds/Authorization Steps: The FDA authorized use of Pfizer vaccine for this new younger age group yesterday. However, there are still a few steps to go before the vaccine can be administered. The CDC science advisory panel meets tomorrow, Wednesday, and is widely expected to add its approval. The state Department of Health also must approve the change after the Western States Pact (Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Nevada) scientific vaccine panel meets. Final approval to administer the vaccine in Washington is anticipated on Thursday or Friday of this week.
12- to 15-Year Olds/Getting Shots at School: Vashon Pharmacy will be focusing its adolescent vaccination efforts at the School District next week. There will be two clinic days at McMurray Middle School and Vashon High School. Youths not enrolled in Vashon Island School District are also invited. That will make it possible for the Pharmacy and Vashon Medical Reserve Corps, working with the schools, to vaccinate several hundred children very quickly and efficiently. That's important because it will allow time for the three weeks spacing before the second dose to vaccinate as many youths as possible before school gets out and in time for summer activities. Parents/guardians need to pre-register their children and provide the required parental approval in advance by going to: http://bit.ly/VashonSchoolVax The pre-registration deadline for the Monday, May 17th, school vaccination is Sunday, May 16th, 2:00pm.
12- to 15-Year-Olds/Vaccination at Regular Locations: Vashon's Sea Mar clinic staff say they will begin offering vaccinations to 12- to 15-year-olds immediately after the final authorization has been granted, as described above in the item on authorization steps. Vashon Pharmacy will be offering vaccinations to this age group at the schools next week, as described above in the item on getting shots at school. Vashon Pharmacy will not begin vaccination of 12- to 15-year-olds at the Pharmacy until the week of May 24th.
Free: All vaccinations are free to everyone, regardless of vaccine provider. If you have insurance, you'll be asked for your information so providers can recover the cost of administering the free vaccine, but there's no co-pay. If you do not have insurance, all costs are covered, and you will not be charged.
Please Don't Waste Doses: The island's vaccination providers are asking everyone to show up for their appointment, or let the provider know you will not be coming. The vaccine comes in multi-dose vials. Once the vial is opened, the vaccine is perishable and must be used within a few hours. So, if someone doesn't show up for an appointment, there's a risk that leftover doses must be thrown out and wasted. To cancel or reschedule at Sea Mar clinic, call (206) 463-3671. Vashon Pharmacy has an online cancellation link at VashonPharmacy.com/COVID.
Vashon Pharmacy: You don't need an appointment to get vaccinated at the Pharmacy, but you will find it more convenient if you do make one. To make an appointment, go to VashonPharmacy.com/COVID. The computer logjams of a few weeks ago have disappeared with the declining demand for vaccination, now that so many people already have their shots. However, you can just walk up to the white vaccination tents by the Pharmacy, any Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday from 9:00am to 12:00pm, and 1:00pm to 4:00pm. You'll fill out some paperwork and get your free vaccination. Spanish language interpretation is available at all walk-up clinics.
Sea Mar Clinic: Sea Mar will vaccinate walk-ups without appointments on most weekdays. You can check availability on the Sea Mar website daily, to find out what vaccine is available and to make sure they'll be open: SeaMar.org/COVID-Vaccine. If you prefer to make an appointment, call the Sunrise Ridge clinic at (206) 463-3671, or you can stop by in person to make an appointment. A Spanish-language interpreter is available for early visits on Wednesdays only, beginning at 7:30 am.
Questions About Vaccination: If you have questions, please call (844) 469-4554 and select option 4. That will connect you to one of the Medical Reserve Corps doctors, who can respond with information. You can't make a vaccination appointment at that number.
Current Virus Statistics:
Vashon Island COVID-19 Case Count as of 5/11/21:*
- 117 confirmed positive cases, 0 new cases since last Situation Report on Friday
- Date of last positive test: May 7
- 1 new positive in past 7 days and 2 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
King County COVID-19 Case Count as of 5/11/21:*
- 101,389 confirmed positive cases, 904 new since last Situation Report on Friday
- 1,544 deaths, 8 new since last Situation Report on Friday
Washington State COVID-19 Case Count as of 5/10/21:*
- 416,930 confirmed positive cases, 4,447 new since last Situation Report on Friday
- 5,593 deaths, 29 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:
Vaccination is the best tool we have to prevent the spread of COVID-19. People are considered fully vaccinated:
- Two weeks after the second dose in a two-dose series, like the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines OR
- Two weeks after Johnson & Johnson's single-dose vaccine.
If it has been less than 2 weeks since your shot, or if you still need to get your second dose, you are NOT fully protected.
Even 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.
New Developments since Last Report:
Major improvement in Vashon’s vaccination rate, with first dose vaccinations rising to over 82% of those aged 16 and over, as of the first of this week. The second-dose fully vaccinated rate is at 55%. Data for Vashon reveals we have the highest vaccination rate in the 16+ and 65+ age ranges of all King County. Vashon is second in the 75+ age range, about 4 points behind East King County. Our vaccination rate also compares very favorably to statewide 16+ vaccination rates of 56.9% for first dose and 42.7% for fully vaccinated. https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/COVID19/DataDashboard
The DOVE Project will host free online training techniques to relieve the stress from COVID and daily life. Instructor Kael Balizer will lead the program in Emotional Freedom Technique (Tapping). This is a self-healing tool that uses gentle tapping to acupressure points to relieve stress. The online classes will run for four Thursdays, starting May 20, from 5 to 6:30pm. The register, email nyn@vashondoveproject.org
Check out Voice of Vashon’s new series of COVID-19 Public Service Announcements (PSAs). The Situation Reports are highlighting each of them in turn, and here’s the third one. Listen to it at the link below. It says: “As vaccinations against COVID-19 pick up, we’re starting to see things open up again. Restaurants are open with spacing and limited capacity, the arts are coming back, and those first hugs are happening. All balm for the soul. Unfortunately, politicizing the pandemic has become its own pandemic. Vaccine hesitancy and anti-masking are still part of the COVID tableau. When you look at the numbers though, it’s clear the vaccine works. Yes, there have been side effects for some, but they usually go away in a day or two. Tylenol and anti-inflammatories like Advil or Aleve have been effective. And remember, if you’re having side effects, that means the vaccine is working! Your immune system is on duty and doing what it does! Get vaccinated! And keep up the masking, distancing and hand washing. Stay the course, Vashon!” http://www.voiceofvashon.org/user-content/psa-covid-3
COVID-19 transmission rate remains high in Washington State. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Washington is one of 12 states with high community transmission. The Department of Health's risk assessment dashboard reports our transmission rate - the number of people who get infected by a person with the virus - is still at 1.5. The transmission target is below 1. "The COVID-19 outbreak is no longer a 5-alarm fire but it continues to burn and has not yet been extinguished," said Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer for Public Health-Seattle & King County. www.coronavirus.wa.gov/what-you-need-know/roadmap-recovery-metrics
Majority of Americans support showing proof of vaccination in certain situations. An Axios-Ipsos poll found that 64% of respondents were in favor of requiring proof of vaccination for international flights, and 63% were in favor of doing so for domestic flights. Sixty-one percent were in favor of showing proof of vaccination to vacation at a hotel, resort, or on a cruise ship; 57% to attend a sporting event; and 55% to return to the workplace. Just under half of the respondents thought proof of vaccination should be needed to eat at a restaurant or go to a salon. https://www.axios.com/axios-ipsos-poll-americans-less-worried-4ed484e7-bb39-464b-a4cd-a3ac882b8e4a.html
Progress on Community Support Operations:
Emergency Operations Center (EOC): Vashon's pandemic emergency response began 14 months ago (426 days). Our current operational priorities were established by the Incident Commander, Fire Chief Charlie Krimmert, and approved by the VashonBePrepared Board. Those priorities are health, food security, housing security and economic recovery.
Vaccination Operations/Schools: A site survey this week will finalize plans for 12- to 15-year-olds to be vaccinated at McMurray Middle School and Vashon High School on the 17th and 20th of May. Please see the item in the Vaccination Availability section for details. Since the FDA authorization came yesterday for Pfizer to be used on adolescents, there has been quick action to complete the planning.
Vaccination Operations/Pharmacy: Refinements are being studied for the Vashon Pharmacy vaccination operation. Significant coordination and detailed planning have been required to simultaneously serve drive-through patients, those arriving on foot, and drop-ins who arrive without an appointment.
School COVID Monitoring: Additional discussions are under way to find ways to implement the proposed pooled COVID-19 monitoring program at Vashon Island School District. Some staffing and insurance hurdles have been passed, but more study will be required.
EOC/Community Engagement: Rosie the Raccoon goes up around town this week on posters, banners, and newspaper advertisements. She's reminding everyone that we are all in this together and about 20% of our eligible people have not yet been vaccinated. She reminds us, as well, that vaccination allows us to get together with vaccinated friends for hugs, games, and dinners.
Housing Security: The EOC and MRC, working with Public Health -- Seattle & King County (PHSKC), have ironed out a gap in helping Vashon's pandemic victims take advantage of the King County Household Assistance Requests program. Those testing positive for COVID-19 were being picked up by the program, but those being asked to quarantine due to exposure were not getting access to potential housing assistance. PHSKC has set up a portal and is providing training for Vashon social service agencies and MRC tracing investigators. They will be able to help those people access the program, which provides up to $750 per household for utilities, phone and internet bills.
Volunteers: For the last full week reporting period, 30 volunteers contributed 398 hours of work to VashonBePrepared's pandemic emergency response. That brings the total contributed hours to over 29,300 hours since the activation began. At the FEMA reimbursement grant rate of $31.72/hour, VashonBePrepared volunteers have contributed over $929,000 of contributed in-kind value. VashonBePrepared also thanks the staff and volunteers at our partner social services agencies on the island for the many hours of extra work logged during the pandemic in support of the Vashon community.
