Best Start for Kids Archives | South Seattle Emerald

curated by Emerald Staff

A round-up of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!

An elder recieves the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at the Atlantic City Boat Ramp vaccination site in Seattle, Washington. — *An elder receives the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine at the Atlantic City Boat Ramp vaccination site in Seattle, Washington, on March 2, 2021. (Photo: Carolyn Bick)*

The Latest on COVID-19 Vaccines

How to Find a COVID-19 Vaccine — Now that everyone 16 years or older is eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine here in Washington state, how do you even find one? In case you missed it last week, Emerald reporter Ben Adlin put together a comprehensive guide on locating a COVID-19 vaccine and everything else you’d probably like to know before getting one.

We’ve highlighted some quick answers from the guide for the “Where Do I Go To Get a Vaccine?” question here:

Start with your primary care physician (PCP) or health clinic: See if they’re scheduling appointments with their own sign-up system. If you don’t have a PCP (or even if you do and your PCP isn’t offering vaccine appointments), check out the next options on this list.
City of Seattle Vaccination Locations: Four locations are located in Rainier Beach, West Seattle, North Seattle, and Lumen Field in SODO. Get on the waitlist for an appointment through a city website (available in seven languages) or by calling the city’s customer service hotline at (206) 684-2489 (interpreters are available to provide language assistance).
King County Vaccination Sites (outside Seattle): Locations are open in Auburn, Kent, and Redmond. For Auburn or Kent locations, pre-register through a county website (currently only in English), and for the Redmond location, pre-register through their own separate website. King County also has a COVID-19 call center you can call to get on the waitlist at (206) 477-3977 (language interpreters are available).
Pharmacy and Drugstore Chains: Pharmacy and drugstore chains like Safeway, Walgreens, Costco, QFC, CVS, and more offer their own vaccine appointments with their own registration systems via online or the phone. Note that you may be required to set up an account with these companies in order to get on their waitlist.
Vaccine Locator Tools: Vaccinate WA’s Locator (state-run) and CovidWA.com (volunteer-led) allow you to search for available vaccination appointments at sites near your zip code. Both groups are sharing information, but the systems remain separate.
Find a COVID Shot WA: A grassroots-led Facebook group that helps highest risk communities, including BIPOC, find vaccination appointments through crowdsourced information about vaccine availability.

It’s okay to put your name on a few different appointment waitlists, but if you do finalize an appointment, be sure to take your name off the other lists!

The above was just a snapshot of some of the valuable information in Ben Adlin’s guide. For more information, check out the full article.

Public Health – Seattle & King County Offers In-Home Vaccinations — King County Public Health officials announced on Monday, April 19, that people who have difficulty leaving their homes will qualify for in-home COVID-19 vaccinations from a team of mobile caregivers. People over the age of 16 who qualify include those who cannot easily leave their home because of an injury, developmental disability, or medical condition. Appointments are prioritized for those in most serious need of the vaccine and those who have the most challenges leaving their home.

To make an appointment, call the King County COVID-19 Call Center at (206) 477-3977 between 8 a.m. and 7 a.m. any day of the week. People will be asked a number of questions to determine eligibility, and then an appointment can be scheduled. Translation services during the call are available in a number of languages and a limited number of in-person translation services at the time of vaccination is also an option.

Note that because of high demand, you may need to wait several weeks for an appointment. According to Public Health – Seattle & King County, during your in-home appointment, you’ll need to:
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Make sure that everyone in your home wears a mask unless they are unable to for health reasons.
When possible, practice social distancing. If you are not receiving the vaccine, stay six feet apart from members of the vaccination team.
Keep pets out of the area where the vaccination takes place.

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Continue reading →

by Dr. Ben Danielson

In a clinic that serves a broadly diverse group of kids, a high proportion from low income backgrounds, I’ve learned a fair amount about the factors that influence health. Unfortunately, today’s healthcare system is off target. It is more prepared to treat illnesses once they’ve gotten really bad than it is prepared to catch illnesses in their earliest forms; let alone prevent illness. The bulk of our healthcare resources are directed far ‘downstream’ from the primary sources of health. As a result, our healthcare system basically spends more than any other country and has some of the worst health outcomes in the developed world. Continue reading Op-Ed: “The Best Start” We Can Provide Our Children →