A round-up of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!
Mohammed Ahmed smiles as he receives his COVID-19 vaccine at an ICHS pop-up vaccine clinic at the Redmond Islamic Center on March 30, 2021. Photo courtesy of ICHS.
COVID-19 Vaccination Locations/Info & Pop-Ups
Appointments No Longer Required at Lumen Field, Rainier Beach, and West Seattle Vaccination Sites — Those who live or work in King County can now walk up or drive to three City of Seattle COVID-19 vaccination sites without an appointment. People who have not yet received a dose can now receive their first or second dose at three locations: Lumen Field, Rainier Beach, and West Seattle. At the time of vaccination, if required, patients will be signed up for an appointment for their second dose.
According to the Mayor’s Office the locations and times of the centers are:
Lumen Field Event Center: 330 S Royal Brougham Way, Seattle, WA 98134; Wednesdays and Saturdays, 11:15 a.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Rainier Beach Vaccination Hub: 8702 Seward Park Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118; Monday–Saturday, 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
West Seattle Vaccination Hub: 2801 SW Thistle St., Seattle, WA 98126; Monday–Saturday, 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. On Wednesday, May 5, this hub will be open until 7:30 p.m.
A round-up of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!
Photo: Alex Garland
COVID Vaccination Appointments and Assistance
Customer Service Bureau Offering Phone Vaccine Notification List Sign-Up Assistance— If you are having problems accessing the City of Seattle COVID-19 Vaccination Notification List online, City of Seattle Customer Service Bureau operators are available to help you over the phone! Language interpretation is also available. The Customer Service Bureau number is (206) 684-CITY or (206) 684-2489 and is open from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
A round-up of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!
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: (Begin quote.)
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.
A round-up of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!
(Photo: Alex Garland)
The Latest on COVID Vaccines
Masses Become Eligible April 15, Supply May Not Immediately Meet Demand —According to Public Health — Seattle & King County, providers have delivered one million vaccines in the county (this number does not reflect the total number of people fully vaccinated). Furthermore, over half a million people — or 29.5% of the population 16 years and older — are fully vaccinated (as of April 12), meaning if the vaccine they received required more than one dose, they have received both doses.
A round-up of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!
Vaccines: Here’s the Latest — UPDATED 4/7 @ 11:30 a.m.
This Week, the City Will Vaccinate a Record 30K People —The City of Seattle will administer approximately 30,000 vaccines across multiple sites this week including Lumen Field Event Center, the Rainier Beach and West Seattle Community Vaccination Hubs, and via Seattle Fire Department Mobile Vaccination Teams (MVTs), which will visit locations where formerly homeless adults live in permanent supportive housing. The MVTs will also administer second-dose shots to older adults living in affordable housing.
A round-up of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!
Photo by Alex Garland.
Spike in COVID Cases, Testing, and the Latest in Vaccines
COVID Spike Prompts Update to Rainier Beach COVID Testing & Vaccine Hub— Mayor Jenny Durkan announced last week that the City’s Rainier Beach and West Seattle COVID testing hubs — which recently began offering vaccines in addition to testing — would transition to vaccine-only hubs in the middle of this week, but data from Public Health — Seattle & King County revealed a spike in COVID cases in the county over the last two weeks. As a result, COVID testing at these sites will now be extended, says the City.
A round-up of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!
Rainier Beach COVID Testing & Vaccine Hub Will Convert to Vaccine-Only Service, Increase Capacity
The City of Seattle announced today that the City’s Rainier Beach and West Seattle COVID testing hubs, both now offering vaccines, will transition to eliminate testing as a service and become vaccine-only hubs. Mayor Jenny Durkan says that this will increase Seattle Fire Department’s capacity to vaccinate community members significantly, with each site able to vaccinate 3,000 people per week once the transition is complete. The sites will make the switch to vaccinating full-time next week on Wednesday, March 31. The City has vaccinated 40,000 people thus far, so this increase in capacity should quickly build on Seattle’s total vaccination count. Seattle Met reported on March 22 that 31% of people over age 16 in King County have received their first dose of a two-dose vaccine and roughly half of that number are fully vaccinated according to Department of Health and Public Health — Seattle King County data.
People looking to get tested can still make appointments for various other Seattle-area testing sites, including the SODO site. To schedule an appointment to get a vaccine, first check your eligibility by using the Washington State Phase Finder Tool, which will confirm your eligibility (you may need to show this to a provider when you get your vaccine). Find the latest version of the vaccination roll-out phased timeline on the Department of Health Website, also available in Spanish. We are currently in Phase 1B, Tier 2 and are on target to go into Phase 1B, Tiers 3 and 4 on March 31.
If you are 65 years or older and live in a South Seattle zip code, you can schedule an appointment for the Rainier Beach Vaccine Hub online now. If you are otherwise eligible, but do not fit the aforementioned criteria, sign up for the City of Seattle’s vaccine notification list online to make an appointment to get your vaccine when an appointment is available. You can also call (206) 684-2489 from Mon. to Sat., from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for assistance (interpretation available).
To find a location to make an appointment to get a COVID vaccine outside of the City’s Rainier Beach Vaccine Hub, use the DOH’s vaccine locator tool. International Community Health Services is also vaccinating community members (current patients may call for an appointment; new patients will need to schedule online). UW Medicine is also vaccinating community members. Call 844-520-8700 to join their vaccine appointment waitlist. When an appointment is available for you, you will receive a call to schedule it (only first-dose appointments will be made through this system).
A round-up of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!
Image courtesy of Wa Na Wari.
Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute Pilot Program — Now Accepting Applications!
Application Deadline: March 31
From the source: Wa Na Wari and the Shelf Life Community Story Project are launching the Seattle Black Spatial Histories Institute, a pilot oral history/community story training program.
In 2021, a six-person cohort will explore the ethics, techniques, best practices, tensions, and dilemmas of oral history. The cohort will then practice their new skills by conducting oral history interviews with local community members around three topics. Upon completion of the Institute, cohort members will receive compensation of $4,000 and a certificate of completion.
A round-up of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!
Image courtesy of ICHS.
Get a COVID Vaccine Through ICHS
International Community Health Services (ICHS) continues to receive COVID vaccine supplies and to vaccinate both patients and non-patients alike. ICHS was recently named by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration as one of the first community health centers to receive COVID-19 vaccines from the federal government, and they are receiving regular shipments from this and other sources.
A round-up of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!
UPDATE: 2/24/21, 4:45 p.m. — ICHS Has COVID-19 Vaccines
Editor’s Note: We have updated this section twice since the original publication of this post as new information about vaccine supply and appointment availability has been provided to us from ICHS.
Recent storms delayed shipments of vaccines across the country, but International Community Health Services (ICHS) has received a supply of vaccines they are eager to get into the hands of community members. ICHS was recently named by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration as one of the first community health centers to receive COVID-19 vaccines from the federal government.
Current ICHS patients who are eligible through the Washington Department of Health Phase Finder can call ICHS’s call center at 206-788-3700 to make an immediate vaccine appointment. Eligible community members who are not ICHS patients can make appointments on ICHS’s appointment webpage. NOTE: A limited number of appointments are made available based on current vaccine supplies as assessments are made. ICHS advises community members to check the appointment scheduler often to see if new appointments have opened up, as they will be scheduled on a first come, first served basis.
ICHS’s South Seattle vaccination clinic location is the New Holly Gathering Hall at 7054 32nd Avenue South.
A note from ICHS: “This will continue to change and ICHS is dedicated to helping distribute the vaccine as quickly and equitably to our communities as possible.”
Those eligible to receive the vaccine at this time can use the Department of Health Vaccine Locator tool to assist them in finding a location outside of ICHS to make an appointment to get the vaccine. To find out if you currently qualify for a vaccine, visit the Department of Health Phase Finder. (We are currently in Phase 1 and vaccinating folx in Phase 1A, Tier 1 and 2, and Phase 1B, Tier 1. See the visual vaccine roll-out timeline, available in Spanish.)
