COVID Vaccines for the Houseless Archives

by Ashley Archibald

The number of new coronavirus infections has held fairly steady over the past two weeks but continue to be considerably higher than at the end of the winter surge, even as more King County residents get access to limited supplies of the vaccine, King County officials said at a press conference Thursday.

King County averaged 294 new coronavirus cases each day for the past week, double what was reported at the beginning of March, said Dr. Jeff Duchin, the health officer for Public Health — Seattle & King County. Infections have been increasing for all age groups except children below age 5 and adults above age 65, with the fastest jumps reported in people aged 18 to 24.

“We are at standoff with this virus currently,” Duchin said. “This is not the time to blink.”

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by Chetanya Robinson

Medical workers, staff, and residents at long-term care facilities are starting to receive their doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as King County and the State roll out the first phase of their vaccination plan. Next in line is a group that includes residents and staff at shelters, as well as school staff, essential workers, people in jail, emergency responders, and more.

Public Health — Seattle & King County is considering multiple ways to get the vaccine to everyone, whether or not they are homeless, and plans could change at any time, said Jody Rauch, who works as the clinical quality lead for the agency’s Healthcare for the Homeless Network (HCHN).

There’s not a lot of detailed, specific guidance from the CDC or the State Department of Health on what the next phases of vaccination will look like, Rauch said — including, for example, in what phase all unhoused people will be vaccinated.

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