Vashon Emergency Operations Center COVID-19 Pandemic Situation Report

Published 1:30 am Thursday, May 20, 2021

Current Vaccination Eligibility: Everyone 12+

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS: MASKING, REOPENING, AND SCHOOLS

Masks (mostly) not required: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says people who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus can stop wearing masks or maintaining social distance in most settings. Fully vaccinated means two weeks after the second dose of a two-dose vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine (Johnson and Johnson). Fully vaccinated persons can resume activities without wearing a mask or staying six feet apart, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance. If you travel in the United States, you do not need to get tested before or after travel, or self-quarantine after travel. Rules for international travel vary by country and still apply. You will still be required to wear a mask on ferries, planes, buses, trains and other forms of public transportation traveling within, into, or out of the United States, and in U.S. transportation hub facilities such as airports and rail stations.

A target date for reopening: Gov. Jay Inslee announced that the state is moving toward a statewide June 30 reopening date, and on May 18th, all counties in Washington will move to Phase 3 of the Healthy WA: Roadmap to Recovery reopening plan. “What we know now gives us the confidence to close this chapter in this pandemic and begin another,” Inslee said. “This next part of our fight to save lives in Washington will focus on increasing vaccination rates and continuing to monitor variants of concern as we move toward reopening our state.” The full reopening could happen earlier than June 30 if 70% or more of Washingtonians over the age of 16 initiate vaccination. Currently, 56% of Washingtonians have had at least one dose of vaccine, 14 points short of that goal.

Schools will be full-time in-person: The state Department of Health says schools must plan to provide full-time in-person education for all interested students for summer school and the 2021-2022 school year. Vashon Island School District Superintendent, Slade McSheehy, said the district will be following the new DOH guidance for schools. The guidance says that:

• All students, school personnel, volunteers, and visitors must wear at least a cloth face covering or an acceptable alternative when indoors.
• Schools must have basic ventilation, cleaning and infection control plans.
• Physical distancing must be maintained of three feet or more between students in classroom settings.
• Schools must have a COVID-19 infection response plan.
• Schools should prepare to provide instruction for students who are excluded from school due to illness or quarantine.
• COVID-19 testing programs and vaccinations are not required for providing in-person learning.

THE VIRUS

Virus statistics: Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC) reports 118 positive cases of COVID-19 on Vashon since the pandemic began, one more than reported in the last edition of this report.

VASHON VACCINATION AVAILABILITY

The overview: Vaccine supplies for the island’s two active vaccinators remain solid. Efforts are now turning to reach those who have not yet had their first dose of vaccine, and the significant number of people who have not received their second dose to complete their vaccination.

Second doses encouraged: Both Sea Mar clinic and Vashon Pharmacy welcome those who need a second dose of vaccine to complete their protection. Second doses are available at both locations, even if you got your first dose somewhere else. Getting your second dose here on the island could be the easiest approach since vaccine supplies are readily available and there’s no need to go to the mainland. Just be sure to bring your CDC vaccination card with you, so your type of vaccine and the required wait time can be confirmed. Details on following through are listed below in the location-specific information paragraphs. Data reported by Public Health — Seattle & King County indicate that a significant number of islanders have not yet followed through to get their second dose and, thus, best possible protection against COVID-19.

12 to 15-year olds: Vashon’s Sea Mar clinic has started vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds. Vashon Pharmacy has been encouraging people to take advantage of the school vaccination days this coming week, but will not turn away vaccination requests for 12- to 15-year-olds at the Pharmacy. Next week, after completing this week’s onsite school vaccination effort, Vashon Pharmacy will open up for vaccination of 12 to 15-year-olds.

Free: COVID-19 vaccinations are free to all. 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, the cost is covered anyway and you will not be charged.

Vashon Pharmacy: If you need to get your first dose of vaccine, you have a range of choices at the Pharmacy site. For your convenience, you can make an appointment at VashonPharmacy.com/COVID. You may also just drop in without an appointment from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 4 p.m. on any Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday. If you are looking to get your second dose and complete your vaccination, don’t use the online system. Just show up, with your vaccination card, during the regular drop-in hours on Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday. Spanish language interpretation is available at all walk-up clinics. Look for the white tents in the parking lot south of the Pharmacy building.

Sea Mar Clinic: Sea Mar vaccinates walk-ups without appointments most weekdays. It’s a good idea to check availability on the Sea Mar website daily to find out what vaccine is available and to make sure they’ll be open, at SeaMar.org/COVID-Vaccine. You may also make an appointment by calling 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. Second-dose patients are welcome, even if they got their first injection elsewhere.

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 multiple-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.

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 volunteer medical professionals who can respond with information. You can’t make a vaccination appointment at that number. For an appointment, follow the directions above.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTS

Masks still required on ferries: Washington State Ferries announced that, while CDC and state guidance loosened some restrictions on wearing masks, wearing a mask is still a requirement for travel on all public transportation, including Washington State Ferries. This includes indoor and outdoor spaces on vessels. Passengers who refuse to wear masks may be denied travel.

Masks still required at Granny’s Attic: Granny’s announced it is not yet ready to relax COVID-19 procedures. In their decision, they cite concerns about how to accurately identify fully vaccinated customers, and how to ensure that unvaccinated customers who enter the building in a mask do not then remove their mask. Additionally, they have high-risk staff, volunteers, donors, and customers, and need to protect them.

EMERGENCY OPERATIONS

Emergency Operations Center (EOC): Our current operational priorities are health, food security, housing security, and economic recovery, as established by the Incident Commander, Fire Chief Charlie Krimmert, and approved by the VashonBePrepared Board. Vashon’s pandemic emergency response first activated over 62 weeks ago (435 days).

EOC: The Situation Section has been collecting and synthesizing information on the governor’s June 30 reopening announcement, state Department of Health guidance on the next school year, and new mask guidance from the CDC, in order to support decision-making by community partners.

EOC continued: The study continues on a potential gap in vaccination completion. Discussions are underway to consider potential action steps. Although the island’s first-dose vaccination rate is good, it appears that a big share of islanders may not be following through with their second dose. The difference between the first-dose vaccination rate and the second vaccination completion dose rate has been running around 26 points behind. Additionally, work has started on the After-Action Review process for this emergency activation. Lessons learned from the activation will be utilized in the writing of a new Community Emergency Operations Plan, and will inform planning for the Cascadia Rising 2022 (CR22) earthquake exercise to take place in June of next year. In addition, stakeholder meetings have begun the process of designing the exercise objectives that will be used to design Vashon’s play in the CR22 exercise.

MRC/EOC/Vashon Pharmacy: A series of planning and site survey meetings were completed in preparation for this week’s vaccination of the new younger group of 12 to 15-year-olds this week at McMurray Middle School and Vashon High School. Please see the Vaccination Availability section for more details on adolescent vaccination on Vashon.

MRC/EOC/VISD: The timing of a proposed COVID monitoring program for the school district has been shifted to August, as part of preparations for the next school year.

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 since the activation began. At the FEMA reimbursement grant rate of $31.72/hour, VashonBePrepared volunteers have generated nearly $929,000 of contributed in-kind value. VashonBePrepared also gives thanks to 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.

ABOUT

This information is compiled from the Situation Reports produced by the EOC Situation Section and provided to The Beachcomber to help islanders stay informed and safe. To receive reports and other emergency information emails, go to VoiceofVashon.org/alertsignup.