Vashon Emergency Operations Center COVID-19 Pandemic Situation Report

June 24, 2021 1:30 am
The daily new case count for King County has fallen dramatically as the region’s vaccination rate has soared over the last few months, and public health experts say the trend comes from higher vaccination protection in the general public. This graph from the data dashboard operated by Public Health – Seattle & King County shows the daily new case count has fallen to its lowest level in a year in King County. Vashon residents have benefited from the vaccination effect with no new cases in more than three weeks, as our community’s first dose vaccination rate reached 90% of residents 12 years of age and older (Courtesy Photo).
The daily new case count for King County has fallen dramatically as the region’s vaccination rate has soared over the last few months, and public health experts say the trend comes from higher vaccination protection in the general public. This graph from the data dashboard operated by Public Health – Seattle & King County shows the daily new case count has fallen to its lowest level in a year in King County. Vashon residents have benefited from the vaccination effect with no new cases in more than three weeks, as our community’s first dose vaccination rate reached 90% of residents 12 years of age and older (Courtesy Photo).

June 15 – June 21, 2021

Current Vaccination Eligibility: Everyone 12+

THE VIRUS

Virus statistics: There have been no new cases among Vashon residents for the last three editions of this weekly report. Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC) reports 121 positive cases of COVID-19 on Vashon since the pandemic began.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTS

Two weeks and counting: In less than two weeks, Washington State will go to full opening, and the King County indoor mask mandate for vaccinated persons will be lifted.

Gov. Jay Inslee has set June 30 for a statewide reopening date, unless the state achieves 70% first-dose vaccination of those 16 years and older before that deadline.

King County has achieved more than 70% complete vaccination, kicking off a two-week countdown for ending the local Public Health mask mandate.

Unvaccinated persons are strongly encouraged to continue to wear masks until fully vaccinated. Even after reopening, there are likely still going to be situations where masks may be required, such as when using public transportation, in health care settings, homeless shelters, or if an employer or business requires mask usage.

The Gamma variant watch: State epidemiologist Dr. Scott Lindquist has warned of danger from the Gamma variant of COVID-19, first identified in Brazil. According to Dr. Lindquist, the Gamma variant is associated with higher hospitalization rates and increased breakthrough infections, and now accounts for 16% of the cases in Washington — the fastest-rising variant in the state. Lindquist said vaccination remains key to protecting individuals from the virus and hindering “the spread of these dangerous variants.” In contrast to the Gamma variant, Dr. Lindquist reports the Delta variant is not leading to increased hospitalizations, deaths or breakthrough infections for those who have been vaccinated.

Canada border remains closed: Restrictions on nonessential travel at the U.S.-Canada border have been extended until July 21. The restrictions, which have been in place since March 2020, have had limited impacts on trade and commerce. But they’ve split apart families, disrupted life in tightly knit border communities, and badly hurt the tourism industry in Canada, which is reliant on American visitors during the summer season. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that he wants 75% of Canadians to have had a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and at least 20% of them to be fully vaccinated, before easing the restrictions.

Business/employee COVID guidance simplified: Gov. Inslee has consolidated or canceled business and employee guidance for some industries. Unless otherwise specified, these industries will no longer need to follow industry-specific guidance. They will instead need only to follow general requirements, which include the COVID-19 workplace health and safety measures established by the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I). Some of the affected industries that are present on Vashon include domestic services, manufacturing, outdoor maintenance, construction, golf, museums, and outdoor recreation. A summary of the COVID-19 Workplace Safety and Health Requirements can be found at bit.ly/COVIDworkSafety.

Picnics To Go returns: Vashon Food Bank and Vashon Island School District are again offering their summer program of free nutritious lunches to youths this summer and, again this year, adults can buy inexpensive lunches as well. There are two ways to get the meals. You can pick up between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on weekdays at Vashon Island High School. You can also use the mobile delivery service that travels between a dozen key points around the island every weekday. Meals are free for kids and teens. Adults can purchase meals for $5. For pick-up locations and more information, visit bit.ly/PicnicsToGo.

A lottery of their own: Washington’s military members and veterans are getting a COVID-19 vaccine lottery of their own, announced last week by Gov. Inslee. These groups were not included in the current lottery because the Department of Defense does not share vaccination data with the state. The lottery will begin July 20 and continue for three weekly drawings. Active-duty military and their family members will be given information by their branch of service on how to sign up to be included in the lottery. However, vaccinated veterans and members of the National Guard won’t have to sign up because the Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Guard have agreed to give the state lottery random numbers that they have associated with vaccination records. The Department of Defense will circulate a form for military members to fill out.

VACCINATION AVAILABILITY UPDATE

The overview: Vaccine supplies continue to be steady, and demand for vaccinations has eased, now that Vashon has reached the 90% mark of residents who have at least one dose of the vaccine. Vaccination is easily available on the island Monday through Saturday, by going to either of the island’s two vaccination locations, Sea Mar Clinic or Vashon Pharmacy.

Achieving full protection: Vashonites continue to close the gap between first and second doses of vaccine. About 77.5% of Vashon residents have now completed their full course of vaccination, leaving a gap of 12.7% where residents have not yet received their second dose of vaccine, according to the data dashboard operated by Public Health — Seattle & King County (PHSKC). Full vaccine protection requires two doses for most people on Vashon, where the primary vaccine type has been Moderna or Pfizer. (The small number who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine achieved full protection with only a single dose.) See below for details on getting your second dose of a vaccine at Vashon Pharmacy or Sea Mar clinic. Bring your vaccination card for your second dose visit, so the vaccinators can be sure to give you the correct vaccine and check for proper spacing between your first and second dose.

Vashon Pharmacy vaccinations: You can go to Vashon Pharmacy six days a week to get your first or second dose of vaccine. To save time, you are encouraged to go to VashonPharmacy.com/COVID to pre-register and make an appointment if you are going for your first dose. If you are going for a second dose of vaccine, you can make an appointment by calling the Pharmacy at (206) 463-9118. If you prefer, you may just drop into the Pharmacy without an appointment. Pharmacy vaccination hours during the week are 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 to 6 p.m. On Saturdays, the hours are 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Check first to see if vaccinations are being offered outside at the white vaccination tents at the rear of the Pharmacy, but almost all vaccination operations have now been moved inside the building.

Sea Mar Clinic vaccinations: At the clinic on Sunrise Ridge, you can save time and a trip by making an appointment in advance, by calling (206) 463-3671. Drop-ins are welcome without an appointment, but making arrangements in advance may save you a wasted trip because Sea Mar has been adjusting its operations to synchronize with the reduced demand for vaccinations. In order to avoid wasting leftover vaccines from the multi-dose vials, they are trying to concentrate patients a few days a week. Sea Mar is open Monday through Friday.

Vaccination free to all: All 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.

EMERGENCY OPERATIONS

Emergency Operations Center (EOC): We are in the process of transitioning to Standby/Monitoring level, a lower type of activation, responding to the ebbing of the pandemic, the successful vaccination effort on Vashon and the region, and signs of an economic recovery. Vashon’s emergency response was activated 15 months and one week ago (464 days). Our current operational priorities remain as health, food security, housing security, and economic recovery, as established by the Incident Commander, Fire Chief Charlie Krimmert, and approved by the VashonBePrepared Board.

Situation Report: Barring unforeseen developments, the EOC Situation Section will publish the final Situation Report of this activation on June 25. The final Beachcomber Situation Report compilation will be published on July 1.

VashonBePrepared.org: The website will continue to provide COVID-19 information so islanders will know where they can receive services, as the pandemic and our response continue to wind down. The contents of the resource page will be circulated to the Situation Report email list and other venues including social media.

MRC/Testing: A set of resources for obtaining COVID-19 testing has been developed, so Vashon residents will have information on where to get tested after the Vashon Medical Reserve Corps testing site demobilizes. Resources will include clinic-based tests and at-home self-administered tests. The testing guide will be included on the VashonBePrepared website and be sent out via the Situation Report email list and Facebook. The final day of operation for the Vashon Medical Reserve Corps testing site will be June 25.

EOC/MRC/Vaccination: COVID-19 vaccinations will continue to be available on the island after the EOC activation’s transition to Standby/Monitoring level. Both of the island vaccination sites, Sea Mar clinic and Vashon Pharmacy, have plans to continue providing island residents with local vaccination access.

VashonBePrepared/Vashon COVID Relief Fund: The final currently budgeted disbursement of the Relief Fund to our social service and economic recovery agencies will take place in the next few weeks. The VashonBePrepared Board will consider the next steps for the Relief Fund in July.

Volunteers: For the last full week reporting period, 29 volunteers contributed 351 hours of work to VashonBePrepared’s pandemic emergency response. That brings the total contributed hours to more than 31,200 since the activation began. At the FEMA reimbursement grant rate of $31.72/hour, VashonBePrepared volunteers have run up more than $990,400 of contributed in-kind value. VashonBePrepared gives thanks to the staff and volunteers of local social services agencies for the many hours of extra work logged during the pandemic.

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.