Inslee: Anyone 60 and older, restaurant workers among new group eligible for vaccines on March 31
OLYMPIA – Anyone 60 years old and up, along with restaurant, manufacturing and construction workers, will soon be eligible for a coronavirus vaccine in Washington.
Gov. Jay Inslee announced Thursday the next group of state residents will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine starting March 31, giving two million more people a chance to get their shot.
The expanded timeline means the state is on track to meet President Joe Biden’s goal to have all adults eligible by May 1, although Inslee said the state likely wouldn’t open it up to everyone before then.
“I’m happy about the general pace,” Inslee told reporters. “This timeline is much faster than we would’ve predicted a few months ago.”
The newly eligible group includes:
- anyone from age 60 through 64
- additional workers in congregate settings, such as restaurants, manufacturing and construction
- anyone with two or more
- , such as cancer or heart disease
- people living in a congregate setting, such as a correctional facility or group home, and those experiencing homelessness.
These people join those 65 and up, 50 and up in a multigenerational household, and K-12 teachers and childcare workers. Additionally, pregnant women, people with disabilities that put them at higher risk for COVID-19 and high-risk critical workers, including agriculture, grocery store and public transit workers, became eligible Wednesday.
Increased numbers of doses and improved daily vaccination numbers allowed the state to move forward, Inslee said.
Currently, five million people in the state are eligible. Michele Roberts, assistant secretary with the Department of Health, said she anticipates about one million more people over 16 would be left not yet eligible after March 31.
Washington providers will receive 345,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines next week and every week through early April. The state this week also received 8,400 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which were sent to counties that have received smaller allocations than their proportional populations.
By April, the state could be receiving about 600,000 doses per week divided into allocations to the state and to federal pharmacy programs, according to current federal projections.
The quick expansion was announced one week after Biden said in his first prime-time address that he would work to make all adults eligible for vaccines by May 1.
This news likely clears a path for everyone in Washington to be eligible by May 1, as Biden has encouraged, but Inslee didn’t give a set date for when everyone might be eligible. Inslee said they were working to move through priority phases as quickly as possible.
Details on future phases are forthcoming, according to his office, but Inslee told reporters he did not anticipate the state would open up to everyone before May 1. Essential workers and those more at risk to COVID-19 “need to be able to get their vaccines,” he said.
Although other states have begun opening up eligibility to everyone, Inslee said he was continuing to follow prioritization to “save as many lives as possible.”
To make it easier for people to find vaccine appointments, the state is launching a new Vaccine Locator tool to simplify the appointment scheduling process and show all available appointments in one place. To find a vaccine near you, go to vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov.
For those without internet access, they can schedule a vaccine appointment by calling (800) 525-0127 and press #.
State OKs some long-term care visits
Inslee also announced Thursday that nursing home and long-term care visitation can resume.
Outdoor visitation still remains the safest option for everyone, but some indoor visitation will be allowed if either a resident or a visitor is vaccinated. Both do not need to be vaccinated to meet indoors, Inslee said.
The state is “knocking down these numbers” of COVID-19 cases in the long-term care facilities, he said, allowing for expanding visitation.
Guests should still expect to complete symptom screens and wear personal protective equipment on arriving. Indoor visits would not be allowed if there is an active COVID-19 outbreak or if the resident with guests has a confirmed case of the virus.
Inslee also announced that newly admitted residents who are vaccinated no longer have to quarantine upon arrival.
Young adults driving current case counts
While Washington is not seeing a fourth wave of cases yet, the possibility for one remains, especially as cases in adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s are increasing in certain pockets of the state.
In Spokane County, 54% of the COVID-19 cases confirmed in March are in residents in their 20s, 30s and 40s, and more than 80% of cases confirmed so far this month are in people ages 10 to 59.
Acting State Health Officer Dr. Scott Lindquist had a message for adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s on Thursday: “You are the age group that is driving the early increase in cases, so please be mindful of wearing a mask, and get a vaccine when you’re eligible,” he said. “It’s clear in our outbreak reports that bars and restaurants are the No. 1 outbreak area, so we really want you to limit your exposure in bars and restaurants.”
Despite the plateau in case counts and, in some places, a slight increase in cases that puts epidemiologists on high alert, all counties move into Phase 3 of the governor’s reopening plan March 22.
Moving to Phase 3 is not a time to let our guards down, health officials said.
With three confirmed variants circulating in the state, including two that might diminish vaccine effectiveness, and more than 156 variant cases confirmed in 12 counties, the threat of a virus that’s easier to transmit is very real.
“We’ve got to continue to remember we’re not out of this pandemic,” State Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah told reporters Thursday.
While counties are not supposed to be re-evaluated for moving beyond Phase 3 until mid-April, health officials stressed that they are monitoring the data on a daily basis in case adjustments need to be made.
“While we are cautious and we are concerned about potential for movement in the wrong direction, we’re also watching and monitoring the data,” Shah said. “We’re recognizing that if things change, we can always move back and we can move back quicker if we need to.”
The state secretary of health and local health officers can put more restrictions in place as well, outside of the governor’s framework.
A look at local numbers
The Spokane Regional Health District confirmed 57 new cases on Thursday and no additional deaths.
There are 52 patients hospitalized in Spokane with COVID-19.
The Panhandle Health District confirmed 24 new cases on Thursday and three additional deaths.
There have been 281 deaths due to COVID-19 in Panhandle residents.
There are 22 Panhandle residents currently hospitalized with the virus.