600 COVID vaccines arrive in San Juan County

Submitted by San Juan County.

The San Juan County Department of Health and Community Services has received 600 doses of the Moderna COVID vaccine recently approved by the Washington State Department of Health. Department staff are actively completing recently released vaccine-specific training, and these doses will be used to support efforts to vaccinate populations in the Phase 1a category.

The focus will be on high-risk first responders, high-risk workers in the medical setting, and caregivers and staff. Learn more about the Washington DOH Phase 1a category.

Since the Moderna vaccine requires two doses, this initial supply will be used to vaccinate 300 people in the Phase 1a category, but the number will increase as additional vaccines are available.

Local health providers and pharmacies will be the primary means for islanders to receive vaccines in the coming months, but this first delivery to San Juan County will be the overall population of those who fall into Phase 1a. A category that enables a timely jump start to your efforts.

Additional details

• San Juan County Health Community Services works closely with local emergency health service agencies to ensure immunization of staff and volunteers and coordinate EMS support for vaccination efforts.

• The University of Washington School of Medicine (operator of Lopez and Orcas clinics) and PeaceHealth (operator of Heiwajima Medical Center on San Juan Island) are vaccinated at the local level, but as of December 24, We have not received these supplies yet. It will be distributed to medical facilities on the island to vaccinate staff. San Juan County Health and Community Services works closely with these organizations to monitor their potential need for support.

• The island’s long-term care facility is part of a national plan to distribute vaccines through mainland pharmacy chains (Walgreens and CVS). The exact delivery time is unknown. San Juan County Health and Community Services works closely with community care facilities to monitor potential needs for support.

• Many high-risk workers work for healthcare employers employed in San Juan County healthcare settings, who are not affiliated with large organizations or who do not plan to distribute vaccines to staff. I will. San Juan County Health and Community Services will continue to actively contact these providers and individuals next week to ensure they are included in their vaccination efforts. This includes physiotherapists or occupational therapists, hospice workers, home health care providers, dental providers, mental health crisis response staff, or other people working in the medical setting who are in direct contact with the patient.

• Additional San Juan County healthcare providers and pharmacies may now or in the future be approved by Washington DOH for vaccination. San Juan County is coordinating with approved delivery partners to investigate all possible means of facilitating delivery to Phase 1a eligible individuals in San Juan County, including potential sharing of vaccine supplies.

Important information

• San Juan County Health and Community Services understands that there is a tremendous demand for vaccines from people who may not be included in Phase 1a. Every effort is made to distribute the vaccine quickly and fairly, but please be aware that patience and empathy can overcome this. Timing, quantity, and eligibility requirements are all outside the control of San Juan County. The SJC Health and Community Services team will continue to advocate on behalf of the island, planning robust and prompt distribution as soon as doses arrive.

• It is important to manage our collective expectations. Vaccine is not given instantly. There are shortages and delays in the delivery of vaccines to the island. It will take months before the supplies needed to vaccinate all the inhabitants of the island are available. Even those who are particularly vulnerable may have to wait for a while before vaccination is possible.

• Current Washington DOH estimates indicate that by early February there will be enough vaccine in Washington to vaccinate about 7% of Washington’s population. The details of this forecast will change over time, but it is a number that will help you set your expectations.

• The Moderna vaccine is believed to be 94% effective (the average flu vaccine is 40-60% effective), which means that 1 in 20 people vaccinated with the COVID vaccine is unprotected. It is important to understand what it means. In addition, full protection is not achieved until 14 days after the second dose, as the body needs time to develop maximum protection against the virus.

As vaccination increases, the islands need to maintain existing safety practices. masking. Hygiene. Avoid traveling. Eliminate indoor social contact. Ensure that those engaged in high-risk activities quarantine after doing so. The risk of infection remains even from vaccinated people until the disease is really controlled.See FAQ https://www.sanjuanco.com/DocumentCenter/View/21572/Hot-Topic-38-Vaccine-FAQ-20 For more information.