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Situation Report #163
March 16th, 2021 - Posted in Alerts, Uncategorized
| COVID-19 Vashon Situation Report The Vashon Emergency Operations Center produces this briefing for our emergency workers and for the community. The situation report is published Tuesday and Friday and includes information on Vashon community response actions and support. You can read the full text of today’s report as a PDF and access older ones at: https://vashonbeprepared.org/News/SitReps Sign up to receive these emails at www.VoiceofVashon.org/alertsignup =================================================== Vashon Vaccine Availability: Vaccination eligibility for Washington State currently includes those in tiers 1a and 1b1, including pre-K to grade 12 educators and staff, as well as licensed daycare workers. Tier 1b2 will open tomorrow, March 17. For full definitions of eligibility, visit https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/COVID19/Vaccine. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) recommends that you check the following four websites to see if there is updated information beyond what we compile in these Situation Reports, which are published on Tuesdays and Fridays. VashonBePrepared.org/COVID-Vaccine VashonPharmacy.com/covid SeaMar.org/covid-vaccine VashonNaturalMed.com The Overview: No new vaccine shipments have come in this week, so both the active vaccination outlets on the island are running reduced vaccination schedules utilizing remaining doses left from the last shipment. The next statewide tier of eligibility opens tomorrow for vaccination category 1b2, however there is no vaccine supply to support new first doses of vaccine this week. Overall Vaccination Progress: The data dashboard published by Public Health — Seattle and King County (PHSKC) continues to show Vashon as more vaccinated than all other communities in the county. The general population on Vashon, aged 16+, is over 41%. The first dose vaccination rate of the island’s seniors, aged 65+, has crested above 111%. It would not be possible to vaccinate more seniors than exist so the statistic is flawed in some way. However, it is an indication that senior vaccination has reached saturation on the island. Sea Mar at Sunrise Ridge: Sea Mar currently has no plans to hold any public vaccination clinic this week but has been receiving small batches of vaccine on an irregular schedule so that could unexpectedly change. Vashon Pharmacy: As reported earlier, the Pharmacy’s request for vaccines for this week was denied by the state Department of Health (DOH). Current state allocations are going to other areas that have not yet been as successful in vaccinating eligible populations. At this time, only a couple of half-day drive-through clinic days are scheduled at the pharmacy site Tier 1b2 Rules: Tomorrow, March 17th, the next vaccination tier will be opened. The Pharmacy has added two questions to its appointment form that assure compliance with tier 1b2 requirements. Failure to conform to the requirements could cause the state to cut off vaccine shipments to the Pharmacy. The two new questions will help you determine: 1) if you are a critical worker, and 2) if you work in a congregate setting. Both these must be true to qualify for the 1b2 vaccination tier. You can see the critical worker list here: https://www.governor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/WA Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers (Final).pdf. The definition of congregate setting reads: “An environment where individuals work and/or reside in an enclosed space and where they are interacting with a high volume of people over an extended period of time and not able to consistently maintain physical distance.” Current Virus Statistics: Vashon Island COVID-19 Case Count as of 3/16/21:* 108 confirmed positive cases, 0 new cases since last Situation Report on Friday Date of last positive test: March 3 0 new positives in past 7 days and 0 positives in the past 14 days 3 people have been hospitalized. Date of last hospitalization: December 28 3 Vashon deaths per the King County dashboard, last death reported 2/27/21 King County COVID-19 Case Count as of 3/16/21:* 84,416 confirmed positive cases, 610 new since last Situation Report on Friday 1,441 deaths, 6 new since last Situation Report on Friday Washington State COVID-19 Case Count as of 3/14/21: 350,506 confirmed positive cases, 1,990 new since last Situation Report on Friday 5,135 deaths, 12 since last Situation Report on Friday *Note 1: The statistics above are from the Public Health – Seattle & King County dashboard as of the date listed. Numbers may not be complete, as data processing lags and the actual number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths may not yet match the dashboard. Note 2: Federal law prohibits Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC) from releasing the names of patients (HIPAA Act). For consistency of day-to-day data reporting for Vashon, the EOC uses only the Zip code data from the Public Health – Seattle & King County dashboard Health Tips: Vaccine hesitancy still exists, according to a recent study from the PEW Research Center. Overall, 19% of adults nationwide say they have already received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. Another 50% say they definitely or probably plan to get vaccinated. Taken together, 69% of the public intends to get a vaccine – or already has – up significantly from 60% who said they planned to get vaccinated in November. The factors tied to the decision to get a COVID-19 vaccine are complex and interrelated. The PEW analyses found that trust in the vaccine research and development process ties strongly to people’s vaccine attitudes and actions – vaccine intent is 75 points higher among those with high trust than low trust. For the full report visit https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2021/03/05/growing-share-of-americans-say-they-plan-to-get-a-covid-19-vaccine-or-already-have To get the latest information on the COVID-19 vaccines, visit GetVaccineAnswers.org. Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and former First Ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton and Rosalynn Carter discuss the important role of COVID-19 vaccination in getting back to the moments we miss and love. Watch the short public service announcement video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCza6UGmRTk New Developments since Last Report: Washington’s public K–12 schools will receive $1.85 billion from American Rescue Plan (ARP). It is not yet known how much of that funding will find its way to Vashon schools. Of the state total, $1.66 billion will go to school districts and $185.3 million will go to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), according to a new write-up by the Washington Research Council. From these funds, $333.5 million of the school district funding and $92.6 million of the funding for OSPI must be used to address learning loss. Additionally, the OSPI estimates that funding to Vashon Island School District will total $1,650,000 across three rounds of allocations. https://washingtonstatewire.com/washingtons-public-k-12-schools-will-receive-1-853-billion-from-arp-act-on-top-of-1-042-billion-previously-appropriated-by-congress Vashon Island School District (VISD) meals program offers breakfast and lunch every school day for free to anyone between the ages of 3 and 18 years of age and any Special Education students through the age of 21. Adult meals are available to any community member for $5.00, which helps provide support for the meals program. As a sample, tomorrow’s menu is ‘garlic & herb chicken salad, fresh bread, fruit and veggies’. Meals are made from scratch and with island-grown ingredients when possible. Meals can be picked up at VHS between 8 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. and at the Vashon Community Church across from the entrance to Chautauqua from 8:45 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. on scheduled school days. Island-wide meal delivery service is available Monday – Friday on scheduled school days. If you have any questions regarding non-resident meal policy, call VISD Food Service Director, Lisa Cyra at lcyra@vashonsd.org or 206-463-0903, or visit https://www.vashonsd.org//site/default.aspx?PageID=31 Vashon Community Care has reinstituted some activities based on new guidance from Governor Inslee’s Safe Start plan. Residents are resuming small-group activities and dining, at a distance, in groups of five or fewer. Some of the reopening activities include a return of the beauty shop and two new speaker events co-sponsored by the Vashon Heritage Museum and Vashon’s Medical Reserve Corps. More information at https://www.transformingage.org/vashoncommunitycare/2021/03/11/message-from-wendy-kleppe-march-10-2021 Case counts have increased slightly in western Washington and plateaued in eastern Washington as of late February, according to data from the Washington State Department of Health (DOH). Case counts are still relatively high across the state — around the same level as last October when the third wave of disease activity was ramping up. DOH officials say it is concerning that the improvement has stopped; DOH wants to see these numbers continue to decline. Acting State Health Officer Scott Lindquist, said “I’m concerned about what this means for the future and a possibility of a fourth wave of activity, along with the increases we are seeing in variants of the virus. As we continue working to accelerate vaccination so we can protect more people, it’s critical that we all maintain the precautions we’ve been taking to stop the spread of the virus.” Cases are increasing among younger adults aged 20 to 39. Increases in that age range have previously been an early warning sign of larger surges in the general population. Case counts in other age groups were declining, but the downward curve has now flattened. As more people who are 60 and older get vaccinated, a more rapid decline in cases should be expected in the senior population. https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/COVID19/DataDashboard Dr. Jeff Duchin of Public Health — Seattle & King County said we need to remain cautious as Washington moves to Phase 3 of the state’s reopening beginning March 22. Phase 3 allows restaurants, gyms, movie theaters and other indoor venues to open at 50% capacity, a significant increase from Phase 2, when most places could be open only at 25% capacity. Duchin said “….I’m encouraging everybody, particularly now that we will be allowing and engaging in more activities where COVID transmission is potentially possible, to do everything you can to make that not happen, to limit the opportunities for transmission, to continue to distance from others, to wear good quality well-fitting snugly fitting face masks and to pay special attention to indoor ventilation. Our cases are decreasing after the third wave, but we’ve leveled off and rates of transmission remain substantial,” Duchin said. “This means there are thousands of people with infectious COVID-19 in King County each day, so continued caution is advised, particularly with increasing numbers of more infectious variant strains.” https://publichealthinsider.com Testing is still a critical tool in the battle with COVID-19. If you have symptoms, or think you have been exposed to COVID-19, you can help prevent the spread of the virus to others in your home and community. You should quarantine at home, and separate yourself from other people and animals in your home (self-quarantine). According to Vashon’s Medical Reserve Corps, this remains true even if you’ve been vaccinated. The MRC recommendations are to stay in quarantine for 14 days after your last contact. It is important to get tested along with maintaining 6 feet of physical distance from others at all times, even if using a mask, and clean your hands often. For a list of symptoms, or questions about getting tested on Vashon, call 844-469-4554, or visit https://testing.vashonbeprepared.org. The opening of Phase 1B, Tier 2 this Wednesday will bring the number of people who are eligible but not yet vaccinated in King County to around 400,000, far exceeding current vaccine supply.Half of the county’s 100,000 weekly vaccine supply will go to people who need second doses. The remaining 50,000 doses means there is roughly one first dose for every eight eligible people. The limited supply makes it very important for everyone to wait their turn and not jump the line. The state has prioritized vaccinating people with increased exposure, like frontline workers; increased risk, like those over 65; and those with jobs essential to getting youth back to school and providing childcare. When supply grows, vaccination sites will be ready to vaccinate many more residents. State DOH expects large supply increases in the next couple of months. https://publichealthinsider.com/2021/03/12/eligibility-is-expanding-but-what-about-the-vaccine-supply Progress on Community Support Operations: Emergency Operations Center (EOC): In response to the pandemic emergency, the EOC and other elements of our island emergency response coalition were activated more than one year ago, March 12th, 2020. Our four operational priorities were put in place shortly after activation, established by the Incident Commander, Fire Chief Charlie Krimmert, and approved by the VashonBePrepared Board. Those priorities continue to be health, food security, housing security, and economic recovery. EOC/Community Operations Section: The Vax Access program has been conducting outreach, with the assistance of social service organization partners, to those on Vashon who are living homeless. The outreach included an in-person mobile vaccination registration event last evening, held during a community meals offering at the Methodist church. Vaccination Operations: Schedulers have again adjusted the opening times for the Vashon Pharmacy drive-through vaccination site, responding to the current small supply of vaccine. Operations this week are an abbreviated opening of only two half-days. Stimulus/Rescue: The Operations and Planning group met yesterday and agreed to form a work team to study how the new stimulus plan signed into law by President Biden last week might be optimized to benefit the people of Vashon with public information and education support. The strategy will be to work through the robust network of community partner relationships built up during the last year of the pandemic response. The work team will be assessing ways to advise Vashonites, nonprofits, and businesses on how they may take advantage of the benefits put in place by the new plan. One Year: Final production is under way for an ad in the Beachcomber and the Loop, commemorating the one-year activation anniversary. It includes a community request to participate in the Gratitude Project, a community thank you note campaign offering free thank you cards to all who request them. The ad will provide details. Volunteers: Hours contributed by volunteers in the VashonBePrepared coalition dropped last week because the drive-through vaccination site has been slowed by a lack of vaccine supply so that volunteer shifts were reduced. For the most recent reporting period, 45 volunteers contributed 444 hours of work to VashonBePrepared’s pandemic emergency response. That brings the total contributed hours to more than 25,700 since the activation began. At the FEMA reimbursement grant rate of $31.72/hour, VashonBePrepared volunteers have logged more than $816,000 of in-kind value available to be applied to the 25% match requirement for reimbursement grants. VashonBePrepared gives thanks as well for the many hours of extra work logged during the pandemic in support of the Vashon community, by the staff and volunteers at local social services agencies. |
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