Arena In Downtown Everett Opens As Mass Vaccination Site

As Everett Silvertips players prepare to step on the ice at the Angel of the Winds Arena in downtown Everett, part of the building is also used by a mass vaccination site. More information is available today in an announcement from the Snohomish Health District.

Advance appointments are required to participate.

A fifth mass vaccination site for the county opened on Friday at the Angel Of The Winds Arena in Everett.

It is the second site coordinated by the Snohomish County Vaccine Task Force. The task force brings together public health, emergency management, law enforcement, fire and rescue services, human services, transit, public works and other partners in Snohomish County.

The other four locations are still at the Boeing Everett Activity Center, Arlington Municipal Airport, Edmonds College, and Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe. The two Everett locations are walk-through locations while the other three are drive-through locations. The exact days and hours of operation for the sites will vary based on the availability of the vaccine.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is administered in the Angel Of The Winds Arena by clinical staff coordinated by the Snohomish Health District. This is the first time the Task Force has used the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. It is the third vaccine to be approved in the US and the first single-dose vaccine.

For information on which vaccine (Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, or Pfizer) is given at each mass vaccination site, see http://bit.ly/snocovaccine and links to register an appointment.

In general, the best vaccine is the one you can get. All approved vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective in multiple rounds of clinical trials, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are encouraging people to get the first vaccine available. While people may have a preference for which vaccine to get, it is best not to wait to see another brand of vaccine become available earlier unless they have spoken to their doctor and there is a medical reason, specific Avoid brand of vaccine.

All mass vaccination centers operated by the task force are only suitable by agreement for those who are eligible in the current phase. People with limited or no internet access or who need voice assistance can call the COVID-19 call center Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 425-339-5278.

A new registration system will be used for appointments at the Angel Of The Winds Arena and will soon also replace the Sign Up Genius system for the Arlington and Monroe locations. The system is called PrepMod and is already used by the Washington State Department of Health and several other countries. PrepMod is expected to streamline the records for the bulk vaccination sites and improve the registry user experience.

Note that the number and timing of appointments will depend on vaccine availability and the demand for vaccines will continue to outpace supply. It may take some time to make an appointment.

VACCINATION PROGRESS UPDATE

More than 106,000 people received their first dose of COVID vaccine in Snohomish County on February 27. Another 53,557 were fully vaccinated (both doses of two-dose vaccines). Vaccination dates for Snohomish County are updated weekly on Thursdays at www.snohd.org/covidvaccine.

To date, more than 80,000 vaccines have been administered at the Snohomish County’s mass vaccination sites.

In addition to mass vaccination sites, the Task Force has been involved in efforts to vaccinate particularly vulnerable or underserved communities. This includes mobile clinics in long-term care facilities. Residents and staff will be vaccinated through a combination of the federal pharmacy partnership, the mobile EMS teams of the vaccine task force, private health care providers and mass vaccination centers. Long-term care includes qualified care facilities, assisted living facilities and family homes for adults.

In Snohomish County, all 18 skilled care facilities and 46 assisted living facilities had vaccination clinics on site. There are 615 adult family homes in Snohomish County. The last of the first-dose clinics for these adult family homes was completed this week, and the second-dose clinics are underway or have been completed in previously vaccinated long-term care facilities.

The task force teamed up with Homage on Thursday March 4th at a vaccination clinic for vulnerable older adults where 100 doses were given. Another partnership to improve equitable access to vaccines is with the Providence Institute for a Healthier Community, which hosts clinics for members of marginalized communities with barriers to access to vaccines. The vaccine task force helped secure the doses for these first clinics.

More information on vaccination efforts was received on Friday morning from Dave Somers, Health Officer Dr. Chris Spitters, Emergency Management Director Jason Biermann, and Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin shared during a virtual media availability Friday morning. The briefing can be viewed at https://youtu.be/EYYE0Aykdiw.

A Vaccination-themed virtual town hall in Snohomish County was also set up earlier this week by Snohomish County Council Chairwoman Stephanie Wright and Vice Chairwoman Megan Dunn. This video can be viewed at https://youtu.be/X1K_GBFEpwE.

ADVANCED SUITABILITY AND ACCESS FOR THE VACCINE

President Biden announced efforts to make a dose of vaccine available to all K-12 staff and childcare workers by the end of March. This was followed by a health and social care guideline (HHS). In response, Governor Inslee added teachers and childcare workers to Phase 1b1 with immediate effect.

Vaccine supplies for teachers and childcare workers will come in part from the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, but all enrolled providers are also instructed to vaccinate these workers. Washington pharmacies currently participating are Safeway / Albertsons, Costco, Rite Aid, Independent Pharmacies from Health Mart, Kroger (Fred Meyer and QFC), and Walmart.

The Washington Office of the Superintendent for Public Education (OSPI) previously announced a partnership with Kaiser Permanente on a large-scale school vaccination plan to vaccinate educators and school staff in Washington fairly and safely. More information is now available on their website:

The VA’s Puget Sound Health Care System also announced this week that they are now vaccinating veterans of all ages. Eligible veterans can schedule an appointment at 206-716-5716 or contact their primary care team within the VA.

These resources are in addition to other vaccine providers in the region, including the mass vaccination centers. For more information on vaccination sites in and around Snohomish County, visit www.doh.wa.gov/YouandYourFamily/Immunization/VaccineLocations.

Governor Inslee also announced changes to phases 1b2-1b4, as well as schedules for the start of each group. While they are preliminary and may change based on the supply and demand for vaccines, they are as follows:

  • Phase 1b2 will be eligible on March 22nd. This group includes all critical workers in certain assembly environments, those 16 years of age and older who are pregnant, and those 16 and over who have a disability that puts them at higher risk.
  • Phase 1b3 opens on April 12 for people aged 50 and over with two or more comorbidities and on April 26 for people aged 16 and over with two or more comorbidities.
  • Phase 1b4 begins April 26th for people living in community housing and for staff and volunteers working in community environments not covered in Phase 1b2.

Snohomish County residents are encouraged to visit the Phase Finder tool at findyourphasewa.org prior to scheduling a vaccination appointment. The Phase Finder tool is designed to help people in Washington find out if they are eligible for a COVID vaccine now or if not, sign up to be notified when they are eligible.

It is important to note that the place people currently end up in prioritization and stages does not reflect their worth in this community. If we had unlimited vaccine supply and clinical capacity to deliver the vaccine, prioritization would not be necessary. But neither is the case.

Because of this, limited capacity need not necessarily be reserved for those who are at a higher risk of acquiring COVID, but rather for those who are most likely to get sick until vaccines flow into Washington and Snohomish Counties at a faster and more predictable pace Must be hospitalized and / or die if infected.

Even after vaccination, people should wear masks in common areas, avoid large gatherings, stay home when they feel sick, wash their hands, and clean and disinfect surfaces. It’s important to keep up with preventative measures as the work continues to vaccinate more people.

REVISED COVID INVESTIGATION PLAN

The Health District has monitored patient volumes and positivity rates at the community-based test sites and will begin consolidating the test sites starting March 8th. The 3900 Broadway location in Everett will no longer operate seven days a week, and the Sultan Elementary location that was operating on Fridays will be closed. These measures allow staff and other resources to be reallocated to support the operation of the vaccination center.

The schedule starts on March 8th as follows:

  • 3900 Broadway location in Everett, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday
  • Lynnwood Food Bank location at 5320 176th St SW – open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Evergreen State Fairgrounds in the front parking lot at 179th Ave SE in Monroe – open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Appointments for tests are recommended. Registration is possible at www.snohd.org/testing. People without Internet access or with voice assistance can contact the Health District Call Center at 425.339.5278. The call center is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Callers outside of business hours or on the weekend can leave a message that will be sent back the next business day.