District 1 City Councilmember Lisa Herbold shared this news with her constituents via her email newsletter on Friday Feb. 12.

Public Health – Seattle & King County is tracking vaccine distribution by region, eligibility tier, and demographics, and sharing information via data dashboards – access them here.  The data shows that District 1 (included with South Seattle below) is doing relatively well in terms of overall vaccination rates compared to other regions – but lags behind in vaccinations for those 65+ and especially 75+ years old, who are at the highest risk of dying from Covid.

Next week, the City of Seattle is planning a District 1 popup site, working with community organizations serving vulnerable elders and the Latinx community.  This popup will use vaccine doses provided by Public Health – Seattle & King County.

As I wrote last week, the City of Seattle receives approximately 1,000 Covid vaccine doses weekly.  With that allocation, they are administering vaccines via Seattle Fire Department’s mobile vaccination teams.  Seattle Fire Department has now administered first doses to 100% of D1 adult family homes that are not served by the federal vaccination partnership with CVS/Walgreens, and began dose two administration this week.

Sites visited in District 1 include: Elders Care Home, European Care Home Inc., European Life Home Inc., Homecomings III Adult Family Home (AFH), Mileta TLC Home, Rose Provence AFH Co., Senior Bestcare Adult Family Home Inc., SHA - South Park Manor, The Right Place Homes LLC, TLC ADULT FAMILY HOME, TLC Adult Family Home Inc, SHA Westwood Heights, and West Seattle AFH.  The map of D1 locations as of today is below.

At my Tuesday Public Safety & Human Services committee meeting, we heard a presentation from Public Health – Seattle & King County, Seattle Fire Department, and the Mayor’s Office on local plans to vaccinate Seattle residents.  You can view the presentation slides, or watch the committee presentation (it starts at around 53 minutes in).

District 1 Mass Vaccination Site:  Planning continues for an eventual District 1 mass vaccination site operated by the City of Seattle, with initial capacity for 500 doses daily.  As I reported last week, the City has already begun purchasing and placing needed supplies, such as tents and lighting, in District 1.  This slide, shared by the City during my Public Safety & Human Services committee meeting on Tuesday, shows those plans.  As I’ve shared before, the City will launch this site within 2 days when we are receiving adequate vaccine supply from the state.

Vaccine supply forecast:  For the first time ever, the federal government has provided a forecast of the number of vaccines each state can expect to receive over the next three weeks.  This is crucial information that will allow the state Department of Health and vaccine providers to develop a multi-week strategy that will help with predictability, and make it easier to communicate what to expect to everyone anxious to receive vaccination.

Although the total number of vaccines for Washington State will steadily increase week by week, many are reserved for 2nd doses, which must be administered within a specific timeframe after the 1st dose.  This means that if you are still hoping to receive your 1st dose, you may not feel much of an improvement in the system in the short term.  However, with increased predictability, vaccine providers should slowly be able to open up more future appointments.

Vaccine supply will improve significantly over the next weeks and months.  Today, the Biden administration announced they had arranged to get 200 million more doses of vaccine by the end of summer, which amounts to a 50 percent increase.  Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, predicted that vaccine supply would significantly improve by April.  When vaccine supply is sufficient, hopefully by the summer, the City of Seattle will increase to providing 1,000 doses daily at the District 1 mass vaccination site, and launch additional mass vaccination sites.

In the meantime, I know it’s frustrating for everyone who is currently eligible but experiencing difficulty getting a vaccine appointment.  There is significantly more demand for vaccine than supply available throughout the country.  This situation will improve in the next weeks and months.  The best thing to do if you’re eligible is add yourself to vaccine distribution waitlists (starting with your healthcare provider, if you have one), monitor the news for updated information about vaccine distribution, and keep up COVID precautions such as wearing masks and social distancing.   Thank you for your patience, and for helping ensure that those in the most danger from Covid are first in line to receive vaccine.

Here are some vaccination resources:

• The City of Seattle has a weekly vaccination newsletter – sign up here.
• Public Health – Seattle & King County’s vaccination website has lists of vaccine providers, and information about the County’s Kent and Auburn COVID-19 Vaccination Sites, which are currently serving adults 75 years and older from the hardest-hit areas of south King County.
• Not sure when or if you’re eligible? Check here.
• Decisions about vaccination plans – including who is eligible in upcoming tiers - are made by the Washington State Department of Health (DOH). Read the vaccination rollout plan here, and provide feedback here.

If you are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine but are having difficulty scheduling an appointment, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) COVID-19 Assistance Hotline can help. Language assistance is available.

Dial 1-800-525-0127, then press #. If you can’t reach the hotline, please call the alternate number, 888-856-5816 (a Spanish option is available).

• 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Friday
• 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and observed state holidays