3-17-2021: Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has expanded eligibility to Phase 1B, Tier 2 individuals for COVID-19 vaccinations.

Those eligible in Phase 1B, Tier 2 include:

•  People 16 years or older who are pregnant.
•  People age 16 or older who have a disability that puts them at higher risk for severe COVID-19 illness.
  •    Disabilities must be: down syndrome, a developmental disability, intellectual disability, or are deaf/hard of hearing, blind/low-vision, or deafblind AND that disability alone or coupled with another underlying medical condition identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), increases their risk for severe outcomes. 
•  High-risk critical workers who work in certain congregate settings: Agriculture; fishing vessel crews; food processing; grocery stores; corrections; prisons, jails or detention centers; public transit;
  • Eligible:
    • Criteria: high density, high volume, enclosed settings
    • Examples: grocery store, large food bank
  • Not Eligible:
    • Criteria: low density, low volume, open settings
    • Examples: coffee shop, small convenience store, weekend farmer’s market, winery

If you think you’re included as a high-risk critical worker, but are not sure, here’s a quick way to assess your eligibility for vaccination in Phase 1B, Tier 2. Answer the four questions below:

1. Do you work in an enclosed setting?
2. Do you interact with a high volume of people?
3. Do you work more than 3 hours in a 24-hour time period?
4. Are you NOT able to consistently social distance (i.e., be more than 6 feet apart)?

You must be able to answer YES to all four of the above questions in order to be eligible for the vaccination. If you answer NO to any question, you are not eligible for the vaccine in Phase 1B, Tier 2, but you will be in a later tier or phase. You can find more information about the DOH phases at https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/1600/coronavirus/VaccinationPhasesInfographic.pdf.

If you have questions about eligibility, we recommend you use the Washington State Department of Health Phase Finder Tool at www.FindYourPhaseWa.org.

For the full press release from Northeast Tri County Health District click here.

For the news release from The Washington State Department Health click here.