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Pacific County providers are now offering booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine! The booster doses are currently recommended for people who received Pfizer for their first 2 doses and who completed their initial Pfizer series over 6 months ago, and fall into one of the following groups: • People are over the age of 65; OR • People 65 and older; OR • Residents in long-term care facilities • People 50-64 years old with underlying medical conditions • People 18-49 years old with underlying medical conditions • And people 18-64 years old who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of their occupation may receive a booster, based on their individual benefits and risks. According to the CDC, occupations at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission include front line essential workers and health care workers, including: • First responders (healthcare workers, firefighters, police, congregate care staff) • Education staff (teachers, support staff, daycare workers) • Food and agriculture workers • Manufacturing workers • Corrections workers • U.S. Postal Service workers • Public transit workers • Grocery store workers If you meet all of the requirements above, you are eligible for a booster vaccine. If you are unable to get an appointment at one of the above listed clinics, please be patient. We have plenty of vaccine for everyone and additional clinics are scheduled continuously. You can find additional booster dose clinics as they are scheduled, on our website at www.pacificcountycovid19.com. Booster Dose Frequently Asked Questions Where can I get a booster dose? Answer: Anywhere offering Pfizer vaccine. The booster doses are the same as the first and second Pfizer doses, so you can get a booster dose from medical clinics and pharmacies offering Pfizer vaccine. You can find a location near you by searching www.pacificcountycovid19.com Can I get my booster dose at the same time as my flu shot? Answer: Yes – great idea! You can get your COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as other vaccines, including the annual influenza vaccine. If I need a booster, does that mean the vaccine isn’t working? Answer: No. COVID-19 vaccines continue to be very effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death, including against the delta variant. But studies are showing that protection against mild and moderate illness may decrease over time, especially among certain higher risk groups. Getting a booster dose 6 months after completing the first two doses will provide an increased immune response and better protection against COVID-19. Am I still considered fully vaccinated if I do not get a booster? Answer: Yes. People are still considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series (Pfizer or Moderna) or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine (Johnson & Johnson). What about people who got Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines? Answer: The current booster dose recommendations apply only to those who received the Pfizer vaccine. Federal health officials will review data on the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines in the coming weeks and may issue booster dose recommendations for those vaccines in the future. More information about the CDC recommendations for Pfizer booster doses is available here: https://www.cdc.gov/.../2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot Call the COVID-19 Hotline 1-800-525-0127 and press #. Our Hotline team will walk your through the reporting process. Hotline hours: Monday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Tuesday to Sunday (and observed holidays) 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Language assistance is available.  Join us for our Pacific County Schools & Community Forum on COVID-19. Next Wednesday (9/22) at 5:00pm via zoom or live here on Facebook. This forum will feature a presentation by Dr Steven Krager, Deputy Health Officer along with other public health staff. Topics will include updated school safety guidance, quarantine & isolation procedures, and we'll also have time for question & answer! This forum is open to students, parents, guardians, school staff, and other interested community members. Hope to see you there! https://fb.me/e/ZfkgV8wO  Happy Monday everyone! We wanted to share a handy resource for non health care businesses who may have questions about how to handle a confirmed or potential COVID-19 exposure in the workplace. This document also provides guidance regarding mask requirements, prevention strategies, and employee vaccinations.
We have heard many reports of people taking at-home rapid COVID-19 tests. We are so glad that people are being proactive and getting tested! If you have a positive result after taking an at home test result, we ask that you contact a public health at 360-214-6013. Our nurses will work to support you as you navigate your COVID-19 diagnosis, and provide education for you and people you know who may have been exposed. We also have care coordinators who can assist you with housing, food, or other needs you may have while you quarantine. Thank you and please share this post with others who may find it useful!   We’ve received a lot of questions about how we determine whether a person who tests positive for COVID-19 has a variant of the virus. The COVID-19 test you’re given when you go to your doctor’s office or a drive-thru testing site detects the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the virus that causes COVID-19) but does not differentiate between different strains (or variants) of the virus. That’s why your provider may say they can’t test for variants.
Determining whether a person is infected with a variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus requires a process called genomic sequencing. That work is done at labs using the specimen collected to test for COVID-19. Genomic sequencing looks at the virus genes for mutations specific to the different variants. If a mutation is detected in a specimen, it means that person was infected with the corresponding variant. Not all specimens are sequenced – it’s just not feasible to sequence every specimen. But the state does sequence a representative sample of all confirmed cases from across the state. Because the sample is representative – meaning the cases in the sample group reflect the overall cases in the state – it can be used to estimate the prevalence of variants in the state. The most recent sampling estimates that 95.1% of all cases in Washington are likely attributable to the Delta variant. The state issues a report every Wednesday with data on variants in the state, including the number of cases in each county and the prevalence of variants based on the sequencing of the representative sample of cases. You can find that report here: https://www.doh.wa.gov/.../420-316... Gov. Jay Inslee today announced a vaccination requirement for employees working in K-12, most childcare and early learning, and higher education, as well as an expansion of the statewide mask mandate to all individuals while indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
The vaccination requirement will include -K -12 educators, staff, coaches, bus drivers, volunteers and others working in school facilities will have until Oct. 18 to be fully vaccinated as a condition of employment. This includes public, private and charter schools. This does not impact students, regardless of age. -Licensed, certified and contracted early learning and childcare programs -License-exempt early learning, childcare and youth-development programs -Contractors (coaches, volunteers, trainers) Everyone, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to wear face coverings in indoor public places beginning Monday, Aug. 23 Face coverings are strongly recommended (but not required) in crowded outdoor settings, like fairs, concerts and markets. The mask mandate will apply to nearly all public places, including: Restaurants, Grocery stores, shops, malls and public-facing offices, regardless of vaccination status. The mandate will include limited exceptions when face coverings won’t be required, such as office spaces not easily accessible to the public where individuals are vaccinated, and when working alone indoors or in a vehicle with no public face-to-face interaction. Small, private indoor gatherings where all attendees are vaccinated are also exempt from the mandate. Mask mandate: Gov. Inslee announced today that the existing statewide mask mandate that requires people who are not fully vaccinated to wear face coverings in indoor public places will be expanded to include people who are vaccinated. We will share more information as it becomes available. http://ow.ly/szkh50FTKKg While authorized vaccines have proven to be more than 90% effective in protecting against most variants, emerging data suggest people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems do not always build the same level of immunity compared to people who are not immunocompromised.
As a result, the FDA, CDC and Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup are recommending a third dose of mRNA (Pfizer and Moderna) vaccines to people who have: • Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood • Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system • Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system • Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome) • Advanced or untreated HIV infection • Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response People should talk to their healthcare provider about their medical condition, and whether getting an additional dose is appropriate for them. At this time, no additional dose is recommended for people who had the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine. There is not enough data at this time to determine whether immunocompromised people who received the J&J vaccine also have an improved antibody response following an additional dose of the same vaccine. People who received J&J should not get a second dose of either J&J or a dose of an mRNA vaccine. **Third doses are NOT currently being recommended for any other groups** Read more on the CDC website: here https://www.cdc.gov/.../vaccines/recommendations/immuno.htm A list of COVID-19 vaccine clinic options in Pacific County can be found at www.pacificcountycovid19.com or call 360-875-9407 if you need assistance signing up. |