Kitsap Public Health District and the county’s Emergency Operations Center launched a COVID-19 vaccine clinic, which began administering injections Tuesday for people eligible under Phase 1a and Phase 1b, Tier 1.
The clinic is accepting people who have registered in advance, a requirement that overloaded the health district’s online registration system when it became available Monday. Appointment slots for 1,700 vaccines were filled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in 45 minutes. The state allocated about 2,000 doses of Moderna to Kitsap Public Health for use during the week.
The health district said it is working in partnership with Virginia Mason Franciscan Health to provide the clinic to the community. The agency said that walk-in patients will not be accepted. Patients must book appointments and bring documentation of their eligibility. Registration information is available at kcowa.us/vaccine.
The COVID clinic is at the former St. Michael (Harrison) hospital in East Bremerton (2520 Cherry Ave.). The clinic is supported by St. Michael Medical Center of Silverdale, Kitsap County Medical Reserve Corps volunteers, Kitsap County Emergency Medical Services and the Kitsap County Medical Society.
More than 600 volunteers are helping to staff the Bremerton clinic and future vaccine clinics in Kitsap County.
“We are proud and excited to open this clinic for our community just one year — nearly to the day — after the first COVID-19 case was reported in our state and nation,” said Dr. Gib Morrow, district health officer.
“We are grateful to the many organizations and individuals who stepped up to make this clinic possible,” health district administrator Keith Grellner said in a news release.
Who can get vaccinated?
People in phases 1a and 1b Tier 1 of the state’s vaccination plan includes everyone 65 or older and people 50 and older who live together in multigenerational households. Phase 1a includes health care workers, emergency responders and people who live and work in long-term care facilities.
To verify if you are eligible, go to FindYourPhaseWA.org and complete the questionnaire. If you don’t have internet access or need assistance call 1-800-525-0127. If you are eligible to get vaccinated now, Phase Finder will provide you with a certificate that is to be presented to your vaccine provider, either printed out or saved to a smartphone or tablet.
If you are eligible for a later vaccination phase, you can sign up through Phase Finder to be notified when your phase begins.
Health district officials said they expect appointments at the community clinic will fill quickly when they become available. A waiting list for this or future vaccine clinics will not be made available, they stated in the news release. People not able to get an appointment can sign up for notifications by text or email through the county’s vaccine website.
