WA plots Phase 1B of vaccine distribution
By Terry Murry on Friday, January 8th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Health is still working on getting vaccines to the highest priority groups of people to receive vaccines. It estimates it will be finished by the end of the month, at which time health officials will move on to Phase 1B.
To prioritize the groups within that phase, the government has talked to nearly 20,000 people across the state with surveys, focus groups, and interviews. The Washington Department of Health is also relying on federal guidance to determine the priorities for the second batch.
The first tier in Phase 1B will be all people 70 or older and people 50 or older who live in multi-generational households. The second tier are high-risk critical workers aged 50 or older. That includes K-12 teachers and staff as well as workers in agriculture, food processing, grocery stores, childcare, corrections, prisons and detention facilities, public transit, fire, and law enforcement.
The third tier for 1B is comprised of anyone 16 or older with two or more co-morbidities or underlying conditions. The fourth tier are high-risk critical workers in certain congregate settings who are younger than age 50. That includes correctional facilities, group homes for people with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness that live in or access services in congregate settings.
