Washington solidifies vaccine roadmap ahead of open eligibility on May 1

After confirming to KIRO Radio that Washington state will be opening up vaccine eligibility to everyone over the age of 16 on May 1, the state Department of Health is working to solidify its roadmap ahead of that date.

A modest proposal to fix Washington’s confusing vaccine phases

Washington is currently in Phase 1B, Tier 2, of vaccine eligibility. That includes those who are pregnant or have a disability that puts them at risk for severe illness, as well as critical workers in high-risk congregate settings like prisons, food processing, and transit, among others.

On March 31, the state will move into Phase 1B, Tiers 3 and 4, encompassing people over 16 with two or more co-morbidities, everyone age 60 and up, and staff and volunteers in congregate settings like group homes, homeless shelters, restaurants, food service, construction, and manufacturing.

Once the state reaches the next tiers, nearly 59% of Washington residents will be eligible for the vaccine.

From there, the state is hoping to break out its vaccine phases further in April to get more groups in the door before things open up on May 1. That will bring the state into Phase 2 of eligibility sometime next month, according to the Seattle Times. That will include people between 16 and 62 with at least one co-morbidity, and critical workers who are not able to work remotely.

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It’s unclear which industries will be included in Phase 2. That had Washington’s Society of Professional Journalists reaching out to the state in early March to ask whether frontline reporters and journalists will be eligible for the vaccine prior to May 1.

The DOH responded on March 16, stating that it expects it “will be able to progress through our current tier structure much quicker than we may have planned just weeks ago.” It went on to note that it plans to announce “new developments on these phase adjustments soon.”

We have received a response from the @WADeptHealth regarding our request that frontline journalists be added to the vaccination schedule. See below: pic.twitter.com/WNdAJwG0UX

— spjwash (@SPJWash) March 24, 2021

That said, the state expects that after Phase 2 begins, almost 75% of all Washington residents will be eligible for the vaccine. After that, Phase 3 kicks off on May 1, expanding eligibility to all people ages 16 and up.

Phase 4 will mark the final stage of eligibility, opening it up to all people regardless of age. There’s no set timeline for when that phase will occur, with researchers still testing the relative safety of vaccinations for children and teenagers.

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