VACCINATION: Educators, child-care workers now eligible, as Gov. Inslee goes with new federal directive

Just in from the governor’s office:

Gov. Jay Inslee issued a statement today following President Joe Biden’s directive that all states must prioritize vaccinations of teachers and childcare workers.

“Like President Biden, I am grateful for the hard work and sacrifice of educators every day, and especially during this pandemic. The president has directed us to add preK-12 educators, school staff and licensed child-care workers to our current vaccine prioritization. This directive will be carried out through existing providers and the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, which operates through national pharmacies and independent pharmacy chains.

“Therefore, we are adding educators and licensed child-care workers to Washington’s Phase 1B-1 immediately. The Washington State Department of Health will have more specific information soon on how those workers can access vaccines. Phase Finder may take time to reflect these changes, but educators and licensed child-care workers can schedule with providers right away.

“The good news is that schools will be able to open and we are pleased that teachers will be back in the classroom very soon. This should give educators more confidence to return to in-person learning and that it can be done with the safety protocols that are being used by 1,400 other schools in our state right now.

“We will continue the current state plans and goals to focus on those most at risk, including older adults and those facing the greatest equity gaps.

“To that end, I will soon be announcing when our state vaccine prioritization will be moving to include critical workers in certain congregate settings including those who work in grocery stores, farmworkers, food processors, bus drivers, corrections workers and others.

“We will continue our progress in getting every Washingtonian vaccinated. I am grateful for the partnership of the federal government and their efforts to help move educators up in the prioritization.”

If this means you’ll be looking for vaccine for the first time: Places to look for appointments, as we’ve continued reporting in our daily pandemic coverage, include covidwa.com, as well as multiple-location providers such as Sea Mar clinics and Safeway, Rite Aid, and QFC pharmacies.

39 Replies to "VACCINATION: Educators, child-care workers now eligible, as Gov. Inslee goes with new federal directive"

  • Jim March 2, 2021 (4:51 pm)

    Not going to do much good  —  I’m 75, heart trouble, over weight, and  and  and, have been trying to get my first shot for well over a month – no luck anywhere.  not even an email,  and I’m on 7 lists from Federal Way to Renton to Kent.

    • hopeful March 2, 2021 (5:38 pm)

      Jim, I’m sorry I don’t have more to share other than “what I’ve heard” but if it’s any help to you, I have heard that the Monroe County Fairgrounds have a surplus of vaccines everyday. Good luck! 

    • T3 March 2, 2021 (5:40 pm)

      Check local pharmacy websites. I am a teacher and got an appt for this week.

    • Ashley March 2, 2021 (8:18 pm)

      Pharmaca should get more doses very soon as I understand. Keep checking their website. Maybe volunteers at the senior center can help with scheduling if tech is difficult???? 

    • Colby March 3, 2021 (8:43 am)

      Check out SeaMar in White Center. Fill out your paperwork in advance, show up right before 8am. From there they will take your paperwork, and schedule you an appointment, possibly same day. https://www.seamar.org/covid-vaccineMy wife is an educator, and did just that, her appointment is this afternoon to get the shot. 

  • Chris March 2, 2021 (5:15 pm)

    This is going to make things even harder for all of us who have been frustrated getting appointments.   This is a nightmare already.    We are on lists, had appointments, got cancelled, went back into the black hole and spent hundreds of hours searching late at night, early in morning, during day, hoping….to no avail.    Hopefully we will get more and more vaccines in here to help with this.    Yes, we search all the lists, made all the phone calls to numbers we were given.   Looks like some hope, get right on the particular site.  Gone.  Nothing.  

  • Ws resident March 2, 2021 (5:16 pm)

    Thank you President Biden for making this directive so that teachers and educators can get the vaccine and the children can get back in the classroom hopefully this school year!

  • Chris March 2, 2021 (5:22 pm)

    Jim—looking at COVIDWA.com, we are seeing Se Mar in White Center and Burien has Pfizer vaccines on a walk in basis.    They will assign you your appt for second.

    • 2 Much Whine March 3, 2021 (7:04 am)

      This works.  I got my 92 year-old mom a vaccine at the South Park Sea Mar walk up.  I just had to get in line at 6:15 am.  I got registered by 7:15am and I was #32 out of 200 vaccines for the day.  Got a call around 10:15 am that same morning and took my mom in for her shot.  Easy peasy.   In the end the walk-up was much easier than sitting at a computer for hours.

  • WS resident March 2, 2021 (5:32 pm)

    Thank you President Biden for making states prioritize teachers.  Hopefully, this means that students may actually get to go back in the classroom for a month or more this school year!

  • terry March 2, 2021 (6:47 pm)

    finally we actually have a president making america great again! thank you president biden and vp kamala!

  • Brian March 2, 2021 (7:02 pm)

    Unless there are specific vaccine resources allocated just for educators this is as helpful as giving people “access to healthcare” and calling it a win. The teachers get to get in line with all of the seniors (who also can’t seem to reliably get appointments)? Seems like an absolute nothing burger. 

  • LocalDoc March 2, 2021 (7:30 pm)

    There’s also a vaccine clinic in White Center this Thurs & Friday:

    • WSB March 2, 2021 (8:05 pm)

      We published that on our White Center site a couple days ago; it’s supposed to just be for WC residents.

      • LocalDoc March 2, 2021 (8:23 pm)

        The updated scheduling link via Kroger now says “for residents in White Center and immediately surrounding areas”!

        • WSB March 2, 2021 (8:34 pm)

          Well, go for it, then! I’ll include it in the vaccination-links section of tonight’s roundup.

        • Barb K March 3, 2021 (11:23 am)

          My  elderly friend went to   at the SW community center and they refused him because he was white.  My understanding is that the purpose of being in the community was to make the vaccine accessible to people of color as well as others with limited meabns in the community.  It would be great if the city would actually have a functional website where we could make appointments instead of navigating the internet for 3 hours a day going from pharmacy to pharmacy, health dept to health dept.  I finally got my first but had to drive 70 miles.

          • WSB March 3, 2021 (11:45 am)

            Did he have an appointment? They’re not supposed to be taking walk-ups, of any demographic, yet.

    • AmandaK March 3, 2021 (8:11 am)

      They were trying to limit it to White Center and the high numbers of BIPOC people who live there.  The vaccine rates for white people far outpace BIPOC people.

  • Peter March 2, 2021 (7:55 pm)

    So happy to see this. Our kids are losing precious time and need to return to the classroom ASAP. 

    • Teacher March 2, 2021 (9:57 pm)

      Just no.  No “precious time” is being lost.  The work isn’t getting our kids in school at any cost just so they can measure up to some “grade level” someone created during a non-pandemic time; it is to instead make sure students are given skills to teach them how to deal with uncomfortable emotions and situations in healthy ways, with schools supporting them as needed, for two more months when we can all return to schools safely.   If you want to support education, please ask our state to fully fund education and to create a more robust SEL curriculum as well as paying for more school counseling staff.      

      • Pessoa March 3, 2021 (12:00 am)

        Wrong.  This IS about returning students to the classroom so that they can re-engage with other students,  re-socialize, and hopefully make up for lost time scholastically.  It’s nice to fantasize about a world where grades do not matter, but in the real world they do.  Graduating students will compete with other students around the country for college slots, scholarships, and grants.  Other schools around the country and in WA state have been able to re-open safely following basic safety protocols – classrooms may actually be more safe than the general public –  and there is absolutely no reason why the SPS cannot do the same. 

      • Bob March 3, 2021 (7:22 am)

        You’re kidding, right? Peter wants his kids back into school asap and you assume he just wants that to happen so his kids can meet arbitrary grading expectations. Let’s try and avoid the inflammatory language which implies you pitch yourself (or, we pitch ourselves) against the needs of parents who do, actually,  know the needs of their own children. 

      • Yes March 3, 2021 (8:59 am)

        Very well said about the kids and teachers. Suck it up parents and be parents. 

        • db March 3, 2021 (11:45 am)

          Severe mental health cases, suicides and drug abuse/overdoses have skyrocketed among school age kids. While the virus poses next to zero risk. If you still support school closures at this point, you are pro-death and destruction of kids. Sorry to be blunt, but this is extremely serious and will take years, and years to recover from.

  • Diane March 2, 2021 (8:24 pm)

    thank you to President Biden for making sure our teachers & child care providers will be safe while teaching our children

  • Frustrated March 2, 2021 (8:34 pm)

    My mom who is 87 is having difficulty getting her vaccine. But see lots of young people on Facebook who don’t fall in any current group posting how they’re getting appointments for vaccination. I guess I should just start lying like everyone else and just cut in line.

    • newnative March 2, 2021 (10:45 pm)

      How do you know they don’t fall into any current tier? 

  • onion March 2, 2021 (8:42 pm)

    Registering has been next to impossible, but I’ve seen significant improvements this week, and I expect availability and scheduling to improve even more over the next few weeks. Don’t despair or give in to frustration. This vaccination initiative is a monumental once-in-a-lifetime endeavor and bumps in the early stages ought to be expected. 

  • john March 2, 2021 (10:23 pm)

    Making teachers eligible for the vaccine does not necessarily translate into Seattle schools bringing students back in person.  No government entity can force teachers back in Seattle, vaccinated or not.  As you read in the news, SPS and the teachers union are just getting the battle going around the essential worker designation for special ed teachers.  There will be no mass return of SPS students any time soon – some people are speculating that it may be not until 2022 for in person return of most students.

    • Canton March 3, 2021 (6:56 am)

      If so, maybe we should get 2 years of school taxes refunded. 

    • skeeter March 3, 2021 (9:48 am)

      I think John is right.  If you want your child back in the classroom, your best bet is private school.  Or move to a red/purple state.

    • kroberts March 3, 2021 (10:05 am)

      Sincere question, I have not heard any speculation that students may not return until 2022–what are the sources of that information?

  • Highline Teacher March 2, 2021 (11:44 pm)

    There is a very robust FB group, “Find a COVID Shot WA” that will assign people to assist any WA resident over 70yo to get an appointment. You may advocate for someone you know. 

  • KT March 3, 2021 (4:24 am)

    Find available appts at http://www.covidwa.comSite developed by local techies, refreshes every 2 to 3 minutes.

  • anonyme March 3, 2021 (6:12 am)

    It may have been a fluke, but I got on the notification list at the Senior Center and they found me an appointment within 48 hours.  Even better, it was in West Seattle.   It was also my first attempt at scheduling a vaccine.  It sounds like most people are having a terrible time, and I don’t mean to question or diminish their efforts.  A neighbor of mine drove all the way to Tacoma yesterday for a second shot.  I’m just saying that the Senior Center did a great job for me, I was very lucky, and am grateful.

  • local educator March 3, 2021 (8:22 am)

    I had good luck checking out the rite aid appointments around 6am this morning. They were scheduling for next Tuesday and there were many afternoon and evening appointments open. 

  • John March 3, 2021 (8:23 am)

    My wife just made her appt for this Saturday at Southwest Complex. Seemed pretty easy to get this appt for herself.

  • Jim March 3, 2021 (9:46 am)

    Thanks  to Chris and all – I got my appointment at Sea Mar, took an hour of standing in line but I got my appointment!!!

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