Vaccinations In Pierce County: What To Know About Phase 1B

PUYALLUP, WA — Now that Washington is in Phase 1B of vaccine distribution, tens of thousands more Pierce County residents are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Under tier 1 of Phase 1B, the vaccine is now available for any Washingtonians who are 65 years old or older, or who are 50 years old or older and live in a multi-generational home. According to the Tacoma - Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD), that includes between 58,000 and 98,000 Pierce County residents.

“The Health Department and our many partners are working to move swiftly to get the vaccine into the arms of eligible people as it becomes available,” said Director of Health Anthony L-T Chen. “Thousands in Pierce County have already received the vaccine. We look forward to vaccinating thousands more so we can put the pandemic behind us.”

While the health department urges those who are eligible under Phase 1B to get vaccinated as soon as possible, they're also hoping to inoculate thousands more who were eligible under the first phase but haven't gotten their shots yet.

Under Phase 1A, health care workers and residents of long term care facilities were the first groups eligible to receive the vaccine. They remain eligible under Phase 1B as well, important because many still have not gotten their vaccine doses: as of Jan. 9, of the 58,000 to 78,000 eligible Pierce County residents, only 13,000 had received the vaccine.

Anyone who is unsure if they qualify for the vaccine can learn more by visiting http://findyourphasewa.org/. From there, they'll be asked a few questions about their age and health risks, and the tool will tell them if they're eligible for the shot. If not, users can also be signed up to receive notifications when they do become eligible for vaccination.

Now that thousands more can receive the vaccine, state and local health leaders are pushing to increase the number of daily vaccinations. At a conference Monday, Gov. Jay Inslee announced that the state had set a new goal to perform 45,000 vaccinations daily, up from the current average of between 13,000 to 15,000 daily vaccinations. One part of Inslee's plan involves the creation of new, mass vaccination sites — something Pierce County is considering as well.

Finally, TPCHD is also planning a series of COVID-19 vaccination drive-thru clinics. More information on those events is expected later this week.

In the meantime, eligible residents can still get the vaccine by setting up an appointment with a registered medical provider, or by visiting a pharmacy at Safeway and Albertson's, or other participating local pharmacies.

Read more on the local vaccination effort from the Tacoma - Pierce County Health Department.