Updates

WMC Warns Medical Providers: 

beware of a scam claiming medical license has been suspended

The Washington Medical Commission (WMC) is warning the public that scammers are once again posing as the Commission.
Click Here for More Information

Dear Health Care Provider,


As of April 15, 2021 everyone age 16 and older in Washington State will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. This is an exciting milestone for vaccine delivery.

Unfortunately, vaccine supply is not keeping pace with eligibility nationwide. We anticipate that we will not see a substantial increase of first doses for the next several weeks. Less than half of the doses ordered by King County providers will be fulfilled, and it will be harder for everyone who is eligible to get their first vaccine appointment. This is frustrating and disappointing for everyone seeking appointments, and for our vaccine providers.

What is Public Health doing?

  • Public Health provides weekly input to the WA Department of Health on the allocation of scarce vaccine supply within King County. These recommendations are based on current data on COVID prevalence, hospitalizations, and deaths, as well as weekly progress towards vaccinating the highest risk populations in geographical areas with the highest burden of disease
  • With available vaccines, Public Health continues to focus on people who are at the highest risk for COVID-19, especially in BIPOC communities who have been most impacted and those most likely to experience barriers to securing appointments
  • Vaccine providers have been asked to delay scheduling appointments and vaccine events until weekly first dose orders have been confirmed to help avoid future cancellations. Providers have been asked to align their vaccination delivery with King County’s Principles for Equitable Vaccine Delivery.

What does this mean for booster dose appointments?

  • All booster (second) dose orders from vaccine providers will be filled by WA DOH
  • Vaccine providers should schedule booster dose appointments for patients when they receive their first dose. Patients seeking their booster dose should contact the provider who administered the first dose.
For information about how to get vaccinated in King County, visit kingcounty.gov/vaccine. The website is available in 18 languages.

We appreciate your help in sharing messaging with your patients and community about new eligibility and the scarce supply to help with expectation management. Thank you for your partnership and commitment to keeping the residents of King County safe and healthy.

A Washington State DOH Update

EVERYONE ELIGIBLE FOR COVID VACCINE STARTING APRIL 15:

A statement from Secretary of Health Umair A Shah

Vaccine is the tool we need to bring the COVID-19 pandemic to an end. The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is pleased everyone age 16 and older will be eligible for vaccine starting April 15, which also marks the four-month anniversary of vaccine rollout in Washington.

The state’s phased eligibility approach has helped ensure those most vulnerable were the first to be vaccinated. Thanks to increasing vaccine supply from the federal government and hard work from our providers across the state to get shots in arms, we are able to expand eligibility sooner than anyone initially thought. As we work to get the community vaccinated, individuals still need to wear a face covering, get tested if they feel sick, practice physical distancing, and properly wash their hands. These continued efforts will help us further protect our community and put the pandemic behind us.

You can read this statement in English or in Spanish on the DOH website.


Vaccine Distribution Update

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) continues to make progress with our COVID-19 vaccine distribution and administration efforts.


As of March 29, more than 3,325,998 doses of vaccine have been given across the state, which is 83% of the 4,006,330 doses that have been delivered to our providers and long-term care programs. Washington is currently averaging 55,894 vaccine doses given each day. This information can be found on the DOH data dashboard under the vaccines tab, which is updated three times per week.

On Wednesday, Washington entered Phase 1B tiers 3 and 4 of the state’s COVID-19 vaccine timeline. This advancement opened eligibility to about 2 million people, including people 16 years or older with two or more comorbidities or underlying conditions, people age 60 and older, people, staff and volunteers in certain congregate living settings, and high-risk critical workers in certain congregate settings. For a detailed list of who is eligible, please refer to DOH’s vaccine allocation and prioritization guidance document.

Phase Finder, the state’s online vaccine eligibility tool, is no longer needed to verify vaccine eligibility. Eligibility and vaccine location information can be found on Vaccine Locator. Those who need help can call the COVID-19 Information Hotline at 1-800-525-0127, then press #. Language assistance is available.


CASES OF COVID-19 VACCINE BREAKTHROUGH CONFIRMED IN WASHINGTON STATE

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is investigating reports of people in the state who tested positive for COVID-19 more than two weeks after being fully vaccinated. Scientists call these “vaccine breakthrough” cases, which are expected with any vaccine.

Large-scale clinical studies found that COVID-19 vaccines reduced the risk of getting COVID-19 in vaccinated people by up to 95% compared to people that did not receive the vaccine. However, the vaccines are not 100% effective in preventing infection. This means a small percentage of fully vaccinated people can be expected to still get COVID-19. These are identified as breakthrough cases.

Out of one million fully vaccinated individuals in Washington state, epidemiologists report evidence of 102 breakthrough cases since February 1, 2021, which represents .01 percent of vaccinated people in Washington. Breakthrough cases have been identified in 18 counties. The majority of those in Washington state with confirmed vaccine breakthrough experienced only mild symptoms if any. However, since February 1, eight people with vaccine breakthroughs have been hospitalized. DOH is investigating two potential vaccine breakthrough cases where the patients died. Both patients were more than 80 years old and suffered underlying health issues. Further investigation will help to identify patterns among people who have COVID-19 after vaccination, such as if a virus variant may have caused the infection.


Congratulations Dr. Rivara!

Dr. Frederick Rivara was named the 2021 recipient of the Joseph St. Geme Jr. Leadership Award by the Federation of Pediatric Organizations, the highest honor awarded to a pediatrician.
UW Medicine | Newsroom

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Let us know what you are up to! We'd love to share your news.
Email Czarina Manzano at: cmanzano@kcmsociety.org or 
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Register for the 2021 Northwest Rheumatism Society Meeting


The Northwest Rheumatism Society is happy to announce that they will be hosting a hybrid NWRS Meeting on Saturday, April 24, 2021, at The Westin Bellevue Hotel in Bellevue, WA. Please visit https://nwrsmeeting.org/ to view the agenda and additional details.

Use this link to register: https://nwrsmeeting.org/register/. Live attendees will be limited to 40. There is no limit to the number of attendees for virtual participation. Please be sure to register using the appropriate tab – live vs virtual.
Register TODAY

Discussing Racism in the Primary Care Office 

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