How to confirm vaccine eligibility and find vaccination locations in Washington
SEATTLE - Although Governor Jay Inslee announced that those 65 years and older were now eligible to be vaccinated in the new phase, some are running into issues as the demand grows.
Elise Spinning, a 66-year-old Seattle resident, wasted no time getting the go-ahead for the COVID-19 vaccine after Inslee lowered the age for eligibility.
She used the state's Phase Finder Web Form to confirm her eligibility, and then she found a list of vaccination locations by county.
However, due to limited supply, she's waiting in line for appointments.
"I'm waiting for a phone call back but I also did the other thing where you can sign up through University of Washington e-care and they said maybe it would take a week before you got your activation code to get on there, so I just expect it's going to take a while," said Spinning.
The Washington State Department of Health said that while the state gets thousands of doses every week, there isn't enough for everybody so in the meantime, be patient.
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"If you can't get an appointment scheduled right away, take a few-day break, keep wearing your mask, and watch your distance and check back again next week as additional sites are set up," said Assistant Secretary of Prevention and Community Health, Michele Roberts.
The state is working on adding four mass vaccination sites next week at Spokane Arena in Spokane, Benton County Fairgrounds in Kennewick, Town Toyota Center in Wenatchee, and Clark County Fairgrounds in Ridgefield.
Spinning said she expects to be waiting a while for the vaccine but is happy the wait won't be as long if she weren't eligible.
"I was just glad that they lowered it so that I would qualify because I didn't meet the qualifications before and I was afraid I'd be waiting until May or later," said Spinning.