COVID-19 News

Washington State’s COVID-19 Vaccine Prioritization Plan

As of April 15th, all Washingtonians over age 16 are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. The state’s vaccine locator can be used by anyone to find an available vaccination appointment locally.

Vaccinations at Unity Care NW

Unity Care NW is happy to provide vaccinations to all eligible patients. Unity Care NW receives a supply of vaccine each week. The vaccination schedule will be updated each Friday. Patients: Click to schedule an appointment online. Non-Patients: Schedule here. 

If you can schedule online, please do so! It’s faster and more efficient for you. Phone appointments are available for people who do not have internet access or who need language assistance at (360) 746-3098. Please do not call our main phone line or pharmacy to book an appointment. We will also attempt to contact all our patients to schedule vaccinations. You may receive a text or email with a link to make an online appointment from our partner Luma Health. This is a legitimate and safe way to secure your vaccine appointment.

The COVID-19 vaccine is available free of charge. There is no out-of-pocket cost for COVID-19 vaccines.

More information is available here.

Get the Facts on COVID-19 Vaccines

Many Americans are still deciding if they will get the COVID-19 vaccine. CDC.gov and the American Lung Association both offer updated factual information to help you decide if the vaccine is right for you. Talk to your medical provider if you have concerns and learn what you can from expert sources.

For most people, the best choice is to get the vaccine. Getting vaccinated will help keep you and your family healthy and safe. The vaccines are extraordinarily effective at protecting you from hospitalization and death from the virus. Vaccines will help bring this pandemic to an end. By getting vaccinated, you can help reverse the damage to the economy, prevent more illnesses and deaths in America, and eliminate and eradicate COVID-19.

More COVID-19 Vaccine Resources:

Resuming the Johnson & Johnson Vaccine

Background

• The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) resumed use of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine after a pause initiated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More than 6.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine have been administered in the U.S. and 160,000 in Washington State.

Why the Pause?

• CDC and FDA reviewed data involving six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot, called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), in individuals that received the J&J vaccine.
• A further 9 cases were identified after the pause was initiated. All the cases occurred among women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination.
• The fact that these adverse events were identified so quickly demonstrates how well our robust vaccine safety monitoring systems work. The choice to pause the use of the J&J vaccine while officials studied it further means they are taking vaccine safety very seriously and exercising great caution.

Why is the J&J vaccine available again?

• This decision is based on recommendations from the FDA, the CDC, and the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, as well as careful consideration and close review by the DOH.
• No definitive cause for the blood clots has been identified, but the FDA said that a probable cause is a rare immune response generated by an individual after receiving the vaccine.
• The FDA will include a warning statement with the vaccine, and J&J will provide an information sheet at vaccination that informs people about the increased risk of TTS.
• Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare: 15 cases out of more than 8 million doses. The risk of getting a blood clot from a J&J vaccine is lower than getting a blood clot from birth control or smoking or for those hospitalized by COVID-19.
• COVID-19 vaccine safety is a top priority for the federal government and Unity Care NW, and we take all reports of health problems following COVID-19 vaccination very seriously.

Should I be concerned I got the J&J vaccine?

• These adverse events are extremely rare: 15 cases out of more than 6.8 million doses.
• People who have received the J&J vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider.
• The FDA and CDC are confident that the vaccine is safe and effective in preventing COVID-19, and that the benefits outweigh the risks.
•  COVID-19 vaccines will continue to undergo the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history.
• The bottom line: You have a greater chance of being struck by lightning than in developing complications from the J&J vaccine while over 370,000 people have been infected with COVID-19 in Washington state. Protect yourself and your loved ones today.
  

  Are some people more susceptible to blood clots?

  Most people who developed the blood clots and low levels of platelets were females ages 18 through 49. However, with so few cases to study, it is difficult to know for sure if something is predisposing women in this age range to the clots.

  Although it appears there is a relationship between the vaccine and the clots, anywhere from 2 to 14 people per million develop blood clots each year in this country. It could be that the individuals who developed the blood clots would have developed them regardless of whether they received the vaccine.

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