COVID-19 Vaccine Updates
As the fight against COVID-19 progresses, the focus is swung into prevention, and vaccine opportunities are increasing with every week. The Department of Health is projecting that Washington’s weekly state vaccine allocations will almost double by next month – from around 350,000 doses to almost 600,000. So far slightly more than 25% of the state population have been vaccinated, with more than 100,000 having received at least one dose in Kitsap County.
Here on the Island we are a little ahead of the curve (almost 40% vaccinated overall), and The City has widened local vaccine eligibility to all people who work in jobs that require them to interact with the public (retail, food service, grocery stores – generally any public-facing business where employees are NOT able to work remotely), but only at the weekend Commodore clinics.
With the help of dozens of Bainbridge Prepares volunteers, more than 10,000 COVID-19 vaccinations have now been administered by Bainbridge Prepares and its partners on Bainbridge and in other parts of the county.
Make your Commodore appointments via covidbi.timetap.com (and in the vaccine eligibility field, simply indicate ‘retail employee’, ‘food service employee’, etc.) – and if appointments are not available this week, look for more to come online each Tuesday.
COBI publishes local vaccine availability updates online at the City’s website, while you can also register with Nixle.com for more frequent updates (or by texting 98110 to 888777).
Other sites on the island and county-wide are adhering to the State’s rollout timetable, with individuals in Phase A and Phase B, Tier 1 and 2 currently qualifying. At the end of the month, restaurant workers will become eligible state-wide, and Governor Inslee recently announced that all Washingtonians aged 16 and older will become eligible as of May 1, 2021.
For those already eligible, the Kitsap Public Health District lists the following locations on the peninsula as all having available appointments – click for links and more information:
- Safeway on Bainbridge Island
- Walmart in Poulsbo
- Kaiser Permanente in Silverdale
- Veteran Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System in Silverdale
- St. Michael Medical Center in Bremerton
- Peninsula Community Health Services in Bremerton
You can find constantly updated current information and sign up for more notifications on the Health District website.
COVID-19 Testing Updates
COBI will be closing its COVID testing site at City Hall, as demand has diminished. The last day of testing will be Wednesday March 31. The City will be able to offer testing on an as-needed basis in other locations, should an outbreak occur and City support is necessary.
The planned closure of the testing site at City Hall will allow emergency management staff and volunteers to focus entirely on supporting vaccine distribution on Bainbridge Island.
A number of other ongoing test sites remain both on the island and in Kitsap County – find them all listed here.