SPOKANE, Wash. — When will you be able to get vaccinated in Washington for coronavirus? The state has released an online tool to sign up to be notified when it’s your turn.
The PhaseFinder tool allows people to input personal details like age, location and if they work in health care, as well as contact information. Using this information, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) will determine vaccine eligibility and notify residents by email or text message when it’s their turn.
Contact information will remain private and will not be used for other purposes.
Right now, the tool is only able to identify people eligible in Phase 1A of distribution, but a more robust version of the tool is expected to be released Jan. 18. This broader rollout is expected to help connect eligible people looking to get vaccinated with providers.
Users could also use the survey to prove they're eligible when going to get the vaccine, according to a previous presentation from the DOH. The website could also link people looking to get vaccinated with providers after a broader rollout.
Vaccine timeline
DOH unveiled the next steps in their vaccine distribution plan on Jan. 6. Washington hasn't moved on to Phase 1B yet and is expected to remain in Phase 1A for "the next few weeks," according to state health officials.
Here’s where things stand for the Phase 1 rollout:
December 2020
Phase 1, tiers A1 and A2
- High-risk health care workers in health care settings
- High-risk first responders
- Long-term care residents
- At-risk workers in health care settings
January 2021
Phase 1, tier B1
- People age 70 or older
- People age 50 or older living in multi-generational households.
February 2021
Phase 1, tier B2
- High-risk critical workers age 50 or older in congregate settings, including grocery stores, correctional facilities, public transit, schools, agriculture, etc.
March 2021
Phase 1, tier B3
- People age 16 or older with two or more underlying health conditions.
April 2021
Phase 1, tier B4
- High-risk critical workers in congregate settings – like Tier 2 – under age 50
- Staff and volunteers of all ages in congregate living facilities, correctional facilities, group homes or those who work with the homeless in congregate settings
May – December 2021
Phases 2, 3 and 4
The state hasn’t released specific information about who is eligible during this timeframe. DOH says that information is “coming soon.”