A: Two testing sites are open on Vashon. 

One test site is being operated by VashonBePrepared’s volunteers from the Medical Reserve Corps with support from volunteers fro our Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). Any Vashon Island resident or essential worker on Vashon who has symptoms of Covid-19 may be tested at this site with a scheduled appointment. Residents without health insurance will not have to pay for the test. It’s important to emphasize: You can’t just drive up and ask for a test. You will only be tested if you have been referred by a medical provider or have been screened by an MRC volunteer by calling (844) 469-4554 and scheduled for testing. You can find more information about scheduling a Covid-19 test at the website:  https://testing.vashonbeprepared.org.

The other testing site is being operated by the Sea Mar clinic. 

Testing is only one piece of stopping the spread of the virus. It helps doctors to know who has the virus; and to contact, track and test others who have been exposed and those with symptoms. That is the fastest and most efficient way to stop the spread of COVID-19. But social distancing is key to keeping the exposures and spread low. Please stay with it, stay home, stay 6 feet apart.

A: Testing by Vashon’s Medical Reserve Corps is by appointment only: Residents with a referral from a medical care provider – on or off island – will get an appointment with the Medical Reserve Corps team for a self-test.  If you do not have a provider, you can contact the MRC volunteers, who will screen your symptoms, and if appropriate, schedule you for testing. Testing times depends on the availability of testing materials and volume of people needing testing allows. Details at:  https://testing.vashonbeprepared.org, or send questions to RT3@VashonBePrepared.org or, if you do not have a care provider, call (844) 469-4554 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m..

A: The Vashon Covid-19 Testing Project uses an FDA approved patient-administered nasal swab test. The patients perform the nasal swab while seated inside their cars at the testing site with instructions and direction from medical provider volunteers. The volunteers are with the Vashon Medical Reserve Corps in collaboration with VashonBePrepared and CERT. This test process minimizes exposure of patients and volunteer staff and the need for precious personal protective equipment.

A: If you are a Sea Mar patient, call the clinic first at 206-463-3671 to find about testing options. In order to protect patients and staff and to conserve medical supplies the clinic says do not walk in or drive to the clinic without an appointment. 

A: Yes. The Vashon Medical Reserve Corps testing site will test any resident of Vashon who is referred by a doctor or other medical care provider. As long as your health care provider provides a referral, you will be tested.

A: You can call the Vashon Medical Reserve Corps team to be screened for testing at (844) 469-4554, only between the hours of 9am-6pm.

A: Vashon Pharmacy, in conjunction with several island organizations, is offering vaccinations by appointment and drop-in, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 9-12 and 1-4pm. Sea Mar at Sunrise Ridge is offering walk-up vaccinations on most days. Find out all the details about getting vaccinated on and off Vashon at  https://vashonbeprepared.org/en-us/COVIDVaccine.

A: Everyone age 12 and over in Washington is eligible to be vaccinated. Pfizer/BioNTech's vaccine is approved for use in ages 12+, while Moderna and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen's vaccines are for those ages 18 and over. Testing is in progress for use in younger children.

A: King County's COVID-19 website provides information about the vaccines at the state and local level: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/vaccine.aspx

A: No temporary virus hospital is planned on Vashon. A team of Vashon Medical Reserve Corps medical professionals carefully analyzed the idea. They recommended against it. Here’s why:

• There are buildings that could be used but Vashon does not have the skilled medical people or the sophisticated medical equipment to keep severely ill patients alive and help them get well.
• We would not be able to get the specialists, equipment and supplies because they are all in very short supply. Plus, taking them away from mainland hospitals would defeat the purpose.
• Our regional hospitals have been preparing for a peak surge for weeks and they have the expertise and resources needed to care for our Vashon loved ones and neighbors.

Fortunately, transporting seriously ill patients has been workable with the ferries and our Vashon island Fire and Rescue personnel (who use COVID-19 protocols to protect themselves, patients and the community).

You can read the full recommendation here: https://vashonbeprepared.org/MRC-CarePlan.pdf

A: King County has set up hundreds of isolation and quarantine beds. These facilities will relieve pressure on hospitals by caring for those who are subacute or have been released from hospital for recovery. A good source for keeping up to date on this and other issues is the Public Health News and Blog website: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/news.aspx

A: VashonBePrepared works for the Incident Commander, Fire Chief Charles Krimmert, who manages the island Fire District, Vashon Island Fire and Rescue. We are a community organizing coalition that helps recruit, train and operate the Vashon Emergency Operations Center when the Chief activates us.

We have worked for years, getting ready to help our community during a big emergency. This emergency is different from the Big One earthquake. That’s for sure. But the same emergency response process that we’ve studied and practiced for many years in the island’s Emergency Operations Center adapts very well to this historic crisis. We follow the national standard Incident Command System and for this emergency have tweaked it a bit. In addition to supporting the medical response in many ways, we have created teams to support needs of unemployed workers, households and neighborhoods, businesses and nonprofits.

A: VashonBePrepared is a 501c3 federally registered nonprofit group. It and its ancestor organization have been working for preparedness and resilience for almost 20 years. The coalition of island groups and individuals primarily focuses on community organizing to help islanders be ready for a big emergency. A lot of work has been done to educate people about earthquakes, landslides, wildfires, major storms and other natural disasters.

The Emergency Operations Center Team (EOC Team) is one of the main coalition members in VashonBePrepared. The team of volunteers has been training for years to deal with emergencies. That means gathering information to help make resource decisions and organizing resources to support the response to the emergency. For this emergency the EOC Team obviously supports the medical response to the pandemic. In addition, the virus has had severe economic and social impact on our community so the Team has organized to support the suddenly unemployed and local businesses plus households and neighborhoods where people are home bound for isolation and quarantine. The EOC works under the direction of Incident Commander, Fire Chief Charlie Krimmert, and organizes its efforts using the federal standard Incident Command System.

A: Yes, according to the latest advice from the state Department of Health and from the federal Centers for Disease Control. Medical grade masks must be conserved for health care workers and others who are working directly with patients. But it appears that wearing cloth face covering, properly adjusted, could make a difference in the spread of the disease. The number one way to prevent COVID-19 is still staying at home and still washing your hands frequently. But if you go out in public, such as a trip to buy food, wear a cloth face covering. A good explanation of this has been put out by the state Department of Health:
https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/1600/coronavirus/ClothFacemasks.pdf

A: The World Health Organization says: “There is no evidence that a dog, cat or any pet can transmit COVID-19. COVID-19 is mainly spread through droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks. To protect yourself, clean your hands frequently and thoroughly.” At the same time, WHO points out that the COVID-19 virus is a new one and more studies are needed to fully understand it. Experts advise social distancing by staying at least six feet away from other people, and you are likely to be closer than that if you are petting a person’s dog or cat.

A: The Centers for Disease Control advice says experts generally believe the virus is spread from person to person through respiratory droplets. It may be possible to get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching your face however CDC says the risk is low. CDC also urges frequent hand washing, including before preparing or eating food. It is important to maintain social distancing when receiving take out food.

A: The World Health Organization has stated that there is no evidence that COVID-19 is being spread through the mail or through other package delivery services: “The likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low and the risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19 from a package that has been moved, traveled, and been exposed to different conditions and temperature is also low.” And according to the CDC, “in general, because of poor survivability of these coronaviruses on surfaces, there is likely very low risk of spread from products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures. Coronaviruses are generally thought to be spread most often by respiratory droplets.”

A: Please consult with your medical care provider about this difficult situation. The risk for immune compromised individuals is high so it will be important to take precautions. It may be necessary to isolate the person at risk from anyone who can’t maintain the Stay Home, Stay Safe precautions.

A: The Emergency Operations Center has a group to support households and neighborhoods. We have been helping the service agencies on the island come together for home support. There are also stores and restaurants that deliver following public health guidelines. A really helpful step would be to make contact with your neighbors through the Neighborhood Emergency Response Organization (NERO) program. To get a list of all the resources and contact info for NERO go this page on the VashonBePrepared.org  website:  https://vashonbeprepared.org/COVID-Help/For-Household-and-Neighbors

A: There is some child care relief coming online from King County government for first responders and other essential workers: (https://www.kingcounty.gov/council/news/2020/March/3-31-CB-childcare-covid-release.aspx). For details, call Child Care Resources at 1-800-446-1114.

Vashon Kids, a program of Vashon Youth and Family Services, is operating Monday through Thursday 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Vashon Kids will be available for children age 5 to 12. For the latest about Vasho Kids' offerings, check their website at https://vyfs.org/vashon-kids or contact them at Vashonkids@vyfs.org or call (206) 930-2592.

You will want to make sure that any childcare provider you choose is following the guidance from Public Health – Seattle & King County (https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/communicable-diseases/disease-control/novel-coronavirus/childcare.aspx).

A: Lost wages and failed businesses are badly hurting Vashon households and businesses. Vashon Emergency Operations Center response has organized some groups that are working to support laid off workers, households, neighborhoods, businesses and nonprofits. And there are many other generous folks working on how we can keep our community supported and together.

A: An initial survey by the Chamber of Commerce found that 40% of Vashon businesses have shut down and have fired or furloughed workers. More than 80% of businesses report income has dropped, in some cases significantly. If unemployment on Vashon matches the national statistic there are hundreds of people out of work in our community. It’s happening everywhere across the country.

A: A group in the Emergency Operations Center has put together a one-stop-shop web resource for folks who have ended up out of work due to the virus crisis. Links on the page help you apply for unemployment. There’s advice about a list of emergency relief for everything from rent to student loans, utilities, insurance and so on. Go here to get details: https://vashonbeprepared.org/COVID-Resources/For-Unemployed

A: Shop locally if you can. A number of businesses are still open because they are in one of the essential infrastructure categories listed with Governor Inslee’s stay home order. Many local restaurants are offering curbside pickup and some are even delivering. Same thing with groceries. When the virus abates, know this: The survival of our community depends on keeping local businesses alive. Many businesses will be on the financial brink. There will never be a more important time to shop locally.

A: The Chamber of Commerce has been working closely with the Emergency Operations Center to help businesses access the relief that is available through local, state and federal sources. https://www.vashonchamber.com

Online services include a one-on-one office tele-hub, a seminar series of advice on the programs coming online from state and federal government and video conferences for sharing solutions among similar businesses facing similar challenges.

A: Governor Inslee announced a new system of phases and plans for reopening on January 6th, 2021. You can see the latest information here: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19.aspx. Experts at the Washington State Department of Health, CDC and WHO agree that social distancing (along with frequent hand washing and other steps you have no doubt seen) will really make a difference in how many people get the virus and how long the pandemic will continue.

A: Nobody can say for sure when the pandemic will subside. Here in Washington state the rate of infection is still high and the number of cases has been growing. One hopeful sign will be when the number of new cases begins to fall. You can monitor the statistics by signing up for the Voice of Vashon Emergency Alert System where the Vashon Emergency Operations Center sends out the twice-weekly Situation Report: http://www.VoiceovVashon.org/alertsignup