SEATTLE – As a record number of people are about to become eligible to receive their vaccines against COVID-19, the Washington Department of Health is loosening the rules for people to apply for their vaccines.
The state announced that as of Monday, the Phase Finder will no longer be needed to verify eligibility. But that does not mean that people should jump if they are not yet qualified.
The Phase Finder is an online questionnaire that people must answer to prove they are eligible to be vaccinated.
It is a major step forward in the effort to make it easier for people who go to vaccination sites to receive vaccines.
With the development, an additional 2 million people are about to qualify for their COVID-19 injections when the state moves to Phase 1B, levels 3 and 4 on Monday.
Health officials say the goal is to vaccinate as many vulnerable members of the community as possible as quickly as possible, before the vaccine’s eligibility is open to everyone aged 16 and over on May 1.
Removing the Phase Finder will speed up this process and health officials said they trust that most people will continue to do the right thing and wait for their turn.
Here is who is eligible for Phase 1B, levels 3 and 4 as of March 31:
- Anyone aged 60 or over
- People aged 50 or over with two or more comorbidities.
- People aged 16 and over with two or more comorbidities
- People, employees and volunteers in certain living environments congregated, including:
o Collective houses for people with disabilities
o Correctional facilities
o Settings where homeless people live or access services
- Critical, high-risk workers in certain congregated environments, including:
o restaurants
o Food services
o Construction
o Manufacturing
Anyone who has doubts about when is eligible can find the vaccine stages here, as well as vaccine prioritization guidelines.