Requested Actions
- Be aware, on February 11, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated their guidance for COVID-19 vaccination to include:
- For people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised:
- People who have completed a primary series of an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) are recommended to receive an mRNA booster dose 3 months (instead of 5 months) after the last primary dose.
- People who have received a single Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine should receive one additional dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine and one booster dose (preferably mRNA) for a total of 3 vaccine doses.
- Clarification that people who have completed their primary series of 3 mRNA doses should receive an mRNA vaccine booster dose—to make a total of 4 doses.
- For those who previously received passive COVID-19 antibody products:
- Simplification that people do not need to wait for any period prior to COVID-19 vaccination.
- Strongly recommend patients get vaccinated. You are patients’ most trusted source of vaccine information.
- Be aware, the US Food and Drug Administration postponed their advisory committee meeting to give more time to review available evidence on 3 doses of COVID-19 vaccine for children 6 months to 4 years.
- Increase access to COVID-19 therapeutics. Enroll to become a provider by emailing mcm@doh.wa.gov or prescribe patients available products. You can find:
- Available doses in your area with HHS’ COVID-19 therapeutics locator.
- More information and resources on DOH’s therapeutics for providers page.
- Tell patients how to access, use and interpret at-home antigen test kits. Direct patients to the many COVID-19 testing sites in the county.
- Tell patients with mild to moderate illness how to care for themselves at home and when to go to the emergency department.
COVID-19 Vaccine
- COVID-19 vaccine clinical considerations, CDC.
- Booster dose updates, FDA.
- EUA and FDA-approved vaccine information:
- COVID-19 vaccine locator, Washington State Department of Health (DOH).
- COVID-19 vaccine provider toolkit and resources, DOH.
- COVID-19 vaccination for providers, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- Clinical considerations for COVID-19 vaccination and guidance for managing anaphylaxis, CDC.
- COVID-19 vaccine quick reference guide for healthcare professionals, CDC.
- COVID-19 vaccine training module on best practices for providers, CDC.
COVID-19 Testing
COVID-19 Test Processing
Labs report varying amounts of time to process COVID-19 tests. To support faster turnaround, we encourage providers to use in-state labs. The table below shows COVID-19 test processing times for in-state private labs.
| LAB | TIME TO PROCESS TEST | TESTS PROCESSED DAILY |
| FidaLab | 24 to 30 hours | 5,000 |
| Kaiser | 24 hours | 700 to 800 |
| LabCorp | 24 to 48 hours | Unknown |
| Northwest Pathology | 48 to 72 hours | 20,000 |
| Quest | 24 to 48 hours | 700 |
| UW Virology | 24 to 48 hours | 10,000 to 11,000 |
| Atlas Genomic | 24 to 48 hours | 10,000 |
COVID-19 Therapeutics
- Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) allocates monoclonal antibody and oral antiviral supplies to each state. DOH distributes doses to enrolled providers. Providers must enroll in Healthcare Partner Ordering Portal (HPoP) to manage COVID-19 therapeutics. Email mcm@doh.wa.gov to register for HPoP training, held Tuesdays at 9 a.m.
- Once enrolled, to request a supply of monoclonal antibodies or therapeutics, complete a smart sheet.
- Supplies of all therapies are current limited. Safeway, Haggen and independent pharmacies may have oral antivirals. Hospital-associated systems and infusion centers may have monoclonal antibodies. All therapies must be dispensed by prescription. Prescriptions for oral antivirals should include the appropriate dates of use to ensure initiation within a 5-day window. Oral therapies from Safeway are intended to be delivered to patients’ homes. Patients with questions about accessing their medication should call the pharmacy.
- You can find:
- Available doses in your area with HHS’ COVID-19 therapeutics locator.
- More information and resources on DOH’s therapeutics for providers page.
Share with Patients:
- What to do if you test positive for COVID-19.
- What to do if you were exposed to someone with COVID-19.
Additional Resources
- Washington COVID-19 risk assessment dashboard.
- CDC guidance for healthcare providers and facilities.
- DOH COVID-19 data dashboard.
- DOH COVID-19 page.
- CDC COVID-19 page.
- SARS-CoV-2 sequencing and variants in Washington.
We ask that you notify us of patients being tested who are hospitalized or have contact with a confirmed case, and not wait for the lab confirmation. Fax the COVID-19 Report Form to 360-778-6103. You can leave us a non-urgent confidential report on our 24-hour Communicable Disease Report Line, 360-778-6150.
Contacting the Health Department
360-778-6100 Main Call Line – available M-F 8:30am to 4:30pm
360-715-2588 Afterhours Answering Service – available after 4:30pm and weekends
360-778-6150 Communicable Disease Report Line – 24 hours a day 7 days a week
360-778-6103 Confidential Communicable Disease Fax – 24 hours a day 7 days a week
1500 N State Street, Bellingham WA 98225