Requested actions
- Be aware, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup endorsed Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) emergency use authorization (EUA) of a second booster dose of Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for specific groups. The EUA allows:
- A second booster dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at least 4 months after the first booster dose for people:
- 50 years or older.
- 12 years or older with a compromised immune system.
- A second booster dose of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at least 4 months after the first booster dose for people:
- 50 years or older.
- 18 years or older with a compromised immune system.
- Following newly published data, a second booster of either Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at least 4 months after the primary and first booster dose of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for people 18 years or older.
- A second booster dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at least 4 months after the first booster dose for people:
- Be aware, getting a second booster dose is particularly important for people:
- 65 years or older.
- 50 years or older with certain underlying medical conditions.
- Be aware, at 8:59 p.m. PDT on April 5, 2022, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) COVID-19 Uninsured Program will stop accepting vaccine administration claims due to lack of funds. Testing and treatment claims ended March 22, 2022.
- Federally qualified health centers, rural health centers, free clinics, public hospital districts, behavioral health providers or facilities, behavioral health administrative service organizations, and community-based organizations can apply to receive federal resources for healthcare services provided to uninsured and underinsured individuals living under 200% of the federal poverty level (regardless of immigration status) through the Health Care Authority Uninsured Care Expansion Grant. Submit your application before 4:59 p.m. PDT on April 15, 2022.
- Be aware, Washington State Department of Health (DOH) discontinued ordering Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. We encourage providers to post and look for available doses on Washington Immunization Information System’s (WAIIS’s) vaccine advertisement page. Email questions and concerns to covid.vaccine@doh.wa.gov.
- Teach patients how to access, use and interpret at-home COVID-19 test kits. Direct patients to the many COVID-19 testing sites in our community.
COVID-19 vaccine information
- Clinical considerations for the use of COVID-19 vaccine, CDC.
- Clinician outreach and communication activity (COCA) call slides, CDC.
- Booster dose updates, FDA.
- EUA and FDA-approved vaccine information:
- Pfizer (Comirnaty).
- Moderna (Spikevax).
- Johnson & Johnson.
- COVID-19 vaccine locator, DOH.
- COVID-19 vaccine provider toolkit and resources, DOH.
- COVID-19 vaccination for providers, 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. If you have questions about Health Department-facilitated antigen tests, contact epitesting@tpchd.org.
| Lab | Time to process test | Tests processed daily |
|---|---|---|
| FidaLab | 24 hours | 150 |
| Kaiser | 24–48 hours | 3,000 |
| LabCorp | 24–48 hours | Unknown |
| Northwest Pathology | 12–24 hours | 3,000 |
| Quest | 24–48 hours | 700 |
| UW Virology | 24–72 hours | 5,000 |
| Atlas Genomic | 24–48 hours | 10,000 |
COVID-19 therapies
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) allocates monoclonal antibodies and oral antivirals to each state. DOH distributes doses to enrolled providers. Providers must enroll in Healthcare Partner Ordering Portal (HPoP) to manage COVID-19 therapies. Email mcm@doh.wa.gov for support enrolling.
Once enrolled, to request a supply of monoclonal antibodies or therapeutics, complete a smart sheet.
Supplies of all therapies are currently limited. Commercial and independent pharmacies may have oral antivirals. Hospital-associated systems may have monoclonal antibodies. All therapies must be dispensed by prescription. Therapies from pharmacies may be intended for home delivery. Patients with questions about accessing their medication should call the pharmacy.
Additional information
- HHS COVID-19 therapeutics locator for providers.
- DOH therapeutics for providers page.
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) COVID-19 treatment guidelines.
COVID-19 prevention
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.
Immediately report COVID-19
You can leave us a non-urgent confidential report on our 24-hour Communicable Disease Report Line, 360-778-6150.Contacting the Health Department
Contact Whatcom County Health and Community Services at 360-778-6100- 360-778-6100 Main Call Line – available M-F 8:30am to 4:30pm.
- Afterhours Answering Service – available after 4:30pm and weekends, call 360-778-6100 and press 2 to be connected to the on-call manager or health officer.
- 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
- 509 Girard Street, Bellingham WA 98225