4 News Now Q&A: When will it be your turn to get the COVID-19 vaccine?

Your Questions Answered

Q: When will it be your turn to get the COVID-19 vaccine? 

A: It is taking longer than expected, but health officials in Washington say vaccine distribution is well underway.

Washington is still in the first phase of distribution, with high-risk health-care workers, first responders and residents of long-term care facilities first in line. But Health Secretary Dr. Umair Shah says within two or three weeks, the state should be able to move to phase B1. This is when all residents older than 70 and those over 50 who live in multigenerational households will be able to get the shot.

Then, sometime next month, we will move to phase B2. At that point, vaccines will be available for high-risk critical workers older than 50 who work in places like schools, jails, grocery stores and farms.

State health officials hope to get to those older than 16 who have multiple underlying conditions in March.

Then, in April, it is high-risk critical workers younger than 50, inmates, homeless people staying in shelters, and residents of group homes.

Vaccination efforts so far have moved more slowly than officials would like, with 126,000 of the nearly 523,000 doses the state has received being administered. Health officials say the holidays and the scale of the logistical problem are complicating the rollout.

But Dr. Shah says the goal is still clear.

“Our number one priority remains: fighting this pandemic and certainly making sure we can vaccines into the arms of as many Washingtonians as quickly as possible,” Shah said.

Next week, the state plans to launch a new online tool, called PhaseFinder to help you better track your eligibility for a vaccine.

Do you have questions about the vaccine? Submit them here. 

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