By Patric Haerle

WNPA News Service

Essential frontline workers, such as grocery store employees, will begin

receiving COVID-19 vaccines later this month, Gov. Jay Inslee announced

March 4.

Others set to be vaccinated starting March 22 include workers in agriculture,

food processing, public transit, firefighters, law enforcement and corrections.

Previously, only essential workers age 50 or older who were defined as high-

risk were eligible. Also in the next tier are people 16 and older who have a high-risk disability and pregnant women. They join K-12 educators and child care workers, who were recently added to the eligibility list.

On April 12, the state plans to start vaccinating Washingtonians age 50 or

older with two or more health conditions, and on April 26, those with

multiple conditions age 16 or older and individuals living in congregate

settings, like prisons or homeless shelters, are slated to begin receiving

vaccines.

Inslee made clear these plans are based on estimates of the number of

vaccines the state will receive and are dependent on receiving adequate

supply.

“I feel pretty confident that the supply chain will remain as we have

estimated,” Inslee said. “The Biden administration has been very transparent

with us. They have come through and…there’s no reason they’ve given us to

doubt this particular supply chain.”

In the current phase, the vaccine is available to anyone 65 and older, and all

people 50 and older who live in a multigenerational household. This is in

addition to groups eligible during previous phases like health care workers at

high-risk for infection, first responders and people who work in long-term

care facilities.