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The COVID-19 vaccine is supposed to be free. What to do if you get billed for one in Washington
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FILE - In this Jan. 24, 2021, file photo, people stand near a sign as they wait in line to receive the first of two doses of the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19, at a one-day vaccination clinic set up in an Amazon.com facility in Seattle and operated by Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)Ted S. Warren/Associated Press
As of Tuesday, 960,680 Washington residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. All of them should have been able to set up their appointments and receive the doses free of charge.
Spokane mass vaccination clinic still giving out fewer doses than others in Washington
According to the Washington DOH, Spokane has administered 19,922 doses compared to more than 22,000 at other mass vaccination sites. Author: KREM Staff Updated: 2:27 PM PST March 11, 2021
SPOKANE, Wash. The mass vaccination site at the Spokane Arena is still administering fewer doses than all three of the other mass vaccination sites in Washington.
KREM 2 questioned Washington Department of Health Secretary Dr. Umair Shah why Spokane wasn t scheduling any new first dose appointments and why we haven t been able to vaccinate more people. Last week, Shah said the department was going to work to improve the issue but the latest numbers show the Spokane has vaccinated the least amount of people.
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Concierge health care provider One Medical allowed patients who were not eligible and those with connections to the company s leadership to skip the COVID-19 vaccine line ahead of high-risk patients. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
A national health care provider has administered COVID-19 vaccinations to people deemed ineligible for the scarce vaccine by local health departments, including people with connections to company leaders and customers of its concierge medical service, according to internal communications leaked to NPR.
San Francisco-based One Medical has been allocated thousands of vaccine doses by local health departments in some of the areas it provides medical services. Ineligible individuals with connections to company leadership were set up with vaccine appointments, and patients who were disqualified from receiving th
double masking February 24, 2021 (8:17 am)
Finding that a cloth mask with a bandana over it works quite well. You can wear the mask much of the time, and have the bandana around your neck to pull up when more layers would be smart, like on transit, or in stores, etc. And it’s cozy on chilly mornings.
JamesJ February 24, 2021 (10:30 am)
I’ve been doing a KN95 with a 3-layered mask with filter inserts. Both fit very tight and I can tell it’s not letting much in. It’s a little challenging to breath, but you have to just be careful to not over-exert yourself. I had to run to catch the bus one morning, got pretty light-headed. Had to go to the doctor for something called hypoxia, but I’d rather in the hospital overnight for that, than dying from COVID!!
Health Officials Sound Alarm About Fentanyl Deaths
Yakima Health officials are sounding the alarm about drug overdoses in Yakima County as numbers are on the rise. The Yakima County Coroners office says 14 people have died of overdoses and a majority of the deaths are related to the drug fentanyl. They say increases in hospital visits because of overdoses in the valley have been reported over the last two months. The officials say the information from area hospitals show a majority of the overdoses have been the result of Blue Percocet 30 , oxycodone and fentanyl.
According to the Washington State Department of Health says overdose deaths increased last year by 38% in the first half of 2020 compared to the first half of 2019. The department says 835 overdose deaths in the first six months of 2020 compared to 607 deaths in the first half of 2019.