Here’s how to find out if you can get the COVID-19 vaccine at JBLM
If you get your health care through the Department of Defense, you might be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine through Madigan Army Medical Center on Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Madigan is following the DOD’s vaccine rollout plan and is now in phase 1C, which means TRICARE patients over 65 years old and those 16 and older who are considered “high risk” can get the vaccine, as well as health care workers and “mission essential” military personnel and DOD prisoners.
Patients at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 are now eligible to get the vaccine at Madigan if they have been diagnosed with one of the following conditions:
- Cancer
- Chronic Kidney Disease
- COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
- Down Syndrome
- Heart conditions such as heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathy
- Those who are immunocompromised due to a solid organ transplant
- Obesity
- Sickle cell disease
- smokers
- and those with Type 2 diabetes
Pregnancy is also on the list of conditions that now make patients eligible to receive the vaccine.
Those who qualify for the vaccine at Madigan can go online to make an appointment or call the Madigan COVID-19 vaccine hotline: 253-968-4744. Madigan is only offering the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, at this time.
The DOD’s coronavirus vaccine rollout differs from Washington state’s.
Madigan started by giving the vaccine exclusively to health care workers, base emergency services and some military personnel. Among the first to get the vaccine at Madigan in December were a civilian emergency room nurse and a military policeman.
So far, Madigan has vaccinated over 15,000 patients at the American Lake Conference Center on JBLM, according to Col. Luke Mease, chief of preventative medicine at Madigan.
While testifying before the U.S. House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, Defense officials said the DOD has distributed at least 506,000 shots to service members, front-line personnel and TRICARE patients.
Air Force Maj. General Jeff Taliaferro told the committee that the vaccine acceptance rate for troops is between 66% and 70% but did not provide a reason as to why one-third of service members who have been offered the vaccine — most of whom are either health care workers or security personnel — declined it.
This story was originally published February 22, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
