Washington veterans of any age can now get a COVID vaccination from the VA
Veterans of all ages can now get the COVID-19 vaccine from the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound health care system.
VA Puget Sound is offering both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines at sites across the region, including the American Lake and Seattle VA Medical Centers, the Silverdale VA clinic and the Mount Vernon VA clinic. A spokesperson for the VA said it expects to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, but the timeline is uncertain.
The vaccine is offered to veterans who already receive care from the VA; however, veterans who aren’t enrolled can check their eligibility on the VA website. Eligible veterans can call 206-716-5716 to schedule an appointment as no walk-in vaccines are available.
A spokesperson with the VA said Friday the phone number listed here is the right one, but lines are being overwhelmed with requests. The VA encouraged veterans to be patient and keep trying the number while the vaccine scheduling team works on a solution.
Although any veteran can now get the vaccine, those who are younger and healthier might be scheduled farther out than older veterans who are at higher risk of severe illness from the virus.
As of March 3, the VA Puget Sound has administered 15,972 initial doses of the vaccine, and 6,684 veterans have gotten both doses. In Pierce, King and Thurston counties, which the VA Puget Sound primarily serves, there are nearly 250,000 veterans, according to data from the United States Census Bureau.
This story was originally published March 4, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
