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Health care providers are preparing for the ongoing vaccination effort that is envisioned as the way to eventually end the pandemic. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Modern vaccines cleared for emergency use by the FDA are poised to be distributed, and first vaccinations for high priority groups have already begun.

The Everett Clinic has posted their plans, on their website. For the first phase of vaccine distribution, the Everett Clinic website says COVID vaccines will go to health care workers, first responders, and nursing home residents. Care providers have direct contact with COVID patients and will be provided a voucher, by their employer, to receive a COVID vaccine.

Nursing home residents are also top priority for the first round of inoculations as well.

"Vaccine prioritization is essential for phase 1a vaccines because of limited doses available at this point. We anticipate there will be enough vaccines to immunize 20 million people in the United States by the end of 2020," the website states.

Everett Clinic describes the priority protocols as other health officials do, with health care workers and first responders first up due to exposure risk and their necessary role in keeping hospitals and clinics open and functional. Nursing home residents "for nearly 40 percent of COVID-19 deaths nationwide," the Everett Clinic states, "and immunizing healthcare workers in those settings protects both the workers and the residents from infection."

For those who get care from the Everett Clinic and want information on vaccine status, go to everettclinic.com/covidvaccine. The DOH will soon launch a tool to allow the public to access information on what phase each person is in, for vaccine access, said Heather Thomas, government affairs manager for the Snohomish Health District. Those concerned with the timeline on when they can get vaccinated can monitor http://www.covidvaccinewa.org for updates on their distribution, as well as prioritization guidelines, for the next phases of the vaccine in the coming weeks.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, health care agencies have asked that people call first rather than arriving onsite to healthcare facilities, whenever possible, to avoid spread of COVID-19. Emergency care is an exception to that call-first recommendation.

Check back for more updates or contact the Beacon with your inquiries.

Anyone with active symptoms or concerns regarding COVID-19, with underlying illness or advanced age (older than 60), or any difficulty breathing for any reason, should contact their health care provider. Breathing difficulty always requires a call to medical professionals, regardless of cause.

Editor's comment: If you are a Mill Creek resident who received a vaccine or are anxiously awaiting one and have a story to share, contact the editor at [email protected] to schedule an interview or write a letter to the editor, about your experience.