Washington Vaccine Prioritization: Phase 1 Tiers A and B

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On January 6, the State DOH released guidance for the next phase of COVID-19 vaccination. The department worked closely with the Governor’s Office to finalize prioritization for phase 1B, which is broken up into four separate tiers.

It’s important to note that Washington is still in phase 1A of vaccinations, and will continue to be for the next few weeks.

Groups eligible for vaccination in phase 1B include:

Phase 1B1 - (Tier 1) January	All people 70 years and older People 50 years and older who live in multigenerational households
Phase 1B2 - (Tier 2) February	High risk critical workers 50 years and older who work in certain congregate settings: Agriculture; food processing; grocery stores; K-12 (teachers and school staff); childcare; corrections, prisons, jails or detention facilities (staff); public transit; fire; law enforcement
Phase 1B3 - (Tier 3) March	People 16 years or older with two or more co-morbidities or underlying conditions
Phase 1B4 - (Tier 4) April	High-risk critical workers in certain congregate settings under 50 years People, staff and volunteers all ages in congregate living settings: Correctional facilities; group homes for people with disabilities; people experiencing homelessness that live in or access services in congregate settings

Additional details of phase 1B will be posted on the state's website.

Many pharmacies, clinics and hospitals are vaccinating people in 1A1 (tier 1), and others have moved to 1A2 (tier 2). While phase 1A is still the priority, the release of phase 1B guidance will help facilities, counties and individuals plan for the months ahead. Once ready to start phase 1B, the state will let communities know how and where to get vaccine.

“Vaccine prioritization decisions are complex, but based in a need for equitable distribution. Our priority has been to get the vaccine to high-priority people first.”

Secretary of Health Umair A. Shah

Nearly 20,000 people across the state weighed in on the prioritization through focus groups, interviews, and surveys over the past few months. This feedback directly informed the state's recommendations for COVID-19 vaccine prioritization and allocation.

COVID-19 information pages are no longer updated.

See the CDC's COVID website for current information and trends.