Inslee Talks Next Vaccination Tier, Phase 3 Still Undefined

Governor Jay Inslee described the next tier of COVID-19 vaccinations, or Phase 1B-2, during a press conference Tuesday.

Inslee said the next grouping will focus on essential duties and will start with those over the age of 50. Jobs in the next tier include educators, food processing, grocery store workers, bus/transit employees, and childcare workers among others.

According to the state, all educators qualify for Phase 1B-2. It's unclear whether a teacher under the age of 50 will be able to get an appointment for a vaccination right off the bat due to their age.

Inslee also announced that the state will allow all workers at a facility or school to be vaccinated at the same time if hosting a vaccination event in an effort to increase efficiency.

The governor also gave a short update on what Phase 3 of the Healthy Washington - Road to Recovery plan might look like.

Inslee stated that his office has still not identified what metrics regions will have to meet to move to Phase 3. According to the governor, officials will continue to look at the data, including new COVID variants and vaccine effectiveness, before announcing anything further regarding Phase 3.

Several populous counties in Washington State have been in Phase 2 since February 1st.