King County Public Health announced Friday (Nov. 6th) that it is now offering a limited supply (15,000 for now) of H1N1 vaccines to qualified people at area pharmacies, including one in Burien and two in White Center.
To get vaccinated, you have to make an appointment by telephone, and meet the criteria listed below:
- Pregnant women
- People who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age
- People between the ages of 6 months and 24 years old
- People between 25 through 64 years of age with chronic health conditions or weakened immune systems
- Healthcare and emergency workers with direct patient contact
The only Burien pharmacy currently with the new batch is:
- Albertsons-Sav-On
12725 First Ave. S.
Burien, WA 98168
(206) 439-7212 - Walgreens
9456 16th Ave SW
White Center, 98106
(206) 767-2294 - Albertsons-Sav-On
10616 16th Avenue S.W.
White Center, 98146
(206) 242-6310
Here are two others in nearby White Center:
Many of the 44 participating pharmacies are taking appointments by phone starting today (Fri. Nov. 6th); some will be holding walk-up clinics without appointment starting next week. The full list of participating pharmacies, including hours, types of vaccine available, vaccination age ranges and administrative fee, is posted at www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/preparedness/pandemicflu/swineflu/locations.aspx. This site will be updated Monday through Friday by noon; people should contact pharmacies directly for the most up-to-date information.
With limited national vaccine supplies, Public Health – Seattle & King County has had to delay its plan to make vaccine widely available through community venues. As more vaccine becomes available, there will be additional sites for getting vaccinated, including community clinics.
“Making vaccine available through pharmacies is an important next step in protecting our community, but supplies at both pharmacies and health care providers will continue to be limited for at least several weeks,” said Dr. David Fleming, Director and Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County. “Eventually there will be enough vaccine for everyone who wants to get vaccinated, but we are still dealing with limited vaccine supplies.”
With the latest deliveries this week, King County has received approximately 142,000 doses of vaccine. A new allocation of approximately 71,000 doses is being ordered for delivery to the county. Most of the vaccine is being made available through health care providers.
The amount of H1N1 vaccine at pharmacies will be limited, with each pharmacy receiving a few hundred doses each. Vaccine will be re-supplied to pharmacies as more becomes available over the coming weeks, so people should regularly check Public Health’s website for updates.
Many pharmacies are unable to vaccinate babies and young children because their staff is not licensed and/or trained for these age groups. Residents trying to vaccinate children should check with pharmacies directly and with their health care providers since vaccine is continuing to arrive.
Pharmacies may charge a fee for administering the vaccine, typically between $12 and $22 (not to exceed $22). This fee is covered by most health insurance. People should bring their health insurance information to the pharmacy, and they may need to submit a receipt to their insurance company for reimbursement.
Visit the Public Health H1N1 influenza website at www.kingcounty.gov/health/H1N1 for updates on vaccine availability in the community or call the Flu Hotline at 1-877-903-KING (5464), which is staffed with operators from 9am to 5pm weekdays to answer questions from residents about H1N1 influenza. There is also a special 24-hour nurse line service extended over this weekend for people with flu seeking medical care advice. Recorded information will be available 24 hours a day.
View King County pharmacies with H1N1 vaccine in a larger map
King County’s Public Health Department announced Tuesday that, beginning this Wednesday (Oct. 21st), the H1N1 flu vaccine will be available for those without health insurance at four clinics, including the White Center Public Health Center, located at 10821 8th Ave. SW.
Clinics will be open from 8:30am to 5:30pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Fridays, and 8:30am – 7:00pm on Thursdays.
All clinics are walk-up and appointments will not be needed or scheduled.
For more information, visit the Public Health H1N1 influenza website at www.kingcounty.gov/health/H1N1 for clinic directions.
Vaccinations at these clinics will continue over time, pending vaccine availability from the federal government.
According to a press release:
As private providers begin to receive H1N1 influenza vaccine for their patients at highest risk for complications, starting Wednesday, Oct. 21, Public Health – Seattle & King County is making vaccinations available for people without health insurance who are at increased risk because they have significant health problems.
Four Public Health vaccination clinics will be open to people up through 64 years of age who have significant health problems that put them at greater risk for serious complications for H1N1. Examples would include heart disease, lung disease, asthma, kidney disease, diabetes and HIV/AIDS.
Most children and pregnant women have public or private health care coverage, so it is anticipated that the clinics will primarily serve uninsured adults. People over age 65 are at relatively low risk for H1N1 influenza and so should not seek vaccination at this time.
For people who have health insurance, local health care providers are receiving initial, small shipments of vaccine for their existing patients who need protection most. Vaccine availability from health care providers is expected to improve gradually as additional supplies arrive in upcoming weeks.
Public Health clinic details
Four Public Health H1N1 vaccination clinics will be operated at the following locations:
- White Center Public Health Center (10821 8th Ave. S.W., Seattle)
- Alder Square Public Health Center (1404 Central Ave. S., Suites 101 & 112, Kent)
- North Public Health Center (10501 Meridian Ave. N., Seattle)
- Federal Way Public Health Center (33431 13th Place S., Federal Way)
All clinics will be open 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Fridays and 8:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. All clinics are walk-up and appointments will not be needed or scheduled. Visit the Public Health H1N1 influenza website at www.kingcounty.gov/health/H1N1 for clinic directions.
Vaccinations at these clinics will continue over time, pending vaccine availability from the federal government.
Clinic locations may also expand with demand. As supply increases, more vaccine will be available in Public Health clinics and other community locations. The Public Health website will be updated regularly with information on vaccine availability.
Last Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that vaccine production is proceeding slower than originally expected, which will result in smaller amounts of vaccine in ongoing deliveries over the next two months.
Call center activation
Beginning Wednesday morning, Oct. 21, the Flu Hotline at 877-903-KING (5464) will be staffed with operators to answer questions about H1N1 influenza and provide information about Public Health – Seattle & King County vaccine clinic locations for people without insurance and with significant health problems. Hours of operation with operators will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays; recorded information will be available 24 hours a day.
Barry L. Saunders was arrested Wed. afternoon in Portland.
The Seattle P-I reports that Barry L. Saunders, the suspect in last Saturday’s deadly shooting at Southcenter Mall, was captured and arrested Wed. afternoon (Nov. 26th), apparently in Portland, Oregon.
Police say that Saunders is the gunman who shot 16-year-old Daiquan L. Jones to death on the first floor of the remodeled shopping center.
Jermaine D. McGowan, 16, was also shot. At last report, he was still in satisfactory condition at Harborview Medical Center.
Full story is here.
Barry L. Saunders, 21, is wanted in connection with the deadly Southcenter shooting Nov. 22nd.
According to KOMO News, the public is being asked to help find the suspect in last weekend’s fatal shooting at Tukwila’s Southcenter Mall.
Mike Murphy of the Tukwila Police said an arrest warrant has been issued for Barry L. Sanders, 21, for the fatal shooting of a teenager as well as the wounding of another on Saturday Nov. 22nd.
Police say that Saunders may still be armed, and anyone who sees, knows him or knows where he is should call 911 immediately.
Tips may also be called in to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
As you’ve probably heard by now, a shooting inside Tukwila’s Westfield Southcenter Mall on Saturday Nov. 22nd left one young man dead and another seriously injured, the gunman still at large, and the mall locked down for a while before being evacuated.
Police are still searching for the suspect.
We’ve managed to gather several videos related to the shooting:
KOMO News:
KIRO-TV:
KING-TV:
CELL PHONE VIDEO NEAR VICTIM:
TWO YOUNG WOMEN STUCK IN PARKING GARAGE TRAFFIC:
KID’S YOUTUBE COMMENTARY VIDEO:
A Burien man was sentenced to more than 97 years in prison for shooting and killing his boss and two others more than five years ago.
Tony Smith, 29, was convicted of three counts of first degree murder for the shooting deaths of Francisco Santos-Rojas, 24, his 16-year-old nephew, Edgar Santos and Ruben Fuentes, 24.
The three were slain Jan. 3, 2003, in an SUV parked on the West Valley Highway in Kent.
SOURCE:
The King County Public Health Department announced that the new flu vaccine has arrived, which means it’s time to start planning on when to “get poked.”
Unlike a few years ago, this year there’s plenty of flu vaccine to go around.
Vaccination is recommended to protect people at high-risk for complications from the flu, including:
- Children aged six months until their 19th birthday
- Pregnant women
- People 50 years of age and older
- People, 6 months or older, with certain chronic medical conditions, such as heart disease, lung disease (including asthma), kidney disease or diabetes
- People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
People who live with or care for those at high risk for health complications from flu should be vaccinated as well, including:
- Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
- Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age, who are too young to be vaccinated
- Healthcare workers
King County Health has created a website to help you find nearby flu shots (click here and enter your zip code on the right), but we’ve taken it one step further and created our own customized, interactive and regional “Places to Get Poked Map” – just click on a nearby pushpin, or use the zoom in (+) and out (-) controls on the left and you’ll see a listing of the store or pharmacy where you can get a flu shot:
SEATTLE – A man who shot and killed a Farwest cab driver in SeaTac before setting fire to the taxi has been convicted of aggravated murder and arson.
The King County prosecutor’s office says 19-year-old Earnest Lenell Collins of Seattle will automatically receive a life term with parole when he is sentenced May 9 in King County Superior Court. The jury returned with the verdict Friday.
Prosecutors say robbery was the apparent motive for the July 17 killing of the Farwest Taxi driver, Jagit Singh. He was shot twice in the head and his cab was set afire.
Collins fled and was arrested in Chicago.
SOURCE:
WHITE CENTER – A Top Hat-area man in his 70s was shot at point-blank range by a man who showed up at his doorstep at 2 a.m. Sunday and demanded to use the phone.
The incident took place in the 200 block of SW 116th Street between White Center and Burien, officials said.
The victim, a retired Boeing employee and Navy veteran, was hospitalized with shoulder injuries and powder burns to his face, and is expected to recover. The suspect was arrested a short while later about a block away from the scene of the shooting.
Sean Winchester, a friend of the victim and his family, said he learned the details of what happened from family members.
He said the victim, who is in his 70s, was asleep when he heard someone knocking at the door. Answering the door, he saw a man he didn’t recognize standing there, asking to use the phone. The victim refused to let the man inside because he didn’t know him and because he appeared to be intoxicated.
“At that point, the individual pulled out a gun and shot (the victim) in the shoulder,” Winchester said. He said the bullet shattered the glass in the door before hitting the victim.
Members of the victim’s family, who also had been asleep, were awakened by the shot and called police. The gunman was arrested a short while later about a block away.
Winchester said the victim didn’t know the gunman, and the only apparent motive was that he was upset over the victim’s refusal to let him use a phone.
“Some drunk individual apparently picked the wrong house … and decided to shoot somebody at 2 in the morning,” he said.
Winchester said the suspect may have been at an “alcohol and marijuana” party in the neighborhood earlier in the day.
He said the victim was a “good man,” a 20-year veteran of the Navy and retired Boeing machinist who “wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
“When things got bad for me, when the economy tanked, they took care of me for a while, and now I’m here doing what I can for the family,” he said.
SOURCE:
SEATAC – A Kent woman is in serious condition after being shot on State Route 518 while en route to the Burien area Tuesday night.
The King County Sheriff’s office says the 34-year-old woman was driving westbound on SR-518, between I-5 and SeaTac International Airport and Burien, when someone fired several shots at her car, striking her once.
At least two shots were fired from a car that drove up beside her about 10:40 p.m. She pulled off the road near the light rail station at South 154th Street and International Boulevard, where police found her. She was taken to Harborview Medical Center, where she was in serious condition.
Detectives had little information about the suspect but did not think the shooting was random, sheriff’s Sgt. John Urquhart said.
The woman had no idea why someone would want to shoot her, but told police that her home in Kent had been shot up a few weeks ago, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
No arrests and no specific description of the suspect vehicle.
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