COVID-19 (novel coronavirus)
Vaccine Update
March 5, 2021
Washington Hospital Healthcare System wants to provide patients and the
community with the most up-to-date information about COVID-19 vaccination.
To keep you informed, this page will be updated when new details about
the vaccine and vaccination are available. For information about Alameda
County's active vaccination phases and tiers, please go to
https://covid-19.acgov.org/vaccines.
Authorized by the Alameda County Public Health Department, Washington Hospital
Healthcare System is offering the vaccine to the following eligible individuals
in Phase 1A and Phase 1B:
- Washington Township Health Care District residents who are 65 and older
- Washington Township Medical Foundation patients who are 65 and older
- Employees and physicians of the Washington Hospital Healthcare System and
other eligible health care professionals, per Alameda County Public Health
Department guidelines
- Essential workers who live or work in the Washington Township Health Care
District in the following categories: education and child care (formal
& informal), emergency services (including law enforcement) and food/agriculture
By appointment only, Washington Hospital and Washington Township Medical
Foundation (WTMF) are administering the COVID-19 vaccine to individuals
who live or work in Fremont, Newark, Union City, South Hayward or Sunol
and who meet the above criteria. WTMF patients meeting these criteria
can schedule appointments through their personal
MyChart account.
NEW
If you do not have a MyChart account, but meet eligibility requirements,
click here to schedule your vaccine appointment online.
To prove your eligibility, at the vaccination site you will be required to:
- Sign an attestation under penalty of perjury confirming that you meet the criteria.
-
Bring a document showing:
- If you are eligible because you are age 65 or older, that you live in
the healthcare district: Fremont, Newark, Union City, Sunol and South Hayward.
- If you are eligible because of your work in health care, education and
childcare, emergency services, or food and agriculture, that you live
or work in the health care district: Fremont, Newark, Union City, Sunol
and South Hayward.
If you need to inquire about eligibility, call our COVID-19 vaccination
phone line at 510.248.8200. Please note that we may be experiencing long
wait times in our call center
All vaccination appointments are being made based on vaccine availability.
Appointments are limited and contingent on the county allocating the vaccine.
Appointments will be temporarily paused when we fill all available slots,
and will be resumed once additional vaccine is confirmed by the county.
For more information about vaccination eligibility in CA and other vaccination
resources, go to
myturn.ca.gov. If it’s not your turn yet to be vaccinated or appointments are
not available, you can register at
myturn.ca.gov to be notified when you are eligible or when appointments open up.
Updates will be available on this website and through MyChart as necessary.
We are not accepting walk-ins.
Thank you for your patience.
If I am in the next phase, when can I get vaccinated?
As the supply of the vaccines increases, Washington Hospital Healthcare
System will begin offering vaccines to patients and community members
in other phases/tiers, as determined by local, state and federal authorities,
and based on vaccine availability. This website will be updated once we
receive additional information from the county. At that time, we will
provide details about how to schedule a vaccination appointment and who
is eligible for vaccination at Washington Hospital Healthcare System.
Thank you for your patience while we navigate new information as it comes in.
Where can I find more information?
When the vaccines become more widely available for the community, we will
be broadcasting this information through the Hospital’s
website and
MyChart.
A CDC fact sheet on the COVID-19 vaccination is available at the
CDC website.
Our Response to the Coronavirus
Washington Hospital is well prepared to care for COVID-19 (novel coronavirus)
patients. We treat and handle all suspected coronavirus cases according
to our infectious disease protocols. In addition, we follow strict guidelines
as defined by the California Department of Public Health and the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This includes having designated
isolation rooms in our Emergency Department and throughout our facilities,
thus allowing us to keep patients with possible infectious diseases separate
from others. The health and safety of our patients and visitors, as well
as our staff, physicians and volunteers, remains a top priority for us.
Don't delay your health care. To learn more about Washington Hospital's
precautions during COVID-19, go to
www.whhs.com/dontdelay.
COVID-19 Testing
Washington Hospital's Emergency Department on Civic Center Drive is
always open and sees patients with any medical emergency, including those
with respiratory issues or any of the symptoms below.
For everyone's safety, all patients are seen in private rooms.
COVID-19 testing is only performed when patients have any of the following
symptoms or have been exposed:
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fever
- Chills
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
The ED provider will determine if testing is performed on asymptomatic
patients (patients without COVID-19 symptoms) who have been exposed to
someone with confirmed COVID-19.
Patients can get test results by logging into their personal MyChart account,
three to four days after the test is administered.
The patient's insurance will be billed for COVID-19 testing, but copays
and/or deductibles are waived by most insurance companies for COVID-19-related
services only. For the list of community testing sites in Alameda County, go to
http://www.acphd.org/2019-ncov/testing.aspx.
To learn more about COVID-19 testing at Washington Hospital, see the following vendor
Fact Sheets for Patients:
COVID-19 Testing for Patients:
Cepheid Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2
COVID-19 Testing for Patients:
BioFire Respiratory Panel 2.1
COVID-19 Testing for Patients:
Quidel Sofia Antigen FIA
COVID-19 Testing for Patients:
Abbott SARS-CoV-2
Convalescent Plasma Donation
Washington Hospital has joined more than 2,200 hospitals across the country
in a government-supported program to administer convalescent plasma as
a therapy for those who are severely ill with COVID-19. This is part of
an investigational study led by the Mayo Clinic, which recently posted
a report showing that this promising approach appears to be safe for COVID-19 patients.
The treatment entails harvesting antibody-rich plasma from people who have
recovered from COVID-19, then transfusing it into those who are newly
infected with the virus. The hope is the convalescent plasma will help
speed recovery and increase the odds of survival for those fighting COVID-19.
“The issue right now is there are not enough donors to meet the current
need for convalescent plasma,” said Dr. Azizirad. “We encourage
people who have recovered from COVID-19 to register with the Red Cross
to donate plasma so they can benefit others in their community who are
currently fighting the illness. We also hope local physicians will remind
their patients who have had the virus to help in this way.” For
more information on plasma donation, visit the Red Cross website at:
https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/dlp/plasma-donations-from-recovered-covid-19-patients.html
Temporary Visitor Restrictions
For your safety and in response to the shelter-in-place directive, starting
Wednesday, March 18, we will
not be allowing visitors in the Main Hospital and the Morris Hyman Critical
Care Pavilion.
- Patients will designate a single individual who will be the point of contact
for all information and conversations with your care team
- Point of contact will be responsible for sharing information with other
family members or loved ones that should have this information
- A member of your care team will contact the designated point of contact
at least once a day for a regular update, or more frequently if there
are significant changes in your condition or care
- Exceptions to this policy will be determined by the caregiving team, which
include end-of-life situations, parent of newborn and pediatric patients
We know that this change is not going to be easy. Please know this change
is to ensure everyone's health and safety during this COVID-19 pandemic
and to comply with the shelter-in-place directive. For technology options
to help facilitate communication with patients in the Hospital, please
call our HELP desk at 510.818.7099.
Impacted Services/Reduced Hours
Urgent Care: Open every day, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Outpatient Lab Hours: Open Monday - Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.; Sunday closed.
Women's Center Hours: Open Monday - Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Outpatient Imaging: Open Monday - Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Recommendations to prevent illness overall include the following:
- Wash hands with soap and water
- If soap and water not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
- Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands
- Follow shelter-in-place order
- Unless you work in an essential business, only leave your home for essential
errands, such as purchasing groceries or picking up medications
- Practice social distancing—stay 6 feet from others—when you
need to be away from your home
For more on coronavirus, we encourage you to visit the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention at
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html. Also, the Alameda County Public Health Department is an excellent local
resource, and they have coronavirus information at
http://www.acphd.org/2019-ncov.aspx.
If you have questions or concerns about coronavirus, call your primary
care physician. For all life-threatening emergencies, call your nearest
emergency department for further instruction.
Donating to Washington Hospital
We thank the community for reaching out to inquire about how they can help
Washington Hospital Healthcare System with the fight against COVID-19.
Across the nation, hospitals both big and small, are facing an unprecedented
challenge in a number of areas including hospital-grade personal protective
equipment, cleaning supplies and hand sanitizers. The Hospital is constantly
monitoring supply levels while continuing to aggressively investigate
new vendor sources.
Anyone interested in donating to the Hospital can do so by contacting Washington
Hospital Healthcare Foundation at 510.818.7350. We ask that items not
be delivered to the Emergency Department or any other area of the Hospital
without first contacting the Foundation.
These are difficult times for everyone, but we will continue to be here
for the community. Patient, staff and physician safety is the number one
priority and we thank you all for coming together to help.
CDC Coronavirus Self-Checker
Worried that you may have COVID-19? When should you seek medical care? The
Coronavirus Self-Checker will ask you questions to establish illness and location, and recommendations
for next steps, which could include calling 9-1-1 or staying home and
contacting your doctor.
Try the CDC Coronavirus Self-Checker by clicking
here and then clicking on the “Coronavirus Self-Checker” button.