COVID-19 Vaccine Information | Pullman Regional Hospital

COVID-19 Testing

IMPORTANT UPDATE!

To respond to our community’s needs, Pullman Regional Hospital is transitioning from our COVID-19 Testing and Triage Center to as-needed testing for asymptomatic individuals as of Saturday, June 12, 2021.

If you’re asymptomatic (you don’t have COVID-19 symptoms), and you need a COVID-19 PCR nasal swab test for travel, work, a medical procedure, or for peace of mind, Pullman Regional Hospital can help:

In partnership with Incyte Diagnostics, Pullman Regional Hospital has opened a COVID-19 Testing Center, with testing services available by provider order.

The Testing Center is located at 690 Bishop Blvd. Ste. D in Pullman, WA, near Anytime Fitness, and is currently open Monday through Friday 8:30am to 5pm.

Results of COVID-19 tests will be communicated back to the referring provider and a print out will be available the following day for patients to pick up at the Testing Center. Tests conducted on Friday will have results available for pick up on Monday.

Incyte Diagnostics is processing all tests and staffing the Testing Center.

Pullman Regional Hospital is providing asymptomatic testing for travel through our Travel Clinic.

Travel is tricky these days and rules for COVID-19 testing verification varies per country. We recommend you call us four weeks in advance of your trip to plan ahead for your COVID-19 test.

Call (509) 336-7359
Open Monday, Tuesday and Thursdays from 10am to 3pm
Provider's order for the test will be arranged through the Travel Clinic
$129 fee (includes sample collection and consultation with Travel Clinic nurse specialist, Shari)
Results in 72 hours on your hospital patient portal

Pullman Regional Hospital is providing asymptomatic testing, with a provider's order.

With your provider’s order, we will provide a self-collection kit at the hospital Emergency Department registration desk
Instructions will walk you through how to easily perform your own nasal swab
For best results, we recommend you do your nasal swab on-site (in your car) and return your completed kit to the hospital ASAP
Results in 72 hours on your hospital patient portal
Most insurance providers cover tests ordered by your provider

If you have symptoms of COVID-19 or have had an exposure, call your doctor’s office
Pullman Regional Hospital will continue to provide COVID-19 testing, as indicated, for emergency patients, inpatients and patients needing pre-procedure testing who are scheduled for a procedure at our hospital
If you’re having a procedure at a different facility but want to test here, you can obtain a self-collection kit—with your provider’s orders
Testing options in Pullman: https://www.whitmancountypublichealth.org/testing.html

As of September 10th, we will be testing all admitted, surgical, endoscopy, pulmonary function test, and sleep study patients.

Vaccinated or not, we’re testing all patients in these areas because of the high rate of COVID-19 transmissions in our county. Patients must quarantine from the time of their test until the day of their procedure. We have convenient options available, like self-collection tests or we can help collect your sample. We’re dedicated to your safety and care; staff from our Same Day Services Department or Respiratory Therapy Department will follow up to discuss your testing options.

We recognize this is an extra step for you, but it’s a step towards ensuring Pullman Regional Hospital continues to be a safe place to get care.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Vaccine Phase Update: As of Wednesday, May 13^th, vaccine eligibility for Washington State includes everyone 12 and older.

A variety of clinics are being offered in Whitman County. Contact your child's doctor's office or Whitman County Public Health to learn more.
Pullman Regional Hospital Clinic Network practices:
- Palouse Pediatrics – (509) 332-2605
- Pullman Family Medicine (offering both Moderna & Pfizer vaccines) – (509) 332-3548

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is currently the only vaccine approved for people 12 and up. The Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines are approved for adults 18 and older.
Upcoming clinics at Pullman Regional Hospital: To schedule/cancel your appointment: Please call (509) 336-7722 to leave a message or email . You will get a call back to schedule your appointment.

Whitman County Vaccine clinics are listed on the county webpage.

Covid-19 Vaccine Q&A

You should receive a paper vaccination record card when you get your first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. This card will tell you which type of vaccine you got (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson) and the date you received it.

If you got the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, the card will tell you when to go back for your second dose. Keep this card with you so your vaccine provider can complete it after your second dose.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is one dose, so you will not need to schedule a follow-up.

Some people find it helpful to take a photo of the card as a backup.

If you lose your record card, log in to MyIR (“My Immunization Registry”) to look up your COVID-19 vaccination record, and then take a screenshot or photo of the information. If you do not have an account, you can sign up for MyIR any time.

Yes. If you are eligible for a vaccine and have schedule with Pullman Regional Hospital, your vaccine is free. This is a service we're providing to our community; regardless of your health insurance status, we are not charging for the vaccine.

Pullman Regional Hospital’s Employee Vaccine Policy will be updated to reflect WA Governor Inslee’s executive proclamation (issued 8/09/2021) requiring all healthcare workers in the state of Washington, as a condition of employment, to be fully vaccinated for the Covid-19 virus by October 18, 2021. More information can be found in our COVID-19 Vaccination Policy.

As of April 2, 2021, we've consistently maintained a staff vaccination rate of 75% and higher.

People are considered fully vaccinated:

2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, like the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, like Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine

COVID-19 vaccines are effective at protecting you from getting sick. Based on what we know about COVID-19 vaccines, people who have been fully vaccinated can start to do some things that they had stopped doing because of the pandemic.

We’re still learning how vaccines will affect the spread of COVID-19. After you’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you should keep taking precautions in public places like wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces until we know more.

For more information about the CDC's masking guidelines (March 2021):

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html

For ALL healthcare settings, masks are still a best practice. At Pullman Regional Hospital, our Clinic Network Practices and all our healthcare partners, masks are still required.

As of August 23, 2021 Washington State has issues a statewide mask order for everyone over five years of age in public indoor settings regardless of vaccination status.

More information about the CDC's masking guidelines (March 2021)

At this time, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is the only vaccine approved for people ages 12 and older. Both Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are studying the safety and effectiveness of their vaccines in minors, but are currently only authorized for people over the age of 18.

You may have heard the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have placed a pause on administering J&J vaccine out of an abundance of caution based on the appearance of serious brain blood clots combined with low platelet counts in six patients out of 6.8 million doses of J&J administered.

People who have received the J&J vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider.

No definitive cause has been identified yet, but the FDA shared on April 13, 2021 that a probable cause is a rare immune response generated by an individual after receiving the vaccine.

This demonstrates how well the robust vaccine safety monitoring systems work, since this potential safety concern was identified quickly and vaccines were paused to allow for further investigation.

If you have any concerns you feel are associated with receiving the J&J vaccine, please contact your healthcare provider or come to the emergency department at Pullman Regional Hospital to be evaluated.

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine received full FDA approval for individuals 16 years of age and older on August 23, 2021.

The vaccine also continues to be available under emergency use authorization (EUA), including for individuals 12 through 15 years of age and for the administration of a third dose in certain immunocompromised individuals.

More information from the FDA

Who is eligible for a COVID-19 Booster?

If you received your second Pfizer vaccine at least 6 months ago, the CDC recommends you get a COVID-19 Booster if you are:

65 years and older
Age 18+ who live in long-term care settings
Age 18+ who have underlying medical conditions
Age 18+ who work in high-risk settings (healthcare, fire/police, schools, public transit, grocery stores, manufacturing, among others)
Age 18+ who live in high-risk settings

How can I get my COVID-19 booster?

There are a plethora of options to schedule your vaccine appointment. View a complete list on the Whitman County Public Health website.

COVID-19 Booster Shot FAQs

Helpful Documents, Information, & Resources

Helpful Documents

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