This King County resource can help you get transportation to your COVID-19 vaccine appointment

King County officials over the past several months have been working to make it easier for people to get their COVID-19 vaccines. 

A helpline launched by Hopelink can now help people overcome one more barrier: transportation.

People can call the Coordinated Vaccine Transportation Helpline at 425-943-6706 as a "one-stop-shop for finding and securing transportation support to and from vaccine appointments in and around King County," the organization said in a news release this week.

“We want to ensure transportation is not the barrier to accessing the vaccine in our community,” Staci Sahoo, director of mobility management at Hopelink, said.

People across the state, including older residents, people with disabilities and people with language barriers, struggle with transportation, the organization said. Officials and organizations have been working to eliminate those barriers and give people the tools they need to get vaccinated.

“No one should second-guess how they will get to their vaccine appointment,” Sahoo said. “We want to put their mind at ease by giving them one less thing to worry about.”

The helpline, which launched earlier this year,  is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and offers interpretation services. There are no eligibility requirements. The organization is working with a number of partners including Sound Generations, Catholic Community Services of Western Washington, King County Metro, Puget Sound Educational Service District, Hopelink’s Non-Emergency Medical Transportation, Lyft and Uber.

"This program aims to support communities that are the most vulnerable and need access to the vaccine sites; this includes BIPOC communities, seniors, immigrants, refugees and individuals with disabilities," the news release said.

According to the most recent data, about 44% of people across Washington have received at least one vaccine dose and nearly 32% are fully vaccinated. Out of the eligible population 16 and older, more than 39% have been fully vaccinated. 

Officials in recent days have expressed some concern over vaccine demand. 

"We're so close, but we need everybody's help and we are concerned about what looks like some slowdown in vaccination rates and numbers," said Michele Roberts, who leads the COVID-19 vaccine planning and distribution team at the Department of Health, during a news briefing earlier this week. "So if you haven't been vaccinated yet, what are you waiting for?"

In recent days, Safeway and Albertsons pharmacies in Washington, along with CVS stores, announced they would offer walk-in COVID-19 vaccine appointments, so people don't need to book slots in advance. Several clinics across Seattle and King County also said they would no longer require appointments. 

Until more people are vaccinated, people should continue to take precautions including wearing masks, social distancing and avoiding large gatherings.