WA DOH standing order on COVID-19 vaccine access

The Washington State Department of Health issued a standing order Sept. 5 that reaffirms its guidance that everyone 6 months and older, including pregnant people, should stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations to protect against severe illness, hospitalization, and death.

The standing order follows Washington’s Sept. 3 announcement joining Oregon and California to form the West Coast Health Alliance, with Hawaii joining the partnership on Sept. 4.

As WA DOH said in its order, the Alliance is committed to using the best available science to guide public health decisions. The Alliance was created in response to recent federal actions that undermined the independence of the CDC and raised concerns about the politicization of science.

“Washington state will not compromise when it comes to our values: science drives our public health policy,” said Washington State Secretary of Health Dennis Worsham in the standing order. “Our commitment is to the health and safety of our communities, protecting lives through prevention, and not yielding to unsubstantiated theories that dismiss decades of proven public health practice.”

A standing order is a protocol approved by a licensed healthcare provider that authorizes the administration of medical services (like vaccines, tests, or medications) without requiring a patient-specific prescription.