Vaccine Tourism Popping up within the Tri-Cities | Coronavirus

TRI-CITIES, WA-With a limited number of vaccines available, some people desperate for their first shot are crossing state lines.

It’s called vaccine tourism. That’s when someone travels out of the country to get a vaccine.

This was only recently noticed by leading Washington health officials, and they are now focusing on one way to check to make sure that everyone vaccinated is a resident of a state.

In a briefing on Thursday morning, Pasco fire chief Bob Gear answered questions on the subject.

“We received this instruction from the Department of Health this morning that we hadn’t received before this morning. The people doing the screening assure that we will only vaccinate people who live or work in Washington,” Gear said.

At the moment you only need a confirmation of authorization by Phase Finder and your appointment registration.

The way in which they verify the residence is done through the address given on this registration.

We also spoke with Umatilla County Public Health, Oregon, who said they are not currently concerned about residence. Your main focus is to get as many * eligible * people vaccinated as possible.

The only additional screening they will do is for educators to confirm the district in which they work.

Visit to confirm your eligibility in Oregon covidvaccine.oregondotgov