50,000 more in county are eligible for vaccine in Phase 1B2
EVERETT – Approximately 50,000 people in Snohomish County are slated to be eligible for COVID-19 vaccines when the state pushes its vaccine rollout on Wednesday.
Phase 1B2 provides eligibility for grocery store clerks, farm workers, food processors, bus drivers, and other staff in meeting environments, as well as women 16 and over who are pregnant and those 16 and over who have a disability that poses a high risk to them.
In addition to those included in previous stages, the total number of county’s residents eligible for a shot is now 150,000, but supplies are still limited.
“We continue to make progress in the county every day,” said Dr. Chris Spitters, Snohomish Health District health officer, during a press conference Tuesday. “Unfortunately, our allocation numbers are not keeping up with our ambitions and our ability to deliver the doses.”
With 150,000 eligible people, the demand for appointments for the first dose is high and will likely stay that way for weeks.
But as more people get vaccinated and manufacturers ramp up production, the process should become less frustrating, Spitters said.
If you are unsure where to line up for the vaccine, visit www.findyourphasewa.org or contact the county vaccine call center at 425-339-5278.
About 26,000 doses of vaccine are arriving in the county this week – 15,000 going to mass vaccination centers and medical providers, and the remaining 11,000 going to the pharmacy.
Of the total, much of the vaccine is reserved for the first few shots, while previous deliveries have focused on giving people their final dose.
In the past week, the district has hosted several second-shot-only clinics. But the demand has slowed.
One reason for this is that about 15% of people who visit the county’s mass vaccination sites don’t return for their second shot, Spitters said.
Some likely went elsewhere to get their final dose. But others likely decided against completing the vaccination cycle.
“Not everyone takes it all the way,” said Spitters. “We do our best, but if someone doesn’t come back, we won’t insist on it for too long.”
Nationwide, nearly 70,000 people are fully vaccinated, while another 126,000 have received the first of two doses.
In the meantime, the county’s most important COVID metrics are still trending in the right direction.
The rolling case rate fell to 71 new cases per 100,000 people within 14 days – the lowest level since early October.
“This is great news,” said Spitters. “The lower we can get this incidence, the longer we have to vaccinate before the next wave can come.”
Also, according to Spitters, it is more difficult for variants of the virus to spread if the number of cases is kept low.
Hospital stays and deaths from the virus have also continued to decline.
Joey Thompson: 425-339-3449; [email protected]. Twitter: @byjoeythompson.
Schedule for the district’s mass vaccination center
• Everett Angel of the Winds: One-to-one appointment at Johnson & Johnson, Tuesday through Thursday.
• Boeing Activity Center in Everett: First dose of Moderna footage Tuesday through Friday.
• Edmonds College: First dose of Moderna shots on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
• Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe: First and second dose of Moderna Tuesday through Saturday.
• Arlington Municipal Airport: Closed for the week.