Tag Archives: Vaccination Sites

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COVID-19 Numbers Show We’re Not Out of the Woods Yet

by Sally James

Nothing about COVID-19 follows a predictable path. This week is no exception. In the past few days, there was a mixed bag of encouraging news and news of concern, both nationally and locally.

Overall, the state case rate continues to drop. According to the Washington State Dept. of Health (DOH) there are 234 cases per 100,000 people, and of those, 11 per 100,000 are in the hospital. Both numbers are down from earlier this month. 

But that good news is tinged with the reality that these are still close to numbers during the peak of last winter’s surge. Taking care of COVID-19 patients has forced hospitals to delay treatment for other patients, especially in Spokane. 

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City Will Shift Virus Testing Responsibility Away From Seattle Fire Department

by Elizabeth Turnbull

As almost 80% of eligible Seattle residents are fully vaccinated, City officials announced on Wednesday that the University of Washington Medicine and other public health partners will take over COVID-19 testing and vaccinations efforts from the Seattle Fire Department (SFD).

“The mission of the Seattle Fire Department is to save lives and protect property and the environment,” Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins told the press Wednesday. “We never really know what that means from day to day, but I think the last 16 or 18 months has shown us that we’re capable of standing in the gap in many different places.”

Since June 2020, SFD has administered roughly 800,000 COVID-19 tests, and one in three Seattleites have used the free testing provided by the department, according to the City.

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With Vaccination Rate Rising, State Prepares to Reopen No Later Than June 30

by Carolyn Bick

Washington State is just a hair’s breadth away from reaching its goal of a 70% vaccination rate among people aged 16 and older, but Gov. Jay Inslee said in an afternoon press conference on June 9 that the state would essentially fully reopen on June 30, regardless of whether the state reaches its vaccination rate goal by that date. 

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With Most Seattleites Vaccinated, Durkan Announces Mass-Vaccination Site Closures

by Jack Russillo

With more than 60% of Seattlites already fully vaccinated against COVID-19, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan is shutting down all but one of the City’s fixed mass-vaccination sites.

Durkan made the announcement on Wednesday, May 26, at a press conference at the Rainier Beach vaccination site at Be’er Sheva Park. She said that the decision comes with the news that more than three-quarters of Seattle residents aged 12 or older have initiated their vaccination process.

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Vaccine Pop-Ups Open to All Seattle Public Middle Schools and High Schools

by Emerald Staff

Now that all people ages 12 and older are eligible to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, the City of Seattle, in partnership with Seattle Public Schools (SPS) and the Seattle Fire Department, today announced an ambitious program to offer free no-appointment vaccinations at 52 in-school locations as well as pop-up vaccine clinics aimed at 20 private schools. 

“Offering the vaccine to our younger students provides families with peace of mind that their children will be safe from catching and spreading the virus,” Mayor Jenny Durkan said in an email announcement on Tuesday, May 18. “Vaccinating our students is also an issue of educational justice: We know that virtual learning does not serve families who face historic inequities. Getting kids back in school safely is critical to ensuring our youth have access to true and lasting opportunity.”

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Seattle and King County 12-15-Year-Olds Become Vaccine-Eligible

by Carolyn Bick

There was nothing but good news at the Public Health – Seattle & King County COVID-19 briefing on Wednesday, May 12.

Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC) Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin announced in the press conference that the data suggests that not only has the County started to “turn the corner” on its most recent surge of COVID-19 cases, but that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has officially approved the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer vaccine to be administered to young people aged 12-15.

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King County Still in Phase 3, South King County Remains Less Vaccinated

by Elizabeth Turnbull

Though COVID-19 disease activity remains high, and there are suggestions the pandemic curve might be starting to flatten, King County remains in Phase 3 of the Gov. Inslee’s reopening plan. And in South and Southeast King County there are concerns that certain communities of color have received the least vaccine coverage.

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State Officials Pause Reopening Plan Evaluation, Keeping King County in Phase 3

by Carolyn Bick

King County and more than a dozen other counties will stay in Phase 3 of the State’s reopening plan, despite the fact that they have exceeded the metrics required to stay in Phase 3, Gov. Jay Inslee announced in a press conference on Tuesday, May 4.

Inslee said that the State will be “pausing” the regular two-week county metric evaluations for two weeks, which effectively means that no counties will be evaluated for another two weeks. It was widely expected that Inslee would move King County back into Phase 2 of the State’s reopening plan, but because the county’s case rates and hospitalization rates have flattened, for the most part, King County will not be moving back. 

Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC), explained in the press conference that the case rate for the County has stayed fairly level for the last two weeks. He also said that King County hospitals have seen a plateau in emergency visits for COVID-like illness. 

The case rate metric to stay in Phase 3 is at or less than 200 cases per 100,000 people. According to data from the Roadmap to Recovery dashboard, King County sits at almost 243 cases per 100,000 people. This data is current as of May 2, 2021.

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Elders of Color Face Major Hurdles Getting COVID Vaccine

by Carolyn Bick

Every day, Lynda Greene and her fellow staffers at the SouthEast Seattle Senior Center field about 30–45 phone calls from community elders trying to schedule an appointment to get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.

Most of these callers are crying. Most of them are Black.

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State’s Essential Workers Added With Educators in Qualifying for Vaccine on March 22

by Andrew Engelson

In an online press conference on Thursday, March 4, Gov. Jay Inslee announced that in the coming weeks the State would make essential workers, such as agricultural workers, grocery store employees, and law enforcement officers, eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine on March 22. This comes a day after he announced, upon prompting from the Biden administration, to immediately make all educators, school staff, and child care workers eligible to be vaccinated.

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