Just 28% of Thurston County has been fully vaccinated. Here’s how to find a dose this week
About 39% of Thurston County residents have gotten their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and about 28% are now fully vaccinated.
Public Health and Social Services department director Schelli Slaughter shared those percentages during a Board of County Commissioners agenda-setting meeting Tuesday. In all, 193,877 doses have been administered in Thurston County since the vaccine first became available, Slaughter said.
Last week, the county reported about 36% of residents had received their first dose and 25% had been fully vaccinated. While supply constraints are expected to mean some will have to wait into the summer to be fully vaccinated, there also has been a slowdown in vaccine demand.
“We want to get to the 70% to 80% mark, so we still have a long way to go,” Slaughter said. “We’re starting to see our vaccine appointments are not going as fast as they once did.”
Although Thurston County may have a lower overall COVID-19 case rate compared to other metro areas, the county has been recording rising case counts and increased disease activity in recent weeks.
According to the latest state data on Monday, the case rate per 100,000 residents over a two-week period from April 6 to April 19 reached 173.2 — more than double the most recent low of 77 recorded March 3-16.
Slaughter said this trend is cause for concern and called on residents to get fully vaccinated as soon as possible. She said residents also should make sure to get their second dose on time if they started a Pfizer or Moderna series.
“We also want to strongly encourage everyone to get vaccinated,” Slaughter said. “Getting vaccinated is one of the best tools that we have to ending this pandemic and being able to return to life as we once knew it in the future.”
All the currently available vaccines — Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — are safe and effective, Slaughter said. However, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are only approved for people 18 or older while Pfizer is approved for people 16 and older.
Additionally, Pfizer and Moderna require a two-dose series while Johnson & Johnson requires just one dose. People are only considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their final dose.
Residents can find appointments at local providers, including pharmacies, by visiting the state’s Vaccine Locator website.
People also can visit the state’s PrepMod website to sign up for mass vaccination events. On this website, people should just search by zip code, distance and vaccine brand name, if a specific vaccine is desired, to see the most options.
People with difficulties scheduling appointments online can call the Department of Health vaccine hotline at 888-856-5816 or the Thurston County Public Health and Social Services line at 360-867-2610.
In addition to regular mass vaccine events, Slaughter said PHSS is planning mobile and pop-up clinics throughout the community in the upcoming weeks.
She said pop-up events are in the works for First United Methodist Church in Olympia, The Lutheran Church of The Good Shepherd in Olympia, New Life Baptist Church in Lacey and Rochester High School.
Meanwhile, mobile clinics will be offered to those who cannot leave their homes. To make an appointment to have vaccine delivered, residents can call PHSS at 360-867-2610.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the following mass vaccination events still had open appointments, according to PrepMod.
- Hundreds of appointments were available for a Moderna vaccine event hosted by the state Department of Health on Thursday, April 29 at 111 Israel Road SE, Tumwater.
- Providence’s Lacey Family Medicine is hosting a vaccine site with hundreds of openings for Pfizer doses on Thursday, April 29 at 4800 College St. SE. A similar event will be held on May 6 at the same location.
Volunteers are still needed to staff clinics. People interested in volunteering at PHSS vaccine events can sign up through the United Way of Thurston County website. Anyone with questions or concerns about volunteering can call 360-943-2773.
This story was originally published April 28, 2021 at 6:01 AM.
