Thurston officials recommend new COVID booster, but some appointments are filling up fast
Thurston County health officials are advising residents to get a new COVID-19 booster even as disease transmission trends downward.
Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech each offer the new bivalent booster that contains the original COVID-19 vaccine formulas and BA.4 and BA. 5 spike protein components, meaning they also target more transmissible omicron subvariants.
“At this point in time, I’d definitely recommend that people who qualify for the bivalent boosters do make an appointment and receive the vaccine,” County Health Officer Dimyana Abdelmalek said during Tuesday’s Board of County Commissioners meeting.
People 12 and older are eligible for the Pfizer bivalent booster at least two months after their most recent dose; those 18 and older can get either booster. Providers started offering the new boosters last week, but demand has limited appointment availability for some.
Abdelmalek’s recommendation came as the Thurston County case rate per 100,000 continues to fall. The county had a case rate of 68.4 from Aug. 28 to Sept. 3, according to Washington state Department of Health data.
With a case rate below 100, the state ranked Thurston County’s disease transmission as “substantial,” the second-to-worst rating.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranked Thurston County’s COVID-19 Community Level as “low” based on data from Aug. 31 to Sept. 7. Abdelmalek called this rating “encouraging.”
The CDC determines community levels by weighing new hospital admission and inpatient bed data after considering cases per 100,000 in the past seven days. Thurston County shares the “low” rating with all other counties in Washington state.
Recent cases, hospitalizations and deaths
Despite that rating, Thurston County PHSS reported 16 deaths due to COVID-19, nine hospitalizations and 191 cases from Sept. 5-11.
Eight women died: two in their 80s and six in their 90s. Eight men also died: three in their 50s, two in their 60s, one in his 70s and two in their 90s.
In all, 442 Thurston County COVID patients have died and 2,810 have been hospitalized at some point in their illness since the start of the pandemic.
Additionally, PHSS has confirmed 56,949 total cases. However, case numbers are assumed to be undercounted due to the prevalence of at-home tests that are often not officially recorded.
PHSS had been investigating 11 ongoing outbreaks at congregate care settings, according to Tuesday report. In all, there have been 270 such outbreaks — one more than reported the previous week.
The ongoing outbreaks are at two adult family homes, three assisted living facilities, one congregate housing setting, one enhanced services facility, three nursing facilities and one supported living facility.
CDC data show 3.2% of staffed in-patient hospital beds were being used by patients with confirmed COVID-19 over a seven-day period ending last Monday, Sept. 12. About 4% of these beds were occupied the previous week.
There were 3.5 hospital admissions per 100,000 Thurston County residents over the same period, CDC data shows. The previous week, the CDC reported a 3.9 rate.
How to schedule a booster appointment
Thurston County PHSS continues to offer free vaccination events, including for bivalent booster shots, every week. Upcoming events are listed on their coronavirus vaccine information website.
However, some PHSS events highly recommend or require appointments due to recent high demand.
People also can find bivalent vaccine appointments at multiple pharmacies throughout the county, Abdelmalek said. The state DOH still operates a vaccine locator website where anyone can find the closest available appointments.
If people have difficulty finding appointments online, they can call a Thurston County Public Health and Social Services helpline at 360-867-2610 or the state DOH helpline at 888-856-5816.
Abdelmalek added eligible people can get either brand of bivalent booster no matter what vaccine version they previously received for their primary series.
The latest guidance
With a “low” rating, the CDC recommends people wear masks if they experience symptoms, test positive or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19.
People also should wear masks on public transportation, according to the CDC.
People who have been exposed to COVID-19 or who have symptoms should test themselves with an at-home test every 24 to 48 hours, Abdelmalek said. This should continue until at least five days have passed since the last exposure or the symptoms started, she said.
Those testing who don’t have a confirmed exposure can follow the instructions on their at-home test kits, she said. Most kits advise people to test twice over a period of three days to get the most accurate results, she added.
