Up to 5,000 people a week could get COVID-19 vaccine at this Bellingham site starting in March
A coalition will launch a Whatcom County mass-vaccination clinic in March, provided there is an adequate and dependable supply of the COVID-19 vaccines from Washington state, the health department said on Thursday, Feb. 18.
The site will be at Bellingham Technical College. The goal is to vaccinate up to 5,000 people a week, according to a news release from the Whatcom County Health Department.
Exactly when the clinic will open in March isn’t known yet.
The effort to open a large-scale clinic for the community is a collaboration of health care providers that include Bellingham Technical College, Family Care Network, PeaceHealth, Sea Mar Community Health Centers, Unity Care NW and the Whatcom County Health Department.
Students in the nursing programs at BTC and Whatcom Community College will help staff the site.
“The BTC Nursing Program is excited to partner with this team and participate in a substantial way in the COVID-19 recovery plan for our community. Nursing students stand ready to assist the community vaccination effort and look forward to serving our community,” said Julie Samms, BTC’s dean of Nursing and Allied Health, in the release.
The clinic will follow the Washington State Department of Health’s phased guidelines for which groups of people are eligible to receive the vaccine.
People now eligible for vaccination include those 65 years and older, people 50 and older who live in multigenerational households, workers in health care settings, and long-term care facility staff and residents.
Vaccine demand still far exceeds supply in Washington state, and those working to launch the clinic said they hope vaccine shipments coming to Whatcom County will increase in the coming weeks.
Logistics for the mass-vaccination clinic, including a scheduling system, are still being ironed out and people are being asked to not call BTC with questions about getting a vaccine appointment.
“It’s an honor to work collaboratively with our partners to develop plans for a community vaccination clinic that will be open to all,” said Erika Lautenbach, director of the Whatcom County Health Department, in the release.
“When Whatcom County partners work collectively, we can do more to support our residents,” she said. ”The vaccine promises a return to normality.”
Updates about the vaccination site, including when it will open and how to book appointments will be posted on the county health department’s website soon, according to the release.
This story was originally published February 18, 2021 at 12:47 PM.
