PeaceHealth will give 3,800 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week in Whatcom County
Here is the latest on who is eligible for the COVID-19 virus vaccine and where you can get it in Whatcom County. The information is frequently updated as vaccine availability changes.
The Washington State Department of Health allocates vaccines it receives from the federal government based, in part, on reported need and providers’ ability to properly store and distribute doses. These allocations are going to state clinics and county clinics, private and public health care clinics, and pharmacies.
This week, PeaceHealth will give 3,800 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine, and 1,300 second doses, according to the health care provider’s weekly vaccine update on Monday, April 19.
That’s 600 more first doses than last week for PeaceHealth.
Whatcom County’s largest health care provider said it has received more vaccine from the state Department of Health in the last couple of weeks.
Its vaccine clinic can provide as many as 6,000 doses a week, provided it received that many.
Since April 15, eligibility for Washington state’s phased rollout has expanded to include all residents 16 years and older — allowing about 64,000 more Whatcom County residents to get in line for vaccination.
For now, the Pfizer vaccine is the only one that can be given to people as young as 16.
Youngsters getting vaccinated against the coronavirus may first need to get the consent of a parent or guardian unless they are legally emancipated, the state Department of Health has said.
The race to vaccinate state residents continues amid fears of a possible fourth wave of COVID-19 illnesses in Washington and elsewhere in the U.S.
Where to get vaccinated
As of Monday, most of these health care systems have an appointment-only process and those seeking appointments should do so primarily online. Some providers have said they will reach out to qualified patients themselves.
▪ Department of Health: The state’s Vaccine Locator tool searches for available doses within a 50-mile radius of a ZIP code.
The site also will let you know how recently the information was updated. This is a good site if you don’t want to search all over.
Go to vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov.
If you need more help, call 800-525-0127, then press #. Language assistance is available.
▪ Associates in Family Medicine: Is providing the Moderna vaccine when doses are available.
▪ Family Care Network: Is providing the Moderna vaccine and will offer appointments to its established patients as supplies become available.
It will open scheduling for about 100 vaccine appointments exactly at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 20, the health care provider said during its weekly vaccine update on Monday.
Patients can schedule by going online to covidvaccine.fcn.net or by calling 360-733-1342.
“Appointments are limited because we are vaccinating a large number of patients due for their second dose,” Family Care Network said, noting the second-dose appointments already have been scheduled.
The Moderna vaccine has been authorized for those 18 years and older.
▪ PeaceHealth: Is administering the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines although its focus is primarily on Pfizer. People don’t have to be PeaceHealth patients to get an appointment.
People are being told to periodically check for available appointments by going to its online scheduling tool at peacehealth.org.
People also can call 833-375-0285 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The phone line doesn’t accept messages.
▪ Sea Mar: Has a first-come, first-served walk-in system, but check availability online first. As of its last update on Monday morning, Sea Mar primarily had first doses of the Moderna vaccine for most of its clinics in the state, including in Bellingham and Everson.
Check at seamar.org.
▪ Unity Care NW: The health care provider said it has a limited supply of vaccines each week for its patients, who can check if there are appointments at unitycarenw.org/vaccine/.
If there aren’t any, check back on Friday, Unity Care said on its website.
▪ Federal pharmacy program: The federal government is sending vaccines directly to retail pharmacies.
In Washington state, participating pharmacies include Albertsons Companies (Safeway, Haggen and Albertsons); Costco; Health Mart Independent Pharmacies; Walmart, Rite Aid and Kroger (Fred Meyer and QFC).
Search for appointments at Albertsons in-store pharmacies at one website, mhealthappointments.com/covidappt.
Check whether Rite Aid is scheduling vaccine appointments at riteaid.com/pharmacy/covid-qualifier.
To check at Walmart, go to Walmart.com/covidvaccine.
To check Costco, go to costco.com/covid-vaccine.html.
Or go to the state’s vaccine locator site at vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov.
Pharmacies also receive vaccines from the state Department of Health.
Government clinics
▪ Whatcom County: A mass COVID-19 vaccination effort has been launched by a coalition of Whatcom County health care providers and the health department
Appointments for the Community Vaccination Center are required and are based on vaccine supply. The center is in Building G at Bellingham Technical College.
Information has been released on Tuesdays for the clinics, which have been on Saturdays.
Go to vaccinatewhatcom.org to check for updates about the next clinic.
▪ Skagit County: The health department has set up a mass vaccination site at the fairgrounds in Mount Vernon that depends on supply.
New appointments are announced at noon on Fridays on skagitcounty.net/covidvaccine, although appointments may be added throughout the week depending on vaccine availability.
Search for appointments at prepmod.doh.wa.gov.
People who can’t access online appointments can call 360-416-1500 for help Monday to Saturday. Spanish speakers will be available for those who need it.
The health department also has created a Facebook page where it announces if it has unclaimed vaccine doses.
When announced on its Facebook page, the extra doses are first come, first served and people have to be able to get to the fairgrounds within 30 minutes of the announcement.
These doses will typically be available at the end of a clinic, at 3:30 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. depending on the day, according to the post.
▪ Washington: The state is offering mass vaccinations in Spokane, Ridgefield, Wenatchee and Kennewick. They are open by appointment only.
See what’s available at prepmod.doh.wa.gov. People looking at the Ridgeville and Spokane clinics are being told to make an appointment online using Safeway/Albertson’s registration system.
The PrepMod site also provides information on other vaccine clinics elsewhere in the state. Access information for other clinics by leaving the search windows empty.
About the vaccines
Vaccines authorized and currently available in Washington are:
▪ Pfizer: Requires two doses 21 days apart; authorized for people 16 years and older; 95% effective.
▪ Moderna: Requires two doses 28 days apart; authorized for people 18 years and older; 94.1% effective.
There has been a temporary pause in the use of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine pending concerns about side effects that included a rare blood clot disorder in six recipients, none of them believed to be state residents.
More than 6.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine had been administered in the U.S. prior to the pause last week, including about 169,000 doses in Washington, the state Department of Health said.
Use of the J&J vaccine is on hold while the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention review the data involving the six cases.
The CDC provides more information about the vaccines online. Or go to COVIDVaccineWA.org.
One-stop help
Volunteers are helping people find vaccines at these online sites.
▪ Covid Vaccine Tracker: Discussion in Bellingham WA Area, a Facebook group, has volunteers who are stepping in to try to help Whatcom County residents find appointments. It has over 1,100 members, who share information about appointments and what people are experiencing (good and bad).
▪ CovidWA.com is compiling vaccine appointments throughout the state. Type in your zip code to get the information. You may have to travel to get your shots.
You also can follow @covidwashington for statewide alerts, as well as call or text your ZIP code to 206-222-9793, organizers said.
The site said it tries to check over 1,100 vaccine providers in the state about every 5 minutes.
▪ Find a COVID shot WA, a private group on Facebook, has volunteers that help people find appointments if they post using #searching. It has more than 52,300 members.
Organizers said their focus is on helping the state’s highest-risk communities get vaccinated, including Black, indigenous, and people of color by finding appointments.
This story was originally published April 19, 2021 at 1:10 PM.
