Could a new truck or $1M convince reluctant Whatcom residents to get a COVID vaccine?
Work continues to reach pockets of Whatcom County where a greater number of residents have yet to be vaccinated against COVID-19 .
It’s not an issue for Whatcom County alone.
Even as Washington state edges closer to its vaccination goal — having at least 70% of eligible residents 16 and older get at least one dose prior to the state’s full reopening on June 30 — public health leaders expressed concern about areas within the state, and within counties, with low vaccination rates.
Washington could reopen before the end of the month if that 70% threshold is reached sooner.
In Whatcom County, 62.2% of people living in the Bellingham school district have initiated vaccination against COVID-19, as of June 1.
That’s significantly higher than residents of the Lynden, Nooksack Valley and Mount Baker school districts. Their vaccination rates are the lowest in Whatcom at 39.7% for Lynden, 33.8% for Nooksack Valley and 34.5%for Meridian.
Those percentages were released prior to a Whatcom County Health Department announcement on Friday afternoon, June 4, that Lummi Nation’s data, including the tribe’s vaccination of the larger community, have been entered into the state immunization database, which added more than 4,700 vaccinated people to the county’s total.
Whatcom health officials said that inclusion “significantly” raised the vaccination rate for the county: 67% of Whatcom residents aged 16 and older are now vaccinated.
Vaccination rates by school district won’t be updated until Tuesday, June 8.
Hospitalizations and heartbreak
On a virtual briefing with reporters on Wednesday, June 2, Dr. Umair Shah, the state’s Secretary of Health, said he was concerned about unvaccinated people starting to return to pre-pandemic activities with a “false sense of reassurance.”
Those who do but aren’t protected by the vaccines are getting sick and they’re ending up in the hospital, Shah and other public health officials said.
In Whatcom County, the “vast majority” of new COVID-19 cases were among unvaccinated people, the Whatcom County Health Department said to The Bellingham Herald.
All the COVID-19 patients at St. Joseph hospital in the last several months have been unvaccinated, including the 20 who were in the Bellingham facility on Wednesday, June 2.
“It is heartbreaking to see so many patients in our hospital who have not yet been vaccinated and who are very, very ill from the coronavirus. Now, severe COVID illness is a preventable disease as a result of the vaccines,” said Dr. Sudhakar Karlapudi, chief medical officer for PeaceHealth’s Northwest network.
“I cannot stress enough that although some people who contract the virus show minor or no symptoms at all, COVID-19 is a very serious illness that can lead to long-term health complications and death. Believe me, any side effects that may occur from the vaccine are, in the vast majority of people, relatively minor and only last a few hours or days. I urge every citizen, aged 12 years of age and up, to consider the vaccine as a ticket to living the life we all miss and want to get back to,” he said.
Of the three COVID-19 vaccines, only the one by Pfizer has been authorized for those as young as 12.
Memorial Day gatherings likely will increase the number of hospitalizations as well as the next big holiday.
“As long as we have such a low percentage of people vaccinated in parts of our county, I expect we’ll see an increase of cases at PeaceHealth St. Joseph in about seven to 10 days, and then again after the 4th of July holiday,” Karlapudi said.
Encouraging vaccinations
The Health Department said vaccination rates of 70% to 80% in Whatcom would “give good community protection against the spread of COVID-19.”
Public health officials here said they don’t yet have have a reason for the regional differences in COVID-19 vaccinations in Whatcom County.
“Right now, we don’t have enough information to say definitively whether hesitancy, access, confusion about eligibility, or something else accounts for the difference in vaccination rates between regions within the county, but we are working to address all of those issues,” the county Health Department said.
Public health officials at the state and in the county are shifting their efforts from centralized vaccination centers to targeted approaches to reach people where they are — from the state’s new mobile vaccine service, dubbed “Care-A-Van,” to local efforts.
“We’re helping connect vaccine providers with pop-up vaccination sites and other vaccination opportunities throughout the county. We’re also increasing our outreach efforts and capacity to better reach those parts of the county where there are fewer established vaccine providers,” the Whatcom County Health Department said.
The Health Department said it was reinforcing the message that people as young as 12 can now get vaccinated against COVID-19 and broadly communicating how to find a vaccine provider.
“And we’re working with many community partners, including faith leaders, to promote and share accurate information, particularly in those areas of the county with lower vaccination rates,” county public health officials said.
As for the “Care-A-Van,” the service started on Tuesday, June 1, is working with community organizations and local health officials to deliver vaccines to communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and to increase their access to vaccines, state officials said.
Employers also have a role in helping people get vaccinated, said Michele Roberts, leader of COVID-19 vaccine planning and distribution at the state Department of Health, during the Wednesday media briefing.
Can they give their workers paid time off to get vaccinated or to recover from side effects, Roberts said.
“This disease is smart. This virus is smart. And it will find those pockets and continue to spread,” Roberts said.
Those who have questions about the vaccines, which Shah said were 92% effective in diminishing the risk of hospitalization from COVID-19, are being urged to turn to their primary care provider.
“I am frequently asked for my opinion and share that I am incredibly impressed with the rigor used to create and test the currently available vaccines, and have absolutely no hesitation in recommending them to patients, and to my friends and family members,” Karlapudi said.
“I know that our infectious disease physicians, who have been treating COVID-19 patients from day one, feel the same way. The vaccine is free to all, and is easy to obtain in our community,” Karlapudi added.
To further encourage vaccination, giveaways have been launched that range from free beer, to a chance at a new truck in Whatcom County, to a statewide drawing for $1 million as well as other prizes.
