Amid shortage, Whatcom residents turn south trying to get coveted COVID-19 vaccination
The Skagit County Health Department posted on Saturday, Jan. 30, that it had 100 appointments open this week for those eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Those slots filled within 15 minutes, according to Laura Han, spokesperson for the Skagit County Health Department.
On its website, the health department said to check back at noon on Friday, Feb. 5, noting that appointments depended on vaccine supply. The site is at https://www.skagitcounty.net/Departments/HealthDiseases/coronavirusvaccine.htm.
Like other health officials, including those in Whatcom County, Skagit said it has the ability to vaccinate more people, but the number of vaccine doses it is getting is inconsistent, for now.
“It does truly come down to dose availability at this point,” Han said.
The health department launched a mass-vaccination effort at the Skagit County Fairgrounds in Mount Vernon on Tuesday, Jan. 26.
On its first day, it gave shots to 244 people, Han said. In its first week, the clinic vaccinated over 1,000 people.
People who receive their first shot there will get their second shot at the clinic at the fairgrounds. People walk in for their first dose. They drive-thru for their second dose, according to the Skagit County Health Department’s website.
People don’t have to live or work in Skagit County to get vaccinated against COVID-19, provided they’re eligible to get it under the state’s current phased approach. For now, that includes people 65 years and older, those who are 50 years and older who are living in multi-generational households, first responders, health care workers and people who live or work in long-term care facilities.
Prior to opening the vaccination clinic, Skagit officials said they expected to get 1,000 more doses of the Moderna vaccine, representing their first significant vaccine shipment in several weeks, according to a Jan. 15 story in the Skagit Valley Herald.
Among those vaccinated at the Skagit fairgrounds were Whatcom County residents, based on a reader email to The Bellingham Herald. But Han said on Monday, Feb. 1, that she didn’t immediately have details on how many Whatcom County residents received COVID-19 vaccine shots there.
“Not everyone has easy access to a regular medical provider, pharmacy or clinic, and being a low barrier stopgap — like we are with the testing site — is important for serving our community,” Han said of why the Skagit County Health Department launched a vaccination site.
Skagit County started its drive-thru COVID-19 testing for the public on April 27, early in the pandemic. People could get tested there without first having to get a doctor’s order, and Whatcom County residents headed south to do so, for a time.
At one point toward the end of June and the start of July, Whatcom County residents received nearly 26% of the 2,953 COVID-19 tests done at the site overseen by the Skagit County Health Department, according to a previous Bellingham Herald article.
That was before the Whatcom County Health Department launched its own low-barrier drive-thru testing July 10, in collaboration with Whatcom Unified Command.
Last week, the Whatcom County Health Department said it may launch a mass COVID-19 vaccination effort in late February or early March, possibly sooner, provided there is adequate supply, according to a previous Bellingham Herald article.
The Whatcom County Health Department said it was working on that effort in collaboration with local health care providers.
As frustrated Whatcom County residents continue to search for available vaccine appointments, some like Bellingham resident John Egbert are looking south.
Egbert, 75, said he and his wife received their first doses last Wednesday, Jan. 27, in Skagit County. He heard about Skagit’s mass-vaccination efforts through a friend in Bellingham.
He said that after parking, he walked into an open-air building at the fairgrounds, with each step directed by volunteers. He said paid staff manned the official paperwork and vaccinations.
Egbert’s second shot is scheduled for Feb. 17.
Both vaccines in use require two doses. The second is 21 to 28 days after the first dose, depending on the vaccine.
Egbert praised Skagit County’s efforts, saying Whatcom should follow suit.
“No way we are going to get herd immunity without mass vaccinations. Think about the variants that will be here soon. We’re in a race,” he said to The Bellingham Herald.
Herd immunity occurs when enough of the population is protected from getting a disease because they’ve been vaccinated or have already been sickened by it, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also called “community immunity,” the CDC said it also means that it is more difficult for a disease to spread from person to person.
Meanwhile, as the pace of the vaccine rollout remains bumpy, Skagit County health officials, like others, are urging patience.
“Skagit County Public Health is working diligently with providers and the state to assure our community’s vaccination needs are addressed and that the state knows we have the capacity to administer more vaccine,” Jennifer Johnson, Skagit County Public Health director, said in a release.
“We are looking forward to making the vaccine more widely available and appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through the logistics of a mass-vaccination site,” Johnson said. “Skagit has been a statewide leader in COVID-19 testing, and we will apply lessons learned in order to be a leader in vaccination as well.”
This story was originally published February 2, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
