First come, first serve as mass vaccine clinic at Tri-Cities fairgrounds opens Monday

The mass vaccination clinic at the Benton County Fairgrounds in Kennewick will open at 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 25, if doses of the COVID-19 vaccine arrive as expected.

They are due to be delivered Sunday night or Monday morning, said Ben Shearer, of the Pasco Fire Department and the Southeast Washington Incident Management Team.

Officials had earlier said that preregistration would be required. But by Friday evening the online preregistration system was not yet ready to use.

Instead, the event will be first come, first serve.

No shots will be given at the fairgrounds before 1 p.m. Monday and no decision had been made Friday evening on when the gates of the fairgrounds would open.

No overnight camping will be allowed at the fairgrounds as the site is still being set up and any extra vehicles will be in the way of those getting the clinic ready.

The Kennewick police will be on hand to keep traffic moving outside the fairground gates on Monday, so it will be best to show up after 1 p.m., Shearer said.

A large crowd is expected as the fairgrounds are one of just four regional sites organized by the Washington state Department of Health with the Washington National Guard.

“If you’re going to show up Monday, plan on a long wait line,” Shearer said. “This is an evolving process. A lot is not in local control.”

People should be prepared to wait in their car for possibly several hours as the line moves slowly forward, he said. Portable toilets will be available.

A preregistration form has been posted online that people can print out, fill in and bring with them. Go to bit.ly/BCFGPreregistrationForm.

After receiving the vaccine, people will need to wait another 15 to 30 minutes to make sure they do not have a serious, but rare, adverse reaction.

Cars will be routed through the fairgrounds parking lot to exit on the backside on Oak Street.

Participants will need to show they are eligible for a COVID vaccination.

They can visit FindYourPhaseWA.org to get an eligibility certificate. Or they may call 800-525-0127 during business hours and an operator will help them determine their eligibility in Washington state.

The fairgrounds vaccine clinic is expected to be open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, if vaccine is available, for at least the first two weeks.

For those weeks the Southeast Washington Incident Management Team, which usually handles wildfires, will be helping out the Washington National Guard and the Benton Franklin Health District.

Other vaccine clinics

A vaccination clinic also was scheduled Saturday at the Walla Walla County Fairgrounds by the Walla Walla County Department of Health after Providence St. Mary Medical Center received about 1,000 doses of the COVID vaccine.

However, all appointment spots were quickly claimed when the clinic was announced. No vaccines will be given there without an appointment.

Prosser Memorial Hospital was holding a vaccine clinic Friday and Saturday, Jan. 22-23, but all appointments filled quickly there, also.

It plans more clinics as appointments become available.

Patience urged

“Try to be patient,” said Dr. Amy Person, health officer for Benton and Franklin counties, in an interview with the Benton Franklin County Community Health Alliance. “I know that is hard because everyone wants the protection from the vaccine.”

There will be enough vaccine for everyone who wants it, just not immediately, she said.

Health care providers and clinics that have the vaccine are notifying their eligible patients to set up appointments, she said.

Shearer said in time many area pharmacies also will offer the vaccine, just as they do flu shots.

Anyone 65 or older is eligible as of this week to receive the COVID vaccine. Certain people who are at least 50 and living in multigenerational households also may be eligible.

Vaccines also continue to be given to health care workers, emergency medical technicians, and residents and employees of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities for the elderly.

This story was originally published January 21, 2021 at 4:36 PM.