Tri-Citians lucky enough to get 1st COVID vaccine now worried about finding their 2nd

Tri-Cities health officials say their focus this week is still on delivering the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to as many people as possible.

But the 3,800 people lucky enough to get their first shot last week at the Benton County Fairgrounds are already worried and confused about how they will get their second dose.

Two doses are needed for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines to be fully effective.

The Benton Franklin Health District site will shift to administering second doses in the future, but no date for that has been released.

The changeover to second doses is expected to be set by the Washington state Department of Health, which has not told local organizers of the fairgrounds site when that might happen.

The Kennewick site is expected to continue operating through at least April 3.

“At this point the state Department of Health is keeping separate allocations for the first dose and those booster doses,” said Dr. Amy Person, health officer for Benton and Franklin counties, in an interview for the Benton Franklin Community Health Alliance.

Now people leaving the fairgrounds after getting their first dose of the vaccine against the new coronavirus have no information on when they may be able to get their second dose.

The soonest anyone who received the vaccine at the fairgrounds would be eligible for a second dose is Feb. 16.

In the Tri-Cities area, 20,072 COVID vaccinations had been given by Friday, but only 3,228 people had received both doses, according to the records of Washington state Department of Health.

Health care workers started receiving their vaccines in December, with more people, including Washington residents 65 and older, eligible for the vaccines in mid-January.

The first doses given at the fairgrounds were of the Moderna vaccine on Jan. 25, but more recent shipments from the state to the site were of the Pfizer vaccine.

2nd vaccine recommendations

Moderna’s second dose may be given after 28 days and Pfizer’s second dose may be given after 21 days.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control says that is the earliest the second dose of the vaccine should be given and recommends the second shot as close to that time as possible.

If that is not feasible, the second dose may be scheduled for up to six weeks after the first, it said, according to information it posted online Jan. 21.

There is limited data on its effectiveness if administered later than that, the CDC said.

“While there is a minimum time between vaccines and there is a preferred interval between vaccines, there is never a time that it is too late to get that second vaccine,” Dr. Person said.

As the federal supply of COVID vaccine to the state of Washington becomes more regular and consistent, there will be sufficient vaccine for second doses, she said.

“If in these earlier days we do see potential delays, which may result in people getting that second vaccine later than the 21 or 28 days, they should be assured that second vaccine, whenever it is given, will provide them with protection against the virus that causes COVID-19,” she said.

People are given a card saying when they received their vaccine and what kind they received when they are vaccinated and told they will need it for their second dose.

Other providers of the vaccine in Benton and Franklin counties will receive the appropriate allocations from the state so they can administer the second dose, Dr. Person said.

The COVID-19 vaccines are not interchangeable and only in exceptional situations, such as when the brand of the first dose is unknown, should a different type be given as the second dose, according to the CDC.

Although only 500 doses the Moderna vaccines have been given at the fairgrounds, planning is being done to obtain enough additional Moderna vaccine for second doses, said Bob Gear, the incident commander for the Southeast Washington Incident Management Team at the fairgrounds.

Week 2 at fairgrounds

This week, officials at the fairgrounds are expecting about 4,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to be administered Tuesday through Saturday.

Preregistration for appointments opened about 3:30 p.m. Friday and were filled by evening.

Initially, appointments were opened for at least 5,000 to receive doses this week at the fairgrounds. But the Washington state Department of Health told local organizers on Friday that it was closing as many excess appointments as possible before they were claimed because of vaccine supply concerns.

“Our greatest challenge is intermittent, and not always reliable, vaccine supply that has challenged us so that we are unable to schedule appointments beyond any given week,” Dr. Person said.

Last week the Tri-Cities area received only 60% of the vaccine supply it had expected. The federal government distributes COVID vaccine to Washington state, with the state health department then allocating the shipment across the state.

As of Friday, 3,817 people had been vaccinated at the Kennewick drive-thru site, the most of any of the four Department of Health drive-thru sites.

The first meeting among organizers of the Tri-Cities site was Thursday, Jan. 21, and the site starting vaccinating people Jan. 25, using a new appointment system set up by the state.

Since the site opened on Jan. 25, more lanes have been added to move people through the site more efficiently and increase capacity.

The Ridgefield site near Vancouver vaccinated 3,060 people, the Spokane site vaccinated 2,509 and the Wenatchee site vaccinated 1,550.

If you have an appointment at one of the four sites, you will need to go to FindYourPhaseWA.org to determine if you are eligible. Bring proof of eligibility, either by printout or screen shot, to your appointment along with the proof of appointment that is emailed to you.

Only people who live or work in Washington state may receive vaccines at the four drive-thru clinics in the state and you may be required to show identification, a work badge or other item that shows where you work or live.

Those most recently eligible for COVID vaccines in Washington are people 65 and older and certain people 50 or older in multigenerational households.

Finding a vaccine appointment

For people who don’t have an appointment yet, organizers recommend as a general rule checking frequently to look for any openings due to cancellations or extra vaccine available.

To check for open appointments at the Benton County Fairgrounds, go to prepmod.doh.wa.gov and click on “Find a Vaccination Clinic.” On the page that opens, skip the “Find a Vaccination Clinic” form at the top of the page and scroll down for dates by location.

If it says no appointments are available, do not attempt to register, says the local health district.

Those without computer access can call the Washington state Department of Health“COVID-19 Assistance Hotline” (1-800-525-0127, then press #) during regular business hours.

Someone will fill out the online form for them, but there are long wait times.

More clinics and pharmacies are starting to offer the COVID vaccine.

The Benton Franklin Health District lists places that may have the vaccine at bit.ly/BFHDvaccinesites.

The Washington state Department of Health also lists possible sites at doh.wa.gov. Click on “Vaccine Locations” and then Benton or Franklin counties.

This story was originally published February 1, 2021 at 12:51 PM.