1st COVID vaccine doses in short supply next week. Storms delay 2nd doses to Tri-Cities

The COVID-19 vaccination site at the Tri-Cities fairgrounds will be open just three days next week because of an anticipated delay in receiving vaccines.

The delay is related to cold and snowy weather across the nation.

Only second vaccine doses will be given at the fairgrounds next week as the Washington state Department of Health focuses on getting people who have already had their first doses fully immunized against the coronavirus.

“Appointments to get a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine will be extremely limited in Washington state the week of Feb. 14,” the Washington state Department of Health said in a statement Friday evening.

Because of the anticipated delay in the vaccine shipment, open appointments for the fairgrounds next week were not posted as expected Friday afternoon.

Local organizers with the Southeast Washington Interagency Management Team were hoping that appointments would be posted Saturday by the state Department of Health, but had no control over it.

The site will be open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18, and the same hours the next two days, according to the team.

Only second doses will be given.

Friday was a record day of shots for the drive-thru clinic at the fairgrounds, with more than 1,400 doses given, despite the cold and snowy weather.

Organizers feared that Saturday the weather could be worse and encouraged those with Saturday appointments to come a day early.

The fairgrounds clinic opened Saturday for people who have appointments that day and were not able to come a day early. Those who had Saturday appointments but did not want to brave the snowy roads can come to the fairgrounds on Thursday and their appointments will be honored then.

If there are extra doses any day the drive-thru clinic is open, a standby car line will form with people who do not have appointments but are eligible for the vaccine.

For more places giving COVID vaccines, check at bit.ly/BFHDvaccinesites, where the Benton Franklin Health District maintains a list of pharmacies, hospitals and medical clinics.

First dose vaccine shortfall

For the coming week the state of Washington had requests for 170,000 doses from providers across the state. But the state expects to be allocated only 92,325 second doses from the federal government.

“The difference is likely due to the fact that some providers in Washington used doses of vaccine that were intended to complete the two dose vaccine series as the initial dose when vaccinating community members earlier in January,” the Department of Health said in a statement.

“Unfortunately, this now means that a portion of next week’s available first doses will need to be used to complete the series for these people,” the Department of Health said.

There should be less focus on second doses in the upcoming weeks, it said.

“We are monitoring the distribution of doses closely and making adjustments as needed,” said Dr. Umair Shah, the state secretary of health. “While the limited availability of first doses will be challenging this coming week, focusing on second doses will help pave the way for an improved and more sustainable allocation of vaccines in future weeks.”

People eligible for a COVID vaccine and still looking for their first shot should be able to get it soon, the Department of Health said.

“While the state still does not have enough doses to cover everyone who is currently eligible, the good news is that Washington’s allocation from the federal government is steadily increasing,” it said.

Those most recently eligible for the vaccine in Washington state are people 65 and older and some people 50 and older in multigenerational households.

Check for eligibility at FindYourPhaseWA.org.

Register for vaccine appointment

To register for a second vaccine dose at the fairgrounds next week, go to PrepMod.doh.wa.gov and click on “Find a clinic.”

On the next page, scroll down to find openings at the Benton County Fairgrounds rather than filling out the form at the top.

People with second dose appointments should bring their vaccine card, with the date of their first shot and the type of vaccine, to their appointments. They should have been given the card when they received their first dose.

Both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines approved for use in the United States require a booster shot weeks later for optimal effectiveness.

The Pfizer second dose may be given three weeks after the first shot and the Moderna four weeks after the first shot. People should get the same type of shot both times.

This story was originally published February 12, 2021 at 6:59 PM.