Lots of ‘no-shows’ for COVID vaccines at Tri-Cities fairgrounds

As difficult as COVID-19 vaccine appointments are to find, health officials are seeing a large number of no shows for those who managed to get one of the appointments.

Approximately 20% of people making appointments across the Tri-Cities area do not show up, said Heather Hill, infectious disease supervisor for the Benton Franklin Health District, speaking on the Kadlec on Call podcast this week.

They may have found vaccine available somewhere else or changed their mind.

At the Benton County Fairgrounds drive-thru vaccine clinic the no shows provide opportunities for those newly eligible this week for the vaccine — educators and childcare workers — to get vaccine saved for someone who did not keep their appointment.

There is no age limit for educators, and anyone who works with children in an education or childcare setting, from teachers to bus drivers, is now eligible for the COVID vaccine, Hill said.

Gov. Jay Inslee announced Thursday afternoon he expects the state will move to the next tier March 22, assuming the vaccine supply keeps up.

That includes employees over age 16 working in agriculture, grocery stores, and law enforcement. People over age 16 who are pregnant or who have a disability putting them at higher risk also will be eligible.

Standby lines

Those without an appointment can show up at the Kennewick fairgrounds and try to get a place in the holding line for extra doses of the vaccine. But they need to bring proof of eligibility for the COVID vaccine from FindYourPhaseWA.org.

The best times are generally early in the afternoon Tuesday through Friday and earlier on Saturdays when the drive-thru clinic ends at noon.

Officials at the site are making sure that every dose of vaccine makes it into an arm, Hill said.

There may be an hour or two wait in the holding line with no guarantee of a shot, while those with an appointment can spend less than an hour on site.

In some cases new appointment times at the fairgrounds may be posted throughout the week at prepmod.doh.wa.gov/clinic/search for days and times that previously were shown as full.

The Kennewick fairgrounds clinic had administered 24,162 doses of the vaccine as of Wednesday, out of a total of 63,539 doses given in Benton and Franklin counties.

Some 21,345 people have now been fully vaccinated with a first and a booster dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

The Benton Franklin Health District does have plans for a mass vaccination clinic for educators, but the clinic cannot be held until more doses of the vaccine are available.

In the meantime, the federal government has asked pharmacies to prioritize educators and childcare workers this month.

New COVID vaccine

Some of the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine could be available in the Tri-Cities area next week, after it became the third COVID vaccine to receive emergency authorization for use in the United States, Hill said.

However, there might then be a delay in getting more of the new vaccine until later in the month, said Dr. Person, health officer for Benton and Franklin counties, at a Thursday news media briefing.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has the advantage that just one dose is needed and that it does not need to be kept frozen, making it useful for mobile clinics.

Hill said it is 85% effective in preventing severe cases of COVID-19. That is a little lower than the effectiveness of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

But it still fulfills the key purpose of vaccines, preventing hospitalization and death, Hill said.

Public health officials have repeatedly said that the best kind of COVID vaccine to get is whichever one is available.

People not yet eligible to get a COVID vaccination yet, still have a role to play in the community, Dr. Person said.

She urged people to reach out to those who are eligible but may not have the computer access or skills to sign up for an appointment online or who need transportation to get their vaccination.

This story was originally published March 4, 2021 at 5:43 PM.