5,000+ COVID vaccine appointments open at Tri-Cities fairgrounds

The Tri-Cities fairgrounds drive-thru COVID-19 vaccine clinic posted more than 5,000 open appointments for the coming week late Friday afternoon.

The openings are available as thousands more people in the Tri-Cities will become eligible to receive the vaccine starting Wednesday, March 17.

Gov. Jay Inslee announced the state was ready to move to the next phase of vaccinations at a Thursday news conference.

Newly eligible people include essential workers at high risk in agriculture, food processing, grocery stores, jails and other detention and correction centers and public transit jobs. First responders not previously eligible may receive the vaccine now.

Women 16 or older who are pregnant and anyone 16 or older with a disability that puts them at high risk for a severe COVID-19 illness also will be allowed to get the COVID vaccine starting March 17.

People who are 65 or older and have not yet been vaccinated and educators are being urged by public health officials to get their vaccine as soon as possible.

They will still be eligible to get a COVID vaccine as eligibility is expanded, but they will be competing with more people signing up for the vaccines.

Those currently eligible for the vaccine also include teachers and other educators who work with students; childcare workers; certain people age 50 and older in multigenerational households; healthcare workers; emergency medical technicians; and residents and employees of long-term care homes for the elderly.

Recently added to eligibility are family caregivers who provide care to a family member comparable to services provided by a home health care aide, according to Dr. Amy Person, health officer for the Tri-Cities area, in a COVID update to the Benton Franklin Community Health Alliance.

In the coming week the site will open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday and will expand hours to 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Friday. It also will be open 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.

Efficiency has increased at the site, with some people spending as little as 30 minutes there, including a 15-minute waiting period after vaccination to make sure they have no rare, but serious, reactions.

To get an appointment, go to prepmod.doh.wa.gov and click on “Find a Clinic.” On the next page scroll down to find appointments by date and location. Be sure to check all pages.

Registration for any open appointments also may be made by calling the Washington state COVID-19 Assistance Hotline at 800-525-0127 and pressing #. Help is available in English and Spanish.

Many vaccination sites, including the Kennewick fairgrounds, will require proof of eligibility. Go to the Washington state Phase Finder at FindYourPhaseWA.org, answer some questions and then take a screenshot or photo of eligibility verification.

Essential workers and others who become eligible Wednesday will need to wait until then to get results on the Washington Phase Finder that show their eligibility.

A school ID or badge also will be accepted as confirmation of vaccine eligibility for educators at the fairgrounds.

If you are getting your second “booster” dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the fairgrounds, you will need to bring the Vaccination Record Card you received when you got your first dose.

For a list of places in addition to the fairgrounds that may have vaccine available, check the Benton Franklin Health District’s list at bit.ly/BFHDvaccinesites. The list includes primarily pharmacies, hospitals and medical clinics.

The Washington state Department of Health also maintains a list by county at www.covidvaccinewa.org.

The Richland Senior Association continues to help seniors throughout the Tri-Cities area register for an appointment. Call 800-595-4070 and leave a voicemail message.

Vaccine supply

The state of Washington is anticipating gradually increased shipments of the vaccine distributed by the federal government, but they expect about 70,000 doses below what providers had requested for the coming week.

About 327,320 doses are expected. That should increase to 334,340 doses the week of March 21 and 341,360 doses the week of March 28.

Each shipment will include 179,680 first doses, with the rest being second doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine.

The Federal Retail Pharmacy Program sends additional shipments to pharmacies. This last week 72,000 doses were set to pharmacies in Washington state, including Albertsons, Costco, Rite Aid and Walmart pharmacies. Check their websites for appointment openings.

After vaccination

The Washington state Department of Health has adopted the Centers for Disease Control recommendation on what people can do once they are fully immunized.

The guidelines will allow many people to spend more time with extended family and even hug some grandchildren.

It takes two weeks after the second dose of a Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or after a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to be fully vaccinated.

Then people can gather indoors with other vaccinated people without wearing a mask.

They can also gather indoors at home with unvaccinated people from a single other household without masks, unless any of those gathering or the people they live with is at risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

Being 60 or older or having underlying conditions such as obesity, diabetes or heart disease increases risk from the disease.

Vaccinated people should still wear masks and maintain six feet of distance in public and avoid crowds and poorly ventilated areas, according to the Washington state Department of Health.

This story was originally published March 12, 2021 at 6:58 PM.