Tri-Cities trailing U.S. in vaccinations against COVID. More to be eligible soon

The Tri-Cities area has fallen behind the nation in getting people vaccinated against COVID-19.

Just over 11% of the Tri-Cities area population is fully vaccinated, according to data from the Washington state Department of Health on Monday.

On the same day the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that a little more than 17% of adults in the United States had been fully vaccinated. The number drops to about 14% for the entire U.S. population.

And of the two counties, Benton County has a higher percentage of people fully vaccinated than Franklin, according to information from the Benton Franklin Health District.

For those eligible to receive the vaccine, the supply currently appears to have caught up with demand in the Tri-Cities.

The next large group of people becomes eligible to get the shots at the end of the month, which could cause another surge in demand.

The Washington state Department of Health reports that about 34,200 people in Benton and Franklin counties are fully vaccinated. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are the most widely available in the Tri-Cities, require two doses to be fully effective.

A total of 96,239 shots have been given in the two counties.

Data from the CDC shows that for January and February in Washington state, almost 88% of people received their second dose on time, with about 9% still within the window to receive their second dose.

Just 3% of people in the state missed their second dose.

Vaccine available

The Benton County Fairgrounds drive-thru COVID vaccination site as of Tuesday still had more than 1,500 openings available this week. Earlier this year, all slots for the week filled within hours when the mass vaccination clinic opened.

The Washington Department of Health’s Vaccine Finder also showed appointments open this week at the Richland Safeway on George Washington Way, the Pasco Walmart, the Kennewick Rite Aid on Ely Street, and at the Kadlec Healthplex in Richland.

For current openings, go to vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov and enter your zip code. Updates on open appointments are posted every few minutes.

To go directly to the signup for appointments at the Tri-Cities fairgrounds, go to prepmod.doh.wa.gov and click “Find a Clinic.” Scroll down to look for each day’s appointments at the fairgrounds and be sure to check all pages.

To make an appointment by phone, call the Washington state Department of Health at 800-525-0127.

On March 31 COVID vaccine eligibility expands to add almost 2 million people to the 3 million people already eligible.

Anyone age 60 or older will be eligible, a change from the previous eligibility requirement of age 65 and older. Anyone with at least two underlying health conditions, as listed by the Centers for Disease Control, also will be eligible.

The list includes asthma, cystic fibrosis, cancer, hypertension, dementia, being overweight, smoking, diabetes, and heart, liver or kidney disease, among other conditions.

More people in settings where they work around many people also will be eligible. They include workers in restaurants, manufacturing and construction.

Those who live or work in correctional settings or group homes for those with disabilities or who are homeless also will be eligible.

Those who may be eligible now — who most recently included certain workers considered essential and pregnant women — can check FindYourPhasewa.org. Most places giving the vaccine require proof of eligibility from that site.

The state of Washington is accelerating eligibility for the vaccine to meet a May 1 timeline to allow any adult to be vaccinated as the number of vaccine doses being distributed is increasing.

This week 345,080 doses of the vaccine were being distributed by the Washington state Department of Health, with the federal government also distributing vaccine doses directly to some pharmacies and other sites.

By April, the state projects that it should be receiving about 600,000 doses of vaccine each week, divided between weekly state allocations and federal strategies, such as the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.

Public health officials are urging eligible people to get vaccinated as soon as possible as variants of COVID-19 continue to spread throughout the state.

Free doughnut

Variants first identified in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil have each been found in Washington state.

The Tri-Cities area has had three cases of the UK Variant identified as about 3% of samples of all positive test results across the state are genotyped to determine the strain of the coronavirus.

The UK Variant is believed to be more contagious than the strain of the coronavirus that has circulated in the Tri-Cities area for more than a year.

If concern about variants does not entice people to be vaccinated, maybe free food will.

This week Krispy Kreme announced that anyone with proof of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine can get a free glazed doughnut at its stores.

Debbie Cockrell and Sara Gentzler with The (Tacoma) News Tribune contributed to this report.

This story was originally published March 23, 2021 at 12:42 PM.