Scramble is on for COVID vaccine in Tri-Cities. More than 35,000 more people are eligible
Demand for the COVID-19 vaccine increased in the Tri-Cities area this week as more than 35,000 more people became eligible for the vaccine.
They’ll need to be diligent in finding appointments if they want an edge before eligibility opens to everyone ages 16 and older in Washington state on April 15.
The week before this one some appointments at the drive-thru mass vaccination clinic at the Tri-Cities fairgrounds went unclaimed.
But on Wednesday, March 31, hundreds of appointments at the Benton County Fairgrounds that had been open since the evening of Friday, March 26, were snapped up.
Wednesday was the first day that vaccine eligibility expanded to include those ages 60 to 65 in addition to older people; all restaurant, construction and manufacturing workers; and people with at least two underlying medical conditions.
Also newly eligible are people who live, work or volunteer in group living settings, such as correctional facilities and homeless shelters.
Together those newly eligible account for at least 12% of the population of the Tri-Cities area.
Washington state was expected wait to open vaccination to anyone old enough for the vaccine on May 1, but Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday announced that eligibility restrictions would lift mid-month.
In parts of Washington state and the nation, new COVID case counts have been increasing.
But in the Tri-Cities area new case rates have been at least holding steady.
It is an important trend, especially for Franklin County, which must maintain its progress to remain in Phase 3 of business reopening when the Washington state Department of Health periodically reassesses case rates, said Dr. Amy Person, health officer for Benton and Franklin counties.
The next assessment will be April 12.
Case spike coming?
Public health officials are concerned about spring break partying and upcoming holidays when families and friends are likely to gather, including Easter this Sunday. In addition, Passover has started and Ramadan will start soon.
New COVID cases have spiked after many previous holidays during the COVID pandemic.
If you are attending a holiday gathering with unvaccinated people outside your household, keep it small and remember to social distance, Dr. Person said.
Public health officials know people are going to gather and encourage people to do it as safely as possible, said Heather Hill, the infections disease supervisor for the local health district, speaking on the Kadlec on Call podcast Wednesday.
More seek COVID tests
There has been an increase in people seeking free COVID-19 testing at the Columbia Basin College site at 3110 W. Argent Road in Pasco, likely linked to people planning to attend Easter gatherings, she said.
More than 200 people per day were tested last week.
The site is open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week.
Its percent of positive test results continue to run higher than the state’s.
For the two weeks from March 14-28, just over 9% of tests at the CBC site were positive for the coronavirus.
The most recent statewide data on testing results was for March 11, with just over 3% positive results, which was stable over the previous week.
Find a vaccine
Those eligible for a vaccine starting April 15 can start looking now, but most appointments for later in the month have yet to be posted.
The Tri-Cities fairgrounds drive-thru site often gradually posts all appointments for the coming week Friday afternoon, but sometimes not until the weekend.
To make an appointment for the free vaccine, go to to prepmod.doh.wa.gov and click on “Find a Clinic.” On the next page scroll down and check all pages for open appointments at the Benton County Fairgrounds listed separately for each day.
An appointment also may be made by calling the Washington state COVID-19 Assistance Hotline at 800-525-0127.
Most days a holding line is allowed to form at the fairgrounds for any unused vaccine, but you may be required to be eligible to receive a shot. The line usually forms in the afternoons, but earlier on Saturdays when the site typically closes at noon.
Washington state also maintains a listing of places with open appointments at vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov.
Places with vaccine appointments available within 50 miles will be shown when you enter your zip code.
Thursday afternoon the website showed appointments available at Rx Pharmacy in Richland, Costco in Kennewick, Yokes in Pasco, Rite Aid on Ely Street in Kennewick, Reliance Pharmacy in Kennewick and Tri-Cities Community Health in Kennewick and Pasco.
In addition, Washington State University Tri-Cities is working with Rite Aid to have a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for the public on its north Richland campus 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. April 7.
Sign-up for an appointment through Rite Aid at q-r.to/wsuclinic.
Douglas Fruit has donated 1,200 apples to give everyone who gets their vaccine that day a free apple.
Veterans of any age enrolled in area Veterans Administration clinics may get a vaccine Saturday, April 3, in the Richland Federal Building parking lot, 825 Jadwin Ave. Appointments are required by calling 509-525-5200 and selecting 2 and then 2 again.
Tri-Cities new cases
The Tri-Cities area has 39 new confirmed cases, the Benton Franklin Health District reported on Thursday.
It brings the average number of daily cases for the week to date to 33 per day, which is a little higher than the past three weeks.
New cases averaged 1 to 2 fewer per day over the previous three weeks in the Tri-Cities.
The number of people hospitalized locally for treatment of COVID-19 on Thursday jumped to 22, back up to the patient count of March 1.
During March the number of local COVID-19 patients hospitalized had dropped to as few as 12.
The 22 people being treated for COVID-19 Thursday accounted for 5% of all patients in the Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser hospitals.
The new cases reported in the community Thursday included 23 in Benton County and 16 in Franklin County.
They bring total cases confirmed in the Tri-Cities area through positive test results since the start of the coronavirus pandemic to 15,229 in Benton County and 11,368 in Franklin County, or a total of 26,597.
The Tri-Cities area has had 306 residents die of complications of COVID-19, including 207 in Benton County and 99 in Franklin County. New deaths are reported on Fridays.
The most recent case rate for Benton County was 128 new cases per 100,000 over two weeks. For Franklin County it was 170 new cases per 100,000 over two weeks.
The counties will need case rates under 200 to remain in Phase 3 of reopening April 12.
Washington state
The Washington state Department of Health reported 1,271 new cases of COVID-19 and 10 deaths Wednesday.
Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are 364,486 cases and 5,247 deaths.
Those numbers are up from 363,215 cases and 5,237 deaths Tuesday. The case total includes 23,125 infections listed as probable. DOH revises previous case and death counts most days.
Washington’s population is estimated at about 7.6 million, according to U.S. Census figures from July 2019.
As of March 11, the date with the most recent complete data, 31 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 were admitted to Washington state hospitals.
Preliminary reports indicate average daily hospital admissions were stable at 36 in mid-March.
Out of the state’s total staffed intensive care unit beds (1,236) approximately 75.3% (931) were occupied by patients Tuesday. Of those staffed ICU beds, 7.9% (98) held suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients. That number is trending down.
Cases by county
According to DOH data, King County continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 90,692 cases and 1,465 deaths.
Pierce County is second in cases, with 42,514, and has the second-highest number of deaths, at 606.
All counties in Washington have at least 100 cases. Only 11 of the state’s 39 counties have case counts of fewer than 1,000.
There have been more than 30.4 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 552,006 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has the highest number of reported cases and deaths of any nation.
More than 2.81 million people have died from the disease worldwide. Global cases exceed 128 million.
Craig Sailor with The (Tacoma) News Tribune contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 1, 2021 at 1:59 PM.