Another jump in Tri-Cities COVID cases. Vaccine not being snapped up

This year April 15 is “Vax Day” in Washington state, the day when anyone age 16 or older is eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

The expanded eligibility increase comes as new cases are on the rise in Washington state, as well as in the Tri-Cities.

New confirmed cases reported Wednesday in the Tri-Cities jumped to 64, up from new cases averaging 34 a day last week and 37 the week before.

Dr. Umair Shah, the state Secretary of Health, said in a news media briefing Wednesday that he was concerned that the state might be seeing the start of a fourth wave of infections.

Unlike in some areas of Western Washington where demand for the vaccine has outstripped supply, at the Tri-Cities fairgrounds drive-thru clinic more than 1,500 open appointments for Thursday, Friday and Saturday as of Wednesday.

U.S. Census Bureau poll results released Wednesday found the most common reason people planned not to get a COVID vaccine was concern about side effects. Some people also said they were waiting to see if it was safe.

The less formal education people had, the more likely they were to say they wouldn’t get the vaccine. People ages 25 to 39 also were less likely to say they would get the vaccine than both younger and older adults.

Insurance status also may be a factor in vaccine hesitancy. Although the vaccine is free at the Tri-Cities fairgrounds and elsewhere, those without health insurance were more likely to say they would not get the vaccine than those with health insurance.

On Tuesday the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine was temporarily halted in Washington state after six women younger than 50 in the United States developed serious blood clots and one died.

The organizers at the Benton County Fairgrounds mass vaccination clinic pointed out that the blood clots are known to have occurred in fewer than one in 1 million people receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the United States.

State officials say the administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is “ on pause” and the halt could be temporary as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigates.

To find and make an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine, go to vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov and enter your zip code.

The site has links not only to make appointments at the fairgrounds, but to clinics and pharmacies with open appointments.

The Benton Franklin Health District also posts to its Facebook page direct links to each day’s open appointments at the Benton County Fairgrounds.

An appointment also may be made by calling the Washington state COVID-19 Assistance Hotline at 800-525-0127, which provides help in multiple languages.

Minors will need parent or guardian consent for vaccination. The Pfizer vaccine has been approved for 16 and 17 year olds, but the Moderna vaccine is available only for those 18 and older.

Tri-Cities COVID cases

The 64 new cases reported Wednesday brought the average daily cases this week — starting with the weekend — to 44, according to data from the Benton Franklin Health District.

Local public health officials have been concerned that cases could rise following spring break and Easter.

Getting vaccinated, wearing masks and maintaining social distance can help ensure that the Tri-Cities area is allowed to gather for graduations and other events, said Ben Shearer with the Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team.

One of the metrics the Washington state Department of Health will evaluate on May 3 as it decides whether the Tri-Cities area can remain in Phase 3 of reopening, is whether the new case rate over two weeks is below 200.

Franklin County’s most recently reported rate was 190 new cases per 100,000 people for the two weeks through April 7.

Benton County had 148 new cases per 100,000 people for the same two weeks.

The new cases reported Wednesday included 43 in Benton county and 21 in Franklin County.

They bring total cases confirmed with positive test results in the Tri-Cities area since the start of the pandemic to 27,110, including 15,557 in Benton County and 11,553 in Franklin County.

A total of 308 Tri-Cities area deaths due to complications of COVID-19 have been reported since the start of the pandemic, including 208 residents of Benton County and 100 of Franklin County.

The local health department reported 19 people hospitalized locally as of Wednesday for treatment of COVID-19, up one from the last several days.

The number of local COVID hospital patients has ranged this year from as high as 66 in January to as low as eight earlier this month.

The 19 patients on Wednesday accounted for 4.7% of the 406 patients in the Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser hospitals.

Washington state

The Washington state Department of Health reported 1,114 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday and 11 deaths.

Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are 379,056 and 5,340 deaths. Those numbers are up from 377,942 cases and 5,329 deaths Monday. The case total includes 25,909 infections listed as probable. DOH revises previous case and death counts daily.

Washington’s population is estimated at about 7.6 million, according to U.S. Census figures from July 2019.

As of April 1, the date with the most recent complete data, 44 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 were admitted to Washington state hospitals.

Preliminary reports indicate average daily hospital admissions were increasing at 48 in early April.

Out of the state’s total staffed intensive care unit beds (1,264) approximately 72.5% (917) were occupied by patients Monday. Of those staffed ICU beds, 9.7% (123) held suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients.

According to DOH data, King County, with the state’s highest population, continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 95,001 cases and 1,487 deaths.

Pierce County, second in population, is second in cases, with 45,060, and also has the second-highest number of deaths, at 625.

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 31.3 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 563,027 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has the highest total number of reported cases and deaths of any nation.

More than 2.95 million people have died from the disease worldwide. Global cases exceed 137 million.

Craig Sailor with The (Tacoma) News Tribune contributed to this report.

This story was originally published April 14, 2021 at 1:44 PM.