No appointment needed for some Tri-Cities COVID vaccines. New cases highest since March
Appointments are no longer required to receive a free COVID-19 vaccine at the drive-thru clinic at the Tri-Cities fairgrounds Tuesday through Saturday, but remain strongly encouraged.
It’s just one of the places in Benton and Franklin counties that the vaccine will be given this week to any adult who lives or works in Washington state. This is the first full week that anyone in the state 16 or older is eligible for the vaccine,although not all clinics have vaccine for 16 and 17 year olds.
The wide availability of vaccines comes as new cases of COVID-19 in the Tri-Cities area and the state have been ticking upward since at least last week.
The Benton County two-week new case rate is now the highest it has been in six weeks.
As of Monday afternoon, more than 6,000 appointments remained open at the fairgrounds for 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday; 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday; 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday; 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday; or 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.
Appointments, while no longer required, can ensure there is vaccine available when you arrive and help workers prepare the anticipated number of vaccines that will be used without wasting any of it.
Use the 10th Avenue entrance to the fairgrounds parking lot at South Oak Street and East 10th Avenue at the east end of Kennewick.
Last week the mass vaccination site at the fairgrounds gave shots to 6,836 people.
The Benton Franklin Health District also plans a pop-up vaccine clinic 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, April 24, for anyone 18 or older to give 400 vaccines for free.
The vaccines will be given at the free COVID testing site at Columbia Basin College, 3110 W. Argent Road, Pasco.
Registration is required. Sign up at bit.ly/CBC042521.
Tri-Cities COVID cases
The Tri-Cities has 107 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, the Benton Franklin Health District announced Monday.
That comes to an average of 36 new cases per day since new case counts were last updated by the local district on Friday.
The weekend cases are down from the average of 48 Tri-Cities area cases per day reported last week, but up from the 34 new cases per day reported the week before.
Benton County’s new case rate has climbed to 164 new cases per 100,000 people in the latest two-week case rate figured by public health officials.
They county has not had a case rate that high since March 8, according to data from the Benton Franklin Health District.
However, Franklin County’s case rate continues to be more worrisome to public health officials.
Its two-week new case rate climbed above 200 on Thursday and, as announced on Monday, was 214 new cases per 100,000 people over two weeks.
The two-week case rate and the number of new COVID hospital patients will be considered for each county on May 3 when the Washington state Department of Health assesses whether Benton and Franklin counties may remain in Phase 3 of reopening. The state wants to see two week case rates below 200.
The number of people hospitalized locally for treatment of COVID-19 dropped by one since Friday to 16 on Monday, according to the Benton Franklin Health District.
The number of local COVID-19 patients have remained in the teens after falling to only eight patients on April 7, down from 22 patients at the start of the month.
The 16 patients on Monday accounted for 4.2% of the 385 patients in the Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Prosser hospitals.
The new cases community wide announced Monday included 65 in Benton County and 42 in Franklin County.
They bring total Tri-Cities area cases confirmed with positive test results since the start of the pandemic to 27,330, including 15,690 in Benton County and 11,640 in Franklin County.
There have been 310 local deaths from complications of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, including 210 in Benton County and 100 in Franklin County.
Pharmacy, clinic vaccine
The vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov also gives information on signing up for appointments. Enter a zip code and it lists places with open appointments within 50 miles.
In the Tri-Cities on Monday, that included several Rite Aid and Walgreen stores in the Tri-Cities; all three Tri-Cities Walmarts; Tri-Cities Community Health in Pasco and Kennewick; both Tri-Cities Fred Meyer pharmacies; and Reliance Pharmacy in Kennewick.
A vaccine clinic also is planned by Prosser Memorial health at Housel Middle School in Prosser 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday for people ages 18 and older.
Appointments are required and may be made at prosserhealth.org or by leaving a message at 509-788-6035.
To make an appointment at the Benton County Fairgrounds, go to prepmod.doh.wa.gov and click on “Find a Clinic.” On the next page do not fill out the top part of the page, but scroll down and check each page to find appointments at the fairgrounds listed by date.
An easier way to schedule a fairgrounds appointment is to go the Benton Franklin Health District Facebook page where appointment links at the fairgrounds are given for each day this week.
Appointments also may be made by calling the Washington state COVID-19 Assistance Hotline at 800-525-0127, where assistance is available in multiple languages.
The Pfizer vaccine is the only one currently available and approved for those ages 16 and 17. They also will need a parent or guardian’s consent to receive a shot.
The Pfizer vaccine is being given at the fairgrounds, but some pharmacies, the pop-up clinic at the CBC testing site and Prosser Memorial Health are giving the Moderna vaccine this week.
Both brands of vaccine require a second “booster” shot after three or four weeks.
This story was originally published April 19, 2021 at 1:48 PM.