State gives final OK for ages 12+ to get COVID vaccine. Find out where in Tri-Cities

The Benton Franklin Health District has been getting calls all week from parents eager to get their young teens vaccinated against COVID-19, according to Heather Hill, infectious disease supervisor for the agency.

Now they can.

The Washington state Department of Health announced Wednesday night that Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine had been approved for use in the state following a vote of the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup. It was the final step needed for approval in Washington.

“Expanding eligibility to this younger age group protects our children and gives families peace of mind,” said Dr. Umair Shah, state secretary of health. “It is the best step we can take as parents to ensure our kids remain in the classroom, can safely spend time with friends, and take part in sports and extracurricular activities.”

Research has shown the vaccine is safe for kids as young as 12, Shah said.

The Pfizer vaccine has been approved for people ages 16 and older since December.

Most children with COVID-19 have mild symptoms or no symptoms. But some become severely ill and require hospitalization, according to the Washington state Department of Health.

They also can spread the coronavirus.

Being vaccinated also has the advantage of preventing students from needing to go into quarantine, even if they come into contact with someone with COVID.

The Benton Franklin Health District reported one school outbreak this week with two more possible outbreaks under investigation.

But most of the transmission among students is during sports and other extracurricular activities, at home and in large gatherings of kids outside school, Hill said during this week’s Kadlec on Call podcast.

However, when infected students come to school those they are in contact with have to be quarantined if they are not vaccinated.

Across the Tri-Cities, more than 1,200 students have been sent home in recent weeks to quarantine for seven to 14 days for COVID contacts.

Pfizer plans to seek authorization for its vaccine for 2 to 11 year olds this fall and for children 6 months to 2 years old at the end of 2021.

Finding vaccine for young teens

Parents looking for a vaccine for their child ages 12-15 can make an appointment at vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov, but should be sure the appointment is for a Pfizer vaccine. A second “booster” dose will be needed after three weeks.

Albertsons and Safeway announced they are giving the vaccine to children 12 and older accompanied by a parent or guardian who walk in.

The Pfizer vaccine is available at the Benton County Fairgrounds for anyone age 12 and older.

The drive-thru clinic is open this week 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. A parent or guardian needs to accompany anyone under 18 receiving a vaccine.

Benton and Franklin counties remain far from a public health goal of having 70 to 80% of people vaccinated against the coronavirus.

In Benton County about 37% of people 16 and older have been vaccinated and in Franklin County about 29% of people 16 and older have been vaccinated, Hill said.

Tri-Cities cases

The Tri-Cities has 28 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, the Benton Franklin Health District announced Thursday.

It brings the average number of daily cases this week, starting with the weekend, to 30.

Last week an average of 39 new cases per day were reported in the Tri-Cities area, down from an average of 52 each day last week.

While cases are declining, it is not clear whether both counties will be able to meet state requirements to remain in Phase 3 of reopening.

On Tuesday, the Washington state Department of Health is expected to assess whether Benton and Franklin counties are controlling the coronavirus well enough to prevent additional restrictions will be imposed on businesses.

Each county has to meet only one of two requirements, either for a new case rate below 200 or a low number of new hospital admissions for COVID-19 patients.

The Benton Franklin Health district says that for the seven days through April 30, Benton County hospitals admitted three to four COVID-19 patients per 100,000 people. At that time it was meeting the state standard of fewer than five new COVID-19 patients over five days.

However, Franklin County had 10 COVID hospital admissions over the same seven days.

The state goal for new case rates is fewer than 200 cases per 100,000 over seven days.

Benton County was meeting that goal with 177 new cases per 100,000 over two weeks, according to calculations by the Benton Franklin Health district.

But, while Franklin County’s rate is falling, it is still above the state goal.

It had 244 new cases per 100,000 over two weeks, as announced by the local health district on Thursday.

In addition to the school outbreak, the Benton Franklin Health District reported there were five outbreaks in businesses with seven pending investigations; one outbreak in a long term care facility for the elderly; and one outbreak in a healthcare setting with an additional investigation underway.

The 28 new cases reported community-wide Thursday include 23 in Benton County and five in Franklin County.

They bring total cases confirmed with positive test results since the start of the pandemic to 28 in the Tri-Cities area. Some 320 local residents have died of the disease

Washington state

The Washington state Department of Health reported 1,090 new COVID-19 cases and 21 deaths Wednesday.

Statewide totals from the illness caused by the coronavirus are 418,020 and 5,614 deaths. Those numbers are up from 416,930 and 5,593 deaths as of Tuesday. The case total includes 32,258 infections listed as probable.

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

Washington has had an increasing case rate of 109 cases per 100,000 people, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday.

The Benton and Franklin seven-day rate was lower at 77 new cases per 100,000 as of Wednesday. It was close to the national rate of 78 cases per 100,000.

On April 23, the most recent date with confirmed testing data, 17,575 specimens were collected statewide, with 6.8% testing positive.

At the drive-thru testing site at Columbia Basin College in Pasco, 8% of tests were positive for April 26 to May 9.

King County, with the state’s highest population, continues to have the highest numbers in Washington, with 105,967 cases and 1,541 deaths. Pierce County, second in population, is second in cases, with 51,827, and has the second-highest number of deaths, at 668.

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 32.8 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 583,547 deaths from the virus in the United States as of Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has the highest total number of reported cases and deaths of any nation.

More than 3.3 million people have died from the disease worldwide. Global cases exceed 159 million.

Lauren Kirschman of The (Tacoma) News Tribune contributed to this report.

This story was originally published May 13, 2021 at 12:58 PM.