COVID vaccine rates lag in Tri-Cities as fairgrounds drive-thru site about to close
Tri-Cities area residents are less likely than those in the rest of Washington state to have received a COVID shot, even as the community’s mass vaccination site is about to close down.
The last day to get a COVID-19 vaccination at the Benton County Fairgrounds in Kennewick is expected to be Friday, May 28.
Some of the staff at the drive-thru site, which is operated by a Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team, will be needed elsewhere during the wildfire season.
In addition, the site has served its purpose of providing a large volume of vaccinations quickly when vaccines initially became available, said Dr. Amy Person, health officer for the Benton Franklin Health District, at a Thursday news media briefing.
The site is giving fewer than half as many shots most days now as it did on peak days earlier this year when the vaccine was more difficult to find in the Tri-Cities.
It has had a recent boost in use as the Pfizer vaccine was approved for 12 to 15 year olds.
Nearly 30% of the shots given at the fairgrounds this week have been for 12 to 17 year olds, Dr. Person said.
In some cases, whole families accompany their teens to the site — a parent or guardian must accompany anyone younger than 18 — and everyone gets their shots, said Heather Hill, infectious disease supervisor for the Benton Franklin Health District, speaking on this week’s Kadlec on Call podcast.
People now have many more places where the vaccines are available in the Tri-Cities area, including pharmacies, clinics and medical offices.
The Benton Franklin Health District will continue to work to expand the locations were COVID-19 vaccine is available, Dr. Person said.
The free drive-thru COVID testing site at Columbia Basin College is already offering vaccinations on Sundays and will be expanding its vaccination service, she said.
Although worksite and pop-up clinics, such as those previously held at Fiesta Foods and the Pasco Farmers Market, do not reach as many people as the drive-thru site, they also will continue to be scheduled at various places.
They serve an important role in reaching people who otherwise may not get vaccinated and building trust in the vaccine, according to public health officials.
The health district also is getting frequent calls now from doctor’s offices wanting to provide the shots to patients in their offices, Hill said.
The drive-thru clinic at the fairgrounds has been open, with no appointments required, in recent weeks from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday and Fridays; and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. Next week’s schedule has not been announced, but is likely to be the same through Friday.
The testing site at 3110 W. Argent Road in Pasco is open for vaccinations 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays.
Many pharmacies will give the shots to walk-in patients. To find other places with vaccine available, go to vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov.
Tri-Cities vaccination rate
Washington state is expected to fully reopen businesses on June 30, but could reopen sooner if 70% of people 16 and older have received at least an initial dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Now about 59% of people in Washington state have received at least an initial dose. Two of the approved COVID-19 vaccines require two doses to be fully effective.
But Benton and Franklin counties are lagging that rate.
In Benton County 46% of people 16 and older have received an initial dose and that drops to 38% in Franklin County, Dr. Person said.
The percentage of those fully vaccinated ages 16 and older in Benton County is 39% and in Franklin County it is 31%.
For people ages 60 and older the vaccination rate increases to 70%, Hill said.
Cases rising in teens
The number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 continues to drop in the Tri-Cities area.
On Thursday, the local health district reported 31 new cases, including 23 in Benton County and nine in Franklin County.
It brings the average number of new cases per day so far this week, starting with the weekend, to 28.
That is down from an average of 30 case per day last week and 39 the week before that.
The number of new cases in those ages 60 and older, the age group most likely to be vaccinated, is particularly low. And the number of older people hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment has dropped.
The Washington state Department of Health reports that vaccinated people in their 60s and older are 10 times less likely to be hospitalized if they develop the disease, Dr. Person said.
However, the disease rate in teens ages 15 to 19 continues to rise, she said.
Public health officials have said previously that the coronavirus is spreading as that age group gathers for social activities.
They also have had less time to be vaccinated, with COVID-19 vaccine only approved for those 16 and 17 years old in April and this month for those 12 to 15.
This story was originally published May 20, 2021 at 12:47 PM.