On the path to COVID herd immunity, why is the Tri-Cities now hobbling along? | Editorial
Tri-Citians shot out of the gate when COVID-19 vaccination sites were first set up in January. Supply couldn’t keep up with demand, and appointments filled within hours of being posted online for the drive-thru clinic at the Benton County Fairgrounds.
Now, weeks later, local health officials say demand appears to have dropped off, and that across the community 20 percent of the people making appointments for the vaccine are not showing up.
While it is possible people may have skipped their appointments because they found the vaccine somewhere else, there is also the chance they changed their minds or a conflict arose and they haven’t bothered to reschedule.
Regardless of the reason, now is not the time for a community-wide breather in our COVID vaccination effort.
While COVID case rates in Benton and Franklin counties are significantly down from a couple months ago, they are still higher than the state as a whole.
Franklin County has the fourth highest rate of COVID cases per population, and Benton County ranks 16th out of Washington’s 39 counties.
To break the comparison down even further, the state has been averaging 9 new COVID cases per day per 100,000 people. In Franklin County, the average has been 20 cases per day and in Benton County it’s been 11.
As a community, we must do better.
To add to the urgency, a variant of the coronavirus — B.1.1.7, also called the UK Variant — has been identified in Benton County. This is a first in Eastern Washington.
While it is cause for concern, it is not cause for alarm, according to Dr. Amy Person, health officer for Benton and Franklin counties.
Person’s words are somewhat comforting, but the emergence of a new COVID strain in our community is another indication that Tri-Citians must not relax the efforts to overcome this deadly disease.
The key to that is the COVID vaccination.
We are fortunate that the Tri-Cities was selected for one of the four drive-thru COVID vaccination clinics in the state. Yet, unfortunately, the site at the fairgrounds currently isn’t being used to its fullest potential.
Just this week there were about 1,400 open appointments for Wednesday through Saturday that went unclaimed by Tuesday afternoon.
Surely, there are Tri-Citians eligible for a vaccine that should be getting their shots. Perhaps the fight early on to register online soured people from the effort. If that’s the case, please try again.
Most people who have an appointment spend an hour or less at the drive-thru clinic, which includes the time they must wait in their cars after they get their shot to make sure they don’t have a rare reaction.
Also, people without appointments can show up at the fairgrounds and try to get a place in the holding line, but they must have proof they are eligible for the vaccine from FindYourPhaseWA.org.
Currently, anyone 65 or older is eligible to receive the vaccine. Certain people who are at least 50 and living in a multi-generational household — such as a grandparent living with a grandchild — also may receive the vaccine. Educators and those who care for children are also eligible.
And sometime close to March 22, even more people will be allowed to get the vaccine. Those will include people working in food processing, agriculture, grocery stores, jails and public transit.
We hope this brings another surge to the fairgrounds. The more people immunized against COVID, the better.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now has said people who are vaccinated can gather indoors in private residences with other vaccinated people without wearing masks.
They can even gather without masks with unvaccinated people from one other household unless someone in the group is at risk for severe illness from COVID.
This is a promising breakthrough — especially for families who haven’t been able to visit in the same room since COVID restrictions began a year ago.
If we want to get back to our normal lives, it is imperative people get their shots.
The Tri-Cities has hit a lull in its COVID vaccination effort, but there is no reason we can’t pick up the pace.
It’s time to get going.
This story was originally published March 10, 2021 at 1:43 PM.