It’s kind of the wild west out there when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines.
Grays Harbor Public Health is working on cooperating with the two hospitals in the county when it comes to vaccinations, but with pharmacies and clinics receiving and administering their own doses, there is no one centralized location to set up an appointment for a vaccination.
Grays Harbor Public Health has a link to a vaccine intake form pinned to the top of its Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/healthyghc.
“Our list is taking all phases right now,” said Nicklaus Falley, county incident management team public information officer. “So when we get into Phase 3, if that day ever comes, we will have a list and be ready to schedule for a vaccination.”
Public Health is working with Grays Harbor Community Hospital and Summit Pacific Medical Center to get the public vaccinated. But as Falley points out, other outlets are offering vaccinations as well, independent of the health department and its intake form.
“It’s important to note private pharmacies and hospitals can still vaccinate independent of (the health department),” he said. He gave an example of an individual who had signed up on the Public Health list, then was able to get in for a vaccination at Sea Mar Community Health Center, with its locations in Ocean Shores and Aberdeen.
The demand for vaccinations is great as individuals continue to see numbers climb. This week, the county has seen three additional deaths, bringing the total to 31. Thursday, a fourth death of a Stafford Creek Corrections Center inmate was reported. Between Monday, Jan. 18 and Wednesday, Jan. 20, 67 new cases were reported in the county, with eight new hospitalizations.
The county call center has been inundated with vaccination inquiries, so much so the system crashed on Tuesday.
So, best bet at this time is to fill out the county vaccination intake form, then start calling around to pharmacies and clinics. If you hear from a friend they were able to get vaccinated elsewhere, follow that lead. If you do get in somewhere else, contact the health department and have your name removed from their list so others can take that spot when vaccinations are available.
As far as the current vaccination supply at Grays Harbor Public Health, Falley didn’t have an exact number, but knows public health is vaccinating individuals in Tier 1B of the state’s phased vaccination plan — individuals 65 and older and those 50 years and older in multigenerational households — as quickly as they can. Vaccinations continue for the earlier tier, first responders and other qualified individuals.
“We are vaccinating as fast as we can get vaccines,” said Falley. “My big push is, the goal is to get vaccinated. If that is through public health, great, or a mass vaccination site, great. The goal is to get vaccinated.”
As for a mass vaccination site in the county, Falley said the county continues to work with the hospitals and the Port of Grays Harbor to find a location and coordinate a large-scale vaccination event.
“That’s occupying a lot of our time, trying to get that stood up,” he said.
When that day comes and a mass vaccination event is coordinated, Falley said the county will work quickly to get the word out.
The state Department of Health has begun keeping track of vaccinations on its COVID-19 data dashboard. According to data as of Wednesday, 2,611 doses of vaccine have been given in the county.
There are a few more dates for free community-based COVID-19 testing at Olympic Stadium in Hoquiam. Falley said 96 tests were administered Friday, Jan. 15, and another 184 Thursday. There are four more days left in the month-long testing event: Thursday, Jan. 28, 1-6 p.m.; Friday, Jan. 29, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 30, and Sunday, Jan. 31, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
