FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 14, 2021
CONTACT:
Snohomish County Joint Information Center
425-388-5171
eccjic.activation@snoco.org
Snohomish County Vaccine Taskforce expands COVID-19 vaccination options
SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. – Three drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination sites are now operating in Snohomish County.
The sites are part of a multifaceted approach to increase vaccine access for Snohomish County residents.
The third site opened Wednesday at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe. The other two vaccination sites are at Paine Field in Everett, which began operation on January 6, and Edmonds College, which began operation on Monday. These sites are by appointment only and are for those who are in the current phase of COVID vaccination.
Additional sites are in the planning stages and information on new sites, who is eligible, and how to get vaccinated in Snohomish County will continue to be updated at www.snohd.org/covidvaccine and bit.ly/SnoCoHub under the COVID-19 Vaccine button.
"Our goal is to ensure that we vaccinate the residents of Snohomish County as quickly, efficiently and safely as possible,” Snohomish County Emergency Management Director Jason Biermann said. “We have been saying since the start that the first line of defense is our healthcare system. We are here to help augment them, so together we can meet our goal.”
Capacity at the sites will vary depending on vaccine supply and other resources, but up to 940 vaccinations can be administered per day between the three sites at this time. This is to supplement the existing healthcare system, which continues to provide most vaccinations.
These sites are coordinated by the Snohomish County Vaccine Taskforce, which brings together public health, emergency management, law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services, human services, transit, public works, and other partners within Snohomish County.
"We appreciate the partnership with the Snohomish County Vaccine Taskforce. We are very thankful to be a part of this effort to slow, and hopefully, end the spread of COVID-19," said Edmonds College President Dr. Amit B. Singh. "Our community has remained strong despite hardships, and I’m confident that we’ll get through this and move forward together."
It will take time to vaccinate everyone in Snohomish County who wants to be vaccinated, but the goal is to do so as quickly as possible.
“Our most urgent priority is to vaccinate as many of our residents as quickly as we can and get everyone vaccinated within the next year,” said Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers. “The math is simple. We have nearly 900,000 residents, and if we want to get everyone vaccinated in an orderly and rational way, we need additional capacity. The work we have done in the last few weeks on establishing sites and the vaccine planning we have done since July ensures that once the federal government and state increase vaccine deliveries we are ready to administer vaccines. The faster we can get everyone vaccinated, the faster we can put this pandemic behind us.”
Along with coordinating vaccination sites, the taskforce also has been working to:
- Support healthcare providers with guidance on becoming an approved COVID vaccine provider, storing and handling vaccine, and eligibility screening for Phase 1a.
- Connect long-term care and similar facilities that serve vulnerable older adults to vaccination resources, including the federal partnership program with pharmacies.
- Vaccinate staff and residents of long-term care facilities that are not connected through the federal program. EMS staff via the Snohomish County Fire Taskforce provided COVID vaccines to 122 residents and 19 staff at two long-term care facilities during mobile clinics Monday and Tuesday.
- Plan for additional mobile or pop-up vaccination sites to assist in reaching people throughout Snohomish County, and coordinate with community organizations to expand access, particularly for those with barriers to accessing health care.
- Support employers with guidance and begin assessing resource needs to help stand up additional vaccination clinics for workers in the appropriate phase.
"Within a year of the virus first being reported in Snohomish County, we have multiple vaccines available and thousands of people have been vaccinated locally,” said Shawn Frederick, Administrative Officer for the Snohomish Health District. “That is incredible progress, but we know there is still a lot of work to do. We encourage everyone to keep up the health measures like masking and physical distancing, and to get vaccinated when their turn comes.”
Snohomish County is aligned with the statewide phases for COVID-19 vaccination, and providers are vaccinating people in Phase 1a at this time. This includes workers in health care settings, high-risk first responders, and residents and staff of nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other community-based, congregate living settings where most individuals over 65 years of age are receiving care, supervision, or assistance. To verify eligibility, a workplace badge, paystub, business card or work ID, DOH PhaseFinder voucher, or Snohomish Health District voucher may be used.
As with other aspects of the COVID-19 response, details can change quickly. Check back at www.snohd.org/covidvaccine and bit.ly/SnoCoHub under the COVID-19 Vaccine button for updates.
A timeline showing the progression of COVID-19 vaccination in Snohomish County from when the first vaccine was authorized for use in the U.S. in December through the opening of the most recent vaccination site on January 13 is available online at https://www.snohd.org/ImageRepository/Document?documentId=6300.
Video footage and sound bites from Tuesday, January 12, at the vaccination site located at Paine Field are available at https://app.box.com/s/cqxm2z0rkpv5g7nmjsxaq06llh7kw4tj.