Looking for COVID-19 vaccine in Pierce County? Health department offers more details
Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department this week has made more information available on how and where to get COVID-19 vaccines for Phase 1B after Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday formally announced an expanded and accelerated rollout.
The health department’s director of health, Dr. Anthony Chen said in a statement Monday: “The Health Department and our many partners are working to move swiftly to get the vaccine into the arms of eligible people as it becomes available. Thousands in Pierce County have already received the vaccine. We look forward to vaccinating thousands more so we can put the pandemic behind us.”
First in line for Phase 1B now includes those age 65 and older and those age 50 and older in multigenerational households (two or more generations).
According to the health department’s announcement Monday, Phase 1B vaccines will be available via the following:
▪ Through registered medical provider clinics by appointment.
▪ At COVID-19 vaccination drive-thru clinics sponsored by Pierce County Department of Emergency Management and health care systems several times a week by appointment. Dates and locations will be announced as more vaccine becomes available this week.
▪ At pharmacies such as Safeway, Albertson’s, Fred Meyer, independent pharmacies, and others joining the vaccination effort.
▪ Through vaccine drop teams led by the health department, various pharmacies like Rankos’, Walgreens and CVS to vaccinate people in high-risk settings, such as adult family homes and long-term care facilities.
▪ At some local employers who might host vaccination clinics.
Again, the key is availability. The News Tribune over the weekend heard from several readers about lack of availability or online searches to find locations with the vaccine that led nowhere.
The state’s new Phase Finder Tool hopes to streamline the process as a one-stop site to register and find locations. Currently, the Phase Finder is only for phases 1A and 1B.
The health department noted that despite the push to get everyone registered and vaccinated, supplies are still limited.
“Vaccination for the general public is still months away and may not start until the second quarter,” it said in its news release Monday.
According to the health department, about 58,000 to 98,000 people in Pierce County are eligible to receive vaccine in Tier 1 of Phase 1B.
Additionally, about 58,000 to 78,000 people in Pierce County have been eligible to receive vaccine in Phase 1A, with about 21,000 who live or work in Pierce County vaccinated as of Jan. 9. About 13,000 vaccine recipients are Pierce County residents.
On Tuesday, Pierce County approved $4 million for COVID-19 mass vaccination from its reserves. An amendment was added that if federal or state funding to administer COVID-19 was available, it will supplant the county’s funds.
News Tribune reporter Josephine Peterson contributed to this report.
This story was originally published January 19, 2021 at 10:35 AM.
