Hello, next phase: Grocer, other area entities ramp up COVID-19 vaccine distribution
The push to get every adult in the state of Washington vaccinated against COVID-19 has turned into a multi-pronged effort, with employers, churches, even Krispy Kreme, getting involved.
The state broadened vaccine eligibility to more people March 17, including those in Phase 1B Tier 2, which includes high-risk critical workers who work in certain congregate settings (agriculture; fishing vessel crews; food processing; grocery stores; corrections; prisons, jails or detention centers; public transit; remaining first responders); and people 16 and older who are pregnant or have a disability that puts them at high risk for severe COVID-19 illness.
The move up is part of an acceleration of goals to meet a May 1 timeline for all adults to be qualified along with the promise of more vaccines coming.
The latest round of allocations, according to the state Department of Health:
▪ Week of March 21: 345,080 total doses (181,420 first doses, 163,660 second doses).
▪ Week of March 28: 343,700 total doses (173,020 first doses, 170,680 second doses).
▪ Week of April 4: 343,700 total doses (173,020 first doses, 170,680 second doses).
By April, the state says, projections show it should be receiving about 600,000 doses of vaccine each week, divided between weekly state allocations and federal strategies, such as the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.
The next expansion to those qualified in the state kicks in March 31. That group includes those 16 years or older with two or more co-morbidities or underlying conditions; anyone 60 years and older; people, staff and volunteers in certain congregate living settings: correctional facilities; group homes for people with disabilities; settings where people experiencing homelessness live or access services; and high-risk critical workers in certain congregate settings: restaurants, food services, construction and manufacturing.
Meanwhile, demand is high. Vaccine clinics in Pierce County last week saw spots linger sometimes for hours, but it appears the expansion of more eligible people has kicked up interest again.
On Monday, an impromptu registration announced for a drive-thru Johnson & Johnson vaccine clinic filled within minutes online.
It’s now becoming more clear what partnerships with business entities will look like to boost distribution.
On Monday, Safeway workers at the grocer’s distribution center in Auburn received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as part of those newly qualified as of March 17. The event was set to vaccinate hundreds of workers as was its Spokane site, which administered Moderna.
The grocer is part of the federal vaccine program.
“We have another date set for Saturday, for anybody that has off shifts, and we hope that we’ll be able to go beyond that, and at some time utilize some of our operations like this to do community vaccinations,” said vice president and general manager John Owen, who oversees the company’s distribution centers and wholesale business in the region.
“Our pharmacy group is fantastic. They are one of the groups nationwide that are administering the vaccine, all throughout the United States. And we’ve got, you know, close to 2,000 pharmacies, so they’re all over it. ... They’re actually doing the shots, both here and in Spokane.”
To help vaccinate the public, he said: “We’ll have a website that you can go in and and sign up for an appointment. And then we’ll have a parking lot cordoned off for anybody coming in for the vaccine. And we’ll have it scheduled.
“We would have the public go to that parking lot. And then we would escort them into the facility. And they would go through the same protocol we’re going right now.”
The grocer will offer vaccines as supplies allow, with a start date to be determined for the public vaccine drive. The events could offer any of the three vaccines now approved for emergency use.
Owen, who saw some members of his own family come down with mild cases of COVID during the pandemic, said he was relieved to finally be vaccinated.
“It was easy, really easy, kind of a non-event, which is perfect,” he said.
He added that about half of the workers had signed up so far.
“We’re hoping that on Saturday, we get a little bigger response than we have currently today,” Owen said. “And we have plenty of vaccine if that does occur.
“The reason we spread it out from Monday to Saturday is we wanted our associates to see people are doing well with the vaccine, they’re not having side effects. Everybody is, you know, not growing a third arm or anything like that.”
OTHER OUTREACH
Last week, Safeway/Albertsons started working with the state Department of Health, FEMA and Port of Seattle for an onsite vaccine clinic for transportation workers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Vaccine acquisition, storage and handling was through the grocer, while the Port of Seattle provided volunteers to help run the clinic.
The goal at that site is to deliver 2,000 vaccines in a week, pending availability. While not open to the public, it is focusing on vaccinating front-line and essential workers, including workers with airlines, security, the port and tenants at the airport.
That site was announced after the March 17 vaccine expansion.
Other outreach is taking hold locally.
On Monday, Shiloh Baptist Church in Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood was the site of a small pop-up COVID-19 vaccine clinic. Its work with the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department and the Tacoma Ministerial Alliance is to help get more vaccines to under-served areas in a bid to counter vaccine hesitancy and to also help those unable to secure appointments on their own.
The state last week unveiled improvements to its online vaccine tracker, with appointments updated in a more timely fashion than in the first months of the rollout: vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov/.
New call centers are now in place to help.
Last week, Pierce County launched its own call center to help those who currently qualify find vaccines: 253-798-8900 or email pcvaccine@piercountywa.gov.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department also has a call center to help people find vaccine appointments or register for mass vaccine events: 253-649-1412.
VARIANTS AND TREATS
All of this is in the hopes Pierce County and the state as a whole will keep pace with the rest of the country. As of Monday, 13.5 percent of the U.S. population had been fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while 24.9 percent had received at least one dose. In Washington state, the CDC Data Tracker on Monday showed more than 3 million doses have been administered.
In Washington state, 24.16 percent have initiated vaccination and 13.83 percent are fully vaccinated as of March 20, the latest data available from state DOH. In Pierce County, state DOH says 20.27 percent have initiated vaccination, and 12 percent are fully vaccinated.
That race is also tied to the fact that COVID variants are growing, with fears that as more variants are discovered, the risk rises for a vaccine-resistant variant to emerge.
As genome sequencing to detect the strains has increased in Washington state, so has the number of variants detected.
In Pierce County, eight cases of the B.1.1.7 (U.K.) variant have been discovered, according to state Department of Health report as of March 18. The county is third behind King, which has reported more than 90 cases of it, and Whatcom, which has more than 20.
King County has also detected six cases of the B.1.351 (South Africa) variant and two cases of the P.1 (Brazil) variant.
No other variants have so far been detected in Pierce County.
Amid all the various pushes to get people vaccinated, perhaps one involving food will ultimately entice the most people.
This week Krispy Kreme announced that anyone with proof of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine can get a free glazed doughnut at its stores.
This story was originally published March 23, 2021 at 1:23 PM.
