Pierce County COVID cases soar even as vaccine appointments are plentiful. What gives?
Despite a rollback to Phase 2 in the state’s Roadmap to Recovery, Pierce County is seeing a growing number of new COVID-19 cases.
Saturday, Sunday and Monday saw more than 700 new cases and four new deaths added to the county’s totals. A definitive line showing a fourth wave of the virus has clearly emerged on the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department’s data tracker.
And the county is still lagging in its vaccination rates compared with the state based strictly on the state Department of Health’s vaccine data dashboard, though data are incomplete for JBLM and VA vaccine numbers.
For now Pierce County is at 32.43 percent of the population having initiated vaccination, with 23.11 percent fully vaccinated, according to the state Department of Health dashboard as of Monday. The state’s percentages are 40.89 percent initiating vaccination and 28.34 percent fully vaccinated.
Some contend the lower percentages are because Pierce County is not receiving enough vaccines, a claim Gov. Jay Inslee rebuked as late as last week but which was a problem briefly weeks ago due to a miscommunication and technical glitch between the state and health department.
That issue is no longer the case.
“It’s not an allocation or a need (for vaccines) right now. It’s definitely available,” said Stephanie Dunkel, TPCHD’s assistant division director for Communicable Disease in a Monday phone interview with The News Tribune.
It now appears the issue is more about unfilled vaccine appointments.
While “smaller community focused events” seem to fill up, Dunkel said, larger events are now tending to lag with sign-ups.
Over the weekend, Dunkel said, a vaccine clinic held in Sumner only had 50 percent turnout for the available appointments. A new Tacoma Dome vaccine clinic, set to run for six weeks, also has plenty of open appointments.
The state’s Roadmap to Recovery metrics late last week showed Pierce went up to 324.7 confirmed and probable cases per 100,000, over two weeks, jumping to 342.1 in Monday’s tally, both of which are higher than the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department’s own measurement of 242.1 Monday with a six-day delay.
The totals are routinely different, with the state numbers higher as a result of including probable cases as well as cases among people who live at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Phase 2 allows for 200-350 cases per 100,000.
New hospitalizations per 100,000 over seven days also need to stay between 5-10. As for that metric, Dunkel said Pierce was holding steady for now.
“But we’re monitoring ... because they are also at about seven out of the 10 metric that is set by the Governor’s Office,” she said.
New cases, Dunkel said, are continuing to be driven by younger demographics.
“We’re seeing 20- and 30-somethings and more positive cases in that demographic. We’re seeing a lot of folks in small gatherings, family parties,” she said. “That’s continued, so we are seeing these small-based outbreaks in a sense, and, from what we’re understanding, they were unmasked and pretty close.”
She noted while the events were not superspreaders, there are enough outbreaks among “family units” that the totals are adding up and costing Pierce County in terms of making any headway against the virus.
“I know it was a nice week last week, but unfortunately, we are seeing those high case counts now,” Dunkel said.
Representatives of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health told The News Tribune late Monday they are seeing the effects of the new outbreaks.
Among the talking points presented by Dr. Chris Baliga at the Washington State Hospital Association biweekly press briefing on Monday:
▪ There were more than 90 COVID-19 hospitalizations in the Virginia Mason Franciscan Health system last week.
▪ 40% of cases at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle where Baliga works, were in patients under age 40, a sharp distinction from earlier in the pandemic when older patients (age 60+) comprised the bulk of case counts.
Holly Harvey, a media representative for Tacoma-based MultiCare, told The News Tribune via email on Tuesday, “Currently, we are seeing rising cases in the community and increasing inpatient COVID-19 case numbers at our facilities.
“COVID-19 is not in our rearview mirror. It’s an active disease that’s still evolving. It impacts young and old, and COVID-19 patients, even those under the 60 years of age, are now known to suffer from complications like stroke, heart attack and lung dysfunction.
She added, “Our hospitalized COVID-19 patients have been trending younger, and because of this, we encourage those younger members of our community in particular to get vaccinated.”
Health officials including Baliga have said in recent days that the COVID variants might be driving the level of contagion and cases. Conversely, the vaccines now most likely are responsible for helping to keep hospitalizations from exploding.
Two charts last week were released by the Washington State Department of Health in its situation report to show the difference in hospitalization rates vs. younger age groups vaccinated, with the 60+ curve trending sharply downward after a January peak.
No shortage of vaccines in Pierce County
All of this, Dunkel noted, underscores the importance of getting vaccinated. Everyone age 16 and older is eligible for vaccine.
“We’re trying to create some convenient options, the evenings, the weekends, getting close to home, just because we know early on that demand was so high, waiting in a long line and trying to get an appointment was difficult,” she said. “If you waited then, you don’t have to wait now.”
Appointments also are opening up among retail pharmacies. Tairsa Worman, public affairs manager for Safeway/Albertsons Seattle Division, told The News Tribune via email on Monday that there were “50+ Moderna vaccine appointments still available” this week at the Puyallup Safeway pharmacy at 13308 Meridian E.
Registration is at mhealthcheckin.com to book an appointment.
Access also has opened up in more ways to serve more residents via county efforts.
New opportunities for vaccination include walk-up without registration, and the potential for the health department to bring the vaccine to you.
Over the weekend, the health department announced on social media that people can now call (253) 649-1412, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. 7 days a week to request a shot to be delivered and administered to you at home.
“We have a homebound program,” Dunkel said. “We acknowledge that there are many individuals who are unable to leave their home for a variety of reasons: underlying health conditions, mobility. So if you call the health department, we can work with you and your caregiver to get you on a schedule to be able to bring out vaccines.”
Starting April 27, a six-week vaccine event will be held at the Tacoma Dome, run by Pierce County’s Department of Emergency Management. The goal is to vaccinate at least 1,170 people each day and administer an estimated 34,000 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, which is open to anyone age 16 and older.
A parent or guardian must accompany any 16- or 17-year-old seeking the vaccine.
The site will operate from noon to 8 p.m. each day, seven days a week, excluding holidays, offering both drive-thru and walk-up appointments. Language assistance also will be available.
A drive-thru Emerald Queen Casino vaccine event, April 29, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., still had spots available Monday afternoon. That event expects to give 1,800 first doses of Moderna vaccine.
Additionally, a three-day-a-week vaccine clinic is open at Lakewood Towne Center at the former Dress Barn site, also to administer the Pfizer vaccine. For that clinic, parental or guardian consent is required in advance for those 16 or 17 years old, but they do not have to accompany participants.
There is also a three-day-a-week clinic in Tacoma at the Hilltop Family Medical Center, 1202 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. It currently has 200 first doses of Moderna to distribute.
Coming soon to Puyallup, a fixed site much like the Lakewood clinic, with details coming this week, Dunkel said.
Registration for the Lakewood clinic, Tacoma Dome or other vaccine events is at tpchd.org/vaxtothefuture or call 253-649-1412, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., seven days a week.
More information on where to find vaccines and mass vaccine clinic registration is also available at Pierce County’s FindYourCovidShot.com
Both websites offer updates daily.
This story was originally published April 27, 2021 at 12:53 PM.
