Snohomish County Reaches 500,000 Vaccinations

Another positive in our route back to normal. Here’s the word from Snohomish Health District.

Data through April 20 shows that 493,730 vaccines had been given. Thanks to an allocation of more than 50,000 vaccines coming to Snohomish County this week, and roughly 5,000 doses now being given daily, the county has surpassed a milestone of 500,000 vaccines administered in 18 weeks.

This includes doses administered by all providers in Snohomish County, including clinics, the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, and all mass vaccination sites and activities coordinated through the Snohomish County Vaccine Taskforce. The taskforce brings together public health, emergency management, law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services, human services, transit, public works, tribal governments and other partners within Snohomish County.

“We now have 1 out of every 3 residents over the age of 16 fully vaccinated in Snohomish County, and that’s pretty remarkable in less than five months,” said Dr. Chris Spitters, Health Officer for the Snohomish Health District. “Finding a vaccine is getting easier every day, which is encouraging news given the urgency we have in getting eligible people vaccinated. We’ll be working to complete the remainder of the effort on an even shorter timeline, but we also need everyone to sign up and get vaccinated as soon as possible.”

The most recent release of the weekly variant report from the Washington State Department of Health shows the proportion of variants of concern identified has been increasing. These emerging variants of concern are easier to spread, can cause more severe illness, and are a big part of the rising number of COVID cases in Snohomish County. The variants coupled with a notable increase in ill-advised gatherings are fueling a fourth wave.

“Our case investigations and any scan of social media highlight many of the reasons behind our surge,” added Dr. Spitters. “There are too many episodes of too many people getting together with friends or family members who aren’t fully vaccinated, who aren’t wearing masks and who aren’t keeping their distance.”

Social gatherings aren’t the only place where cases are growing. The Health District is also seeing a rise in workplace-associated cases and outbreaks. More details can be found in a detailed case report through April 10, along with monthly outbreak and school case reports being released next week.

It’s time for everyone to step up their efforts. This means:

• Wearing a mask when outside the home and around people you don’t live with;
• Taking it outside for small gatherings and avoiding large gatherings, especially indoors;
• Keeping indoor spaces well ventilated;
• Washing hands and sanitizing frequently touched surfaces often; and
• Getting vaccinated as soon as possible once eligible.

As a reminder, there are a number of ways to look for available vaccine appointments:

• Information on the Snohomish County Vaccine Taskforce’s mass vaccination site is provided at http://bit.ly/snocovaccine, along with appointment registration links and which vaccine (Johnson & Johnson, Moderna or Pfizer) is being administered at each site.
• Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has updated its vaccine locator page at https://vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov allowing people to search by their ZIP code.
• For a full list of Federal Retail Pharmacy Program locations, visit www.vaccinefinder.org.
• Veterans of all ages may contact the VA’s Puget Sound Health Care System at 206-716-5716 to schedule an appointment or contact their VA primary care team directly.