VANCOUVER, Wash. — On Tuesday, Washington state opens new mass vaccination sites. One of those sites is at the Clark County Fairgrounds.
It will be a drive-through in an exhibit hall next to the main indoor event center. There will be two lanes of traffic through the covered area, for those with an appointment.
“We're working on traffic patterns and signage and then we'll have some basic tables and things; the setup isn't complicated it's just a matter of making sure we're all coordinated and on the same page,” said Jim Beriault, public information officer for the events center.
Beriault says it is all systems go to deliver in the neighborhood of 700 vaccinations on Tuesday starting at 9 a.m. The state department of health said there are nearly 3,000 doses of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine arriving at the site for this week. But every available dose is already reserved.
“Which is great news for public health and getting Washingtonians vaccinated but it is frustrating news for people who are now eligible for the vaccine and found out right away that the appointments are full."
When you go to book an appointment online, there is no way to book for next week, or the week after that, for the fairgrounds clinic.
“Right now, I know they are working on figuring out how to allow people to sign up and schedule appointments in future weeks, we want to make sure though that if we have the appointment we have the vaccine for you,” said Lauren Jenks, Assistant Health Secretary for the state.
Phone lines have been jammed too, with so many people trying to get through. Jenks said the state’s hotline number is getting 4,000 calls at a time, for a system designed to handle 200 calls at a time. She said they are working to double the capacity for the number, which is 1-800-525-0127. In the meantime, the state DOH asks people to try an alternate number as well, 1-888-856-5816.
But even if you get through, the frustration may well continue, not being able to book appointments until more is known about vaccine allotments in coming weeks. Jenks believes when the federal government increases deliveries and communicates sooner what to expect, it will get better.
In the meantime, members of the Washington National Guard got instruction for their efforts at the fairgrounds. They will help with traffic control and other logistics. Safeway will supply the clinical staff to administer the vaccine.
Tuesday will be a big day here, with a long haul ahead.
“We basically all need to have that vaccine before we can start to lose some of the of the other protections, so don't throw your masks away yet, you're going to need to hang onto those for several months to come,” said Jenks.
The best advice is to be patient but persistent and check back for openings at the fairgrounds clinic. Again, the numbers to call are 1-800-525-0127 and 1-888-856-5816. Also, check back with the state’s online appointment system. And to register to get a vaccination from other providers as it is available, use Clark County Public Health’s online registration form. Remember all options are by appointment only, you will be turned away without an appointment.
Washington residents in the Phase 1A and phase 1B, Tier 1 categories are eligible for the vaccine. Use the state's Phase Finder tool to see if you are eligible.