Friday was the last, first-dose vaccination clinic at the county’s mass vaccination site at the Port of Grays Harbor.
Declining demand has health officials exploring other means of COVID-19 vaccine distribution, said county COVID-19 public information officer Maranatha Hay.
“April 30 will be our last first-dose clinic at the mass vaccination site. If you received your first dose at the mass vaccination clinic, then you will receive your second dose there as well,” said Hay. “Moving forward, Grays Harbor County will continue to host vaccination clinics up to three days a week on-site at the Health Department. As clinics are scheduled, registration links will be posted on our website (healthygh.org/covid-vaccine) or you can call our resource center at 360-964-1850.”
The drop in demand is significant. Hay said only about a third of the available slots at mass vaccination clinics over the past two weeks have been filled. Clinics can vaccinate more than 900 people in a single day.
Grays Harbor County is not alone in finding a sharp decline in those seeking vaccines.
“This is not a unique circumstance but rather what counties across the state have begun to struggle with,” said Hay. “As such, we will pivot our approach to these changes, adjusting to a targeted and flexible approach to vaccine distribution.”
According to state Department of Health, 36% of Grays Harbor county has initiated a COVID-19 vaccine, and 28% have completed their second dose. The mass vaccination clinic has distributed 17,293 doses out of 48,210, said Hay.
“In the future, we have a diverse outreach plan ahead that includes mobile deployment to help reduce barriers for homebound, clinics at schools as vaccines are approved for a younger population, and walk-up clinics for unsheltered individuals in Grays Harbor County,” said Hay.
Grays Harbor Public Health is examining the reason behind the dramatic decline in demand for vaccinations.
“In order to understand what our unique needs may be as a county, we are asking that Grays Harbor County residents take a moment and fill out (a) survey,” said Hay. “It takes just four minutes to complete.” The survey starts with asking why the participant has not received or scheduled a vaccination appointment, ranging from accessibility issues to personal beliefs, and asks for some basic individual information; in all, there are 12 questions, and the information will be used by the county in the design of its future vaccination plans. The survey can be accessed online at surveymonkey.com/r/MP2JJRW
There are plenty of other vaccination options in the county as well, including a list of “enrolled providers.”
“The goal of the Enrolled Provider Program was to create multiple access points for vaccine distribution and greater equity,” said Hay. “Since the expansion of the Federal Pharmacy Program, 90% of all Americans live within five miles of a COVID-19 vaccine provider.”
Grays Harbor County residents can find a vaccine at a local doctor’s office, a national pharmacy chain (Wal-Mart, Safeway and Rite-Aid), an independent pharmacy (Harbor Drug, City Center, Value Drug), the local health department, federally qualified health centers including Sea-Mar, or tribal jurisdictions (Roger Saux Health Center in Taholah and Chehalis Tribal Wellness Center).
“We are in a unique position in Grays Harbor County — we have multiple access points with a weekly capacity of 4,100 vaccines,” said Hay.
This “robust COVID-19 provider network,” said Hay, “allows for our mass vaccination efforts to be redirected toward greater equality and inclusion concerning jails, homeless populations, homebound/disabled and ethnic groups with poor representation of vaccine uptake.”
She continued, “This can be done a number of ways but will require a targeted and engaged approach utilizing internal and external community partners (including) faith-based organizations, independent pharmacies, non-profits and Medical Reserve Corps volunteers.”
Latest numbers
During the week of April 22-28, 74 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the county, bringing the pandemic total to 3,787. This included 27 cases reported Wednesday. The weekly count is down from the previous week, April 15-21, when the new case count for the week was 102. One new death was reported in the last week, bringing the county total for the pandemic to 63, a rate of deaths to total cases of 1.7% — the statewide death rate is 1.4%.
During the past week there were 10 hospitalizations reported in the county; there were just three the previous week.
The governor’s next phase evaluation is scheduled for Tuesday, May 4. For Grays Harbor County to remain in Phase 3, the rate of new cases per 100,000 population must be below 200. As of Wednesday, that number was 183.4, up from 155.2 the previous week. The rate of new hospitalizations over a week’s time per 100,000 population must be less than five; those numbers weren’t readily available at press time. To remain in Phase 3, the county must pass one of those two metrics.
State vaccine distribution
The state Department of Health is adjusting its vaccine allocation from a system designed around county population size — a “pro-rata” model — to one in which allocation decisions will be made based on individual provider requests for vaccines in addition to population size, the agency announced Thursday.
“While the pro-rata driven model worked well for the first few months of vaccine distribution, now that nearly 30% of Washingtonians are fully vaccinated, it is time to adjust our approach in support of our goals to vaccinate more Washingtonians as equitably, quickly, and efficiently as possible,” said Lacy Fehrenbach, Deputy Secretary of COVID-19 response.
Each week, providers will continue to order the amount of vaccine they need and the Department of Health will get weekly input from local health jurisdictions on community vaccine priorities. The Department of Health will approve orders based on provider request and local health jurisdiction recommendations.
“Using this method, (we) will be able to distribute vaccine to the communities that need it most, while also providing extra doses to providers who continue to see higher need for vaccine,” read a Department of Health statement.
“Vaccine continues to be the most critical tool we have to end the pandemic,” said acting state Assistant Secretary of Prevention and Community Health Michele Roberts. “The allocation change will help ensure vaccine continues to reach all communities across the state, while also focusing on areas where it has been more difficult for people to find open appointments.”
