Vaccinations underway at the Lumen Event Center (Image: City of Seattle)
The “largest allocation the city has received in a single week thus far” of COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in Seattle and the city’s megasite is gearing up to serve thousands of patients:
The City of Seattle and its partners received over 30,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, which is the largest allocation the City has received in a single week thus far. This week, the Community Vaccination Site at the Lumen Field Event Center will administer its largest single day allocation to-date, and the Community Vaccination Hub in West Seattle will administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine all week, with a focus on critical workers.
UPDATE: Officials report 7,615 residents received vaccine Wednesday at Lumen.
The increase in supply comes just as demand is set to jump on April 15th when eligibility will be opened to all 6.3 million in the state 16 and older.
Wednesday, the city opened its list for the sites it operates for registration in preparation for the April 15th milestone, allowing those not yet eligible to add their names to the notification process:
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? Add your name and contact information to this notification list. We will notify you via email when appointments become available. If you’re receiving Moderna or Pfizer, you will schedule your second dose during the process of scheduling your first dose. You should not expect to be notified every week.
“We encourage you to pursue multiple strategies for securing a vaccination appointment,” the city says.
The state’s Vaccine Locator is another tool to put to use.
CHS reported here on the transition to “Phase Everybody” after Washington’s long path through the sometimes frustratingly complicated vaccine eligibility phases. While complicated, the state’s phasing of eligibility seems to have helped address some of the concerns around equity and vaccine distribution. CHS reported on efforts to reach vulnerable residents including communities of color in Seattle.
The phased approach has also helped temper demand. Officials say around 4.5 million in the state are already eligible. Another 1.6 or so million adults join the ranks on April 15th.
In addition to the city sites at Lumen, West Seattle, and Rainier Beach, medical facilities, and private companies that have been knitted together to distribute the vaccines are also gearing up for the expanded push. Supplies so far haven’t kept up with demand — a situation that finally seems to be improving.
In awe & so proud of our city’s response to stand up the largest #vaccination site for #COVID19 in the country. Over 8,000 people served today 💉 & working up to being able to get over 22,000 shots a day soo❣️ Thank you @seattlefas and @Swedish along with ALL the #volunteers💪🏾😷 pic.twitter.com/10S1vVbkY2
— Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda (@CMTMosqueda) April 7, 2021
Many Seattleites will end up lined up at the largest civilian-led vaccination site in the nation in the event center at Seattle’s Lumen Field. The 190,000-square-foot center is hoped to eventually scale up to serving around 150,000 people a week as officials look to push the city’s vaccination rate to 70%, the level believed to be necessary for Seattle to fully emerge from the COVID-19 crisis.
To date, Washington reports that 3.7 million doses of vaccine have been administered reaching just under 31% of the adult population. In King County, officials estimate just over 42% of adults have received at least one dose. More than 25% are reported fully vaccinated.
Officials hope increasing numbers of vaccinated will help slow a new surge in COVID-19 cases before levels rise to thresholds that will require re-tightening phased reopenings and loosened restrictions on social gathering. In the county, reports have risen to around 200 new cases a day, well off the winter’s highs near 1,000 but still at a high enough level that the area’s medical facilities are seeing increased hospitalizations and a jump back to an ongoing tally of daily deaths. So far, 1,480 in King County have died of COVID-19 complications since the start of the pandemic.
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