(Image: City of Seattle)
(Image: City of Seattle)
With the city about to reach key vaccination levels, Seattle is preparing to shut down its major vaccination clinics including the megasite at Lumen Field.
Mayor Jenny Durkan announced the shift in strategy Wednesday to focus on mobile vaccination efforts going forward starting in June as the city has reached levels at which 76% of its residents 12 and older have begun the vaccination process and more than 60% are fully vaccinated:
To-date, the City of Seattle has administered more than 230,000 vaccinations, including more than 128,000 first doses. Forty-eight percent of those vaccinated by the City identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) communities, which is 15 percent more than the BIPOC share of Seattle’s population. Compared to all other major American cities, Seattle’s vaccination rate is only second behind San Francisco, which does not yet publicly track vaccinations of 12 – 15 year-olds.
The megasite at the Lumen Field Event Center opened March 13th as the largest civilian-run vaccination site in the country. Wednesday, Durkan announced the clinic will administer its final doses on June 12th.
Since its opening, Lumen Field has administered more than 97,000 vaccinations, including nearly 51,000 first doses. Forty-one percent of those vaccinated at Lumen Field identify as BIPOC communities, compared to 33 percent of the broader Seattle population. Lumen Field, operated by the department of Finance and Administrative Services (FAS), Swedish, and First & Goal Inc., had robust language access and accessibility support, and served as a resource for residents throughout the city and county.
In Seattle, wide vaccine availability continues with many clinics no longer requiring appointments. Meanwhile, the city’s mobile vaccination teams staffed by Seattle Fire personnel are holding clinics across the city using offers of discounted ice cream and beer to attract younger adults who are not yet vaccinated. SFD has also planned clinics at public and private schools.
The goal is for Seattle has been to reach a 70% vaccination level for its population that officials say will allow the area to successfully emerge from the crisis. Millions of dollars of federal relief have also flowed into the city including another $239 million from the American Rescue Plan Act — its use is currently the center of debate at City Hall over proposals to use the money to address inequity and the homelessness crisis.
Officials, meanwhile, are asking people to continue wearing masks indoors even as businesses reopen and restrictions loosen as “substantial COVID-19 activity in the community” continues and many remain unvaccinated.
Gov. Jay Inslee has set June 30th as the deadline for fully reopening the state and lifting COVID-19 restrictions.
Going forward, the Seattle Fire teams will be the core of the city’s vaccination strategy. The SFD teams have conducted more than 26,500 vaccinations across Seattle. 59% of those vaccinated by the mobile teams identify as BIPOC, the city says.
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