The Snohomish Health District provided the following report Friday on vaccine distribution and planning in Snohomish County:
In the first three weeks, just shy of 30,000 vaccines were distributed to 13 vaccine provider groups in Snohomish County. Another 8,600 doses had been allocated for this week. This number does not include doses distributed to sovereign nations or through the Federal Pharmacy-LTCF program.
The Health District will begin reporting vaccine data at www.snohd.org/covidvaccine on Tuesdays, with information through the previous Saturday. The information through Jan. 2 is as follows:
| Total Doses Received (Weeks 1-3) |
Number of Providers That Received Vaccine | Total Doses Administered |
Expected Allocation for Week 4 | Number of Providers Enrolled | |
| Moderna | 23,800 | 11 | 7,357 | 4,700 | — |
| Pfizer | 5,850 | 1 | 3,165 | 3,900 | — |
| Total | 29,650 | 12 | 10,522 | 8,600 | 39 |
The nearly 11,000 vaccinated in the first three weeks represents one-quarter of the roughly 40,000 people in Snohomish County who are eligible within Phase 1a, the health district said.
While most people currently eligible will receive their vaccines through their employer or through the health care system where they usually get care, the health district has created a voucher program for Phase 1a-eligible employees of smaller agencies to be vaccinated by a participating partner. Since lateDecember, the health district has processed more than 6,300 vouchers for eligible individuals.
“I know there are a lot of people anxiously waiting for their turn to get the vaccine. Like any new process, it takes time to achieve maximum velocity,” said County Health Officer Dr. Chris Spitters. “We will continue to follow state and federal guidance to make the best use of vaccine supply and our collective capacity to administer it. I ask for everyone’s patience and cooperation with the phased process of this massive undertaking over the next six to nine months.”
Health district staff have also been working to increase the number of groups enrolled as a vaccine provider. Close to 200 groups are in various stages of the process, with 39 that have been approved and another 54 currently pending approval.
“Most vaccination campaigns that occur under non-emergency conditions take at least a year to plan and several years to reach good coverage,” Spitters added. “Considering that multiple vaccines were developed and manufactured within a year of the virus being identified in this country, and that we now have thousands of people already vaccinated here in Snohomish County, I find that pretty remarkable.”
The state released information about the next phase of prioritization. Based on that information, the Snohomish County Vaccine Task Force created an estimated timeline for local distribution for each phase and tier or subcategory.
In the coming weeks and months, the COVID vaccine distribution and administration process is expected to become much smoother and the pace of vaccination will increase significantly. Several vaccination sites are under development by the Snohomish County Vaccine Taskforce. These sites are meant to enhance vaccination efforts and supplement the existing healthcare system. Vaccination at these sites will be by appointment only, and information these sites and eligibility will be announced as soon as the details is finalized.
The Health District encourages people to visit www.snohd.org/covidvaccine or bit.ly/SnoCoHub for updates.
Real first and last names — as well as city of residence — are required for all commenters.
This is so we can verify your identity before approving your comment.
By commenting here you agree to abide by our Code of Conduct. Please read our code at the bottom of this page before commenting.