The sites are expected to have an even greater capacity as more doses of vaccine become available.
“As our vaccine allocations increase, these locations will provide additional capacity to vaccinate people quickly and efficiently across the state,” said Washington Health Secretary Dr. Umair A. Shah. “With far less vaccine supply than currently eligible people, it will take time, which will require patience from all of us. I want to thank our partners who are working together to help us build the infrastructure needed to reach our goal (across the state) of 45,000 vaccines per day. “
Prior registration is required for vaccines, but appointments can also fill up quickly in the first few weeks of the fair. Those without commitments will be rejected. All sites will have access lines in available languages and some sites may have bilingual staff, according to the press release.
To be eligible for vaccination on the spot, you must fall into Phase 1A or 1B-1, according to the press release. Those in Phase 1A are health workers or in emergency medical services. People who fall into category 1B-1 are anyone aged 65 and over or people aged 50 and over who live in multi-generational homes.
For those over 50 to be eligible for vaccination, you must also not be able to live independently and be receiving long-term care from a paid or unpaid caregiver; live with someone who works outside the home; or live and care for a grandchild.
The site near Ridgefield is one of the four mass vaccination sites in Washington that the Department of Health is opening this week. The state will manage the sites with the help of the Washington National Guard and local and private sector partners, according to a press release.
The other sites are at Kennewick, Spokane and Wenatchee. The Ridgefield website is administering doses of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, which is about 95 percent effective after a second dose.
Clinics, pharmacies and health care providers will continue to offer vaccines. If a health care provider or pharmacy reaches out to be vaccinated, Washingtonians should not wait to be vaccinated.
Clark County Public Health received requests from more than 18,000 qualified people to receive the vaccine, according to a press release on Sunday. Public Health has referred people to the PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, the Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center, the Vancouver Clinic and the Sea Mar Community Health Centers.
As of Monday, more than 15,200 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were administered in Clark County, according to the Department of Health. Almost 400,000 doses were administered across the state.