Clark County reported 90 new cases of COVID-19 and no new deaths on Wednesday, as Public Health announced that federal authorities will send a Type 1 incident management team to Southwest Washington to help plan and manage vaccination sites in the community.
The incident management team will serve Clark, Cowlitz and Skamania counties, working to establish several community vaccination sites in the region, including some mobile sites that would allow vaccination in high-risk workplaces.
Other community partners, such as health care providers and schools, will also be involved in the process, the county said in a press release on Wednesday.
“We are thrilled to have Pacific Northwest Incident Management Team 3 in southwest Washington,” said Dr. Alan Melnick, Clark County health officer and public health director. “Through a coordinated effort between the incident management team, the three counties and community partners, we will be able to get people in southwest Washington to be vaccinated against COVID-19 more quickly and efficiently. “
Details on vaccination sites, including locations and opening dates, are not yet available, the county said. Updates are promised in the coming days.
News of the intensification of vaccination plans came when Clark County approached the 16,000 COVID-19 case mark. The total on Wednesday was 15,961. There has been an average of about 119 new daily cases since Friday, continuing the downward trend from previous weeks.
The number of deaths from COVID-19 remained unchanged on Wednesday at 164. Four deaths were reported on Tuesday, according to Public Health data.
The number of active cases and hospitalizations has also dropped. There were 770 active cases on Wednesday, compared to 794 on Tuesday. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 dropped to 57 on Wednesday, from 65 the previous day. The number of hospitalized people waiting for test results remained stable at eight, according to Public Health data.
People included in Phase 1a or Phase 1b Tier 1 (B1) of the state’s vaccination plan are now eligible to be vaccinated. People who are eligible and need help accessing the COVID-19 vaccine can submit an application form on the Public Health website.
All requests must be submitted using the web form. Public Health is connecting qualified people to local health facilities with the COVID-19 vaccine. Public Health is not administering the COVID-19 vaccine at its Community Health Center offices.
Public Health began accepting requests from eligible persons in Phase 1b Level 1 on Tuesday morning. In the first 24 hours, Public Health received more than 11,000 application forms. Given the large number of requests and the limited and continuous supply of vaccines, it may take several weeks for those who submitted the forms to be contacted by a service. Public Health will not be able to provide individual updates on order status.
People who used the state’s Phase Finder tool to determine whether they are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination must still submit an application form on the Public Health website if they need help accessing the vaccine. The Phase Finder tool does not connect eligible people to vaccine facilities and does not send information to Clark County Public Health.