A Note from Jefferson County Health Officer, Dr. Tom Locke (1/25/2021)

There is good reason to be hopeful that the COVID pandemic will one day come to an end as the distribution of two safe and highly effective vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) begins.  Clallam and Jefferson Counties are leading the State in deploying these vaccines rapidly.  Priorities for vaccination are determined by Washington’s Governor and vaccination administration sites are required to adhere to these restrictions.                

At Jefferson County Public Health, we work very closely with Jefferson Healthcare and local pharmacies on COVID vaccine deployment.  Whenever vaccine becomes available, scheduling can be done through the Jefferson Healthcare website at COVID-19 Vaccine - Jefferson Healthcare, the Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management at 360-344-9791 from 9 am to 4 pm, Monday-Friday and Tri-Area Pharmacy online at https://covidbi.timetap.com/. For Safeway in Port Townsend, visit https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/COVID19/Vaccine and scroll down to Jefferson County for the link. No walk-in sign ups are available; pharmacy staff are unable to schedule these appointments at this time. For QFC in Port Hadlock, https://www.qfc.com/d/flu No walk-in sign ups are available; pharmacy staff are unable to schedule these appointments at this time.

Additional appointments cannot be made until more vaccine is received from the State of Washington.  Vaccine supply in only a small fraction of current demand.  There are currently 1.2 million Washington State residents 65 years of age and older; over 12,000 in this age group reside in Jefferson County. Washington State receives only 100,000 doses of vaccine per week.  If allocated based on eligible populations, Jefferson County senior citizens represent 1% of the State’s total senior population.  I estimate about 1,000 doses per week may be available for Jefferson County residents at current distribution levels.  As national vaccine production improves and additional vaccines are licensed, access will improve.  In the meantime, Jefferson County Public Health is diligently working with all vaccine distribution sites to serve as many people as they can and making plans for future “mass vaccination sites” (school gymnasiums, etc.) when additional vaccine becomes available.

It is not easy to remain patient when COVID-19 remains widespread in WA State but it essential to realize that vaccinating all Jefferson County residents will take months, not days or weeks.  Angry demands for immediate vaccine access will not hasten this process and will only increase the stress level of everyone involved.  Hospital and Health Department staff have been working long hours (often at significant personal risk) for over 10 months, mounting a community response to this pandemic.  There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but we are still in the tunnel.  We should all know how to protect ourselves from COVID-19 exposure by now.  It will be necessary to continue these practices – wear a mask, wash your hands, watch your distance – for the foreseeable future.