March 17, 2021
Skagit Public Health Administers 10,000th dose of COVID-19 vaccine
Today, Skagit Public Health hit an immense milestone in the fight against COVID-19: administering Public Health’s 10,000th total dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Public Health began vaccinating eligible individuals in December 2020, and has committed to being a clinical provider for as long as the community needs.
“Public Health staff, with support from Unified Command, have really gone above and beyond the last few months,” said Public Health Director Jennifer Johnson, “I’m proud of our team and what we’ve accomplished so far and what we will accomplish before this is over.”
“I’ve been volunteering at the vaccine hotline for the past few weekends,” said Commissioner Lisa Janicki, “and I can’t tell you how fulfilling it is to be able to register folks for a vaccine appointment, and help them through that process. It’s been such a long year and the joy and relief is palapable with every appointment scheduled. Thank you to our Public Health staff for making this happen.”
The Public Health vaccine clinic operates at Skagit Fairgrounds five days per week, vaccine dose dependent. The clinic has the capacity to administer 940 doses per day. The clinic has primarily used Pfizer vaccine, as that is what has been most readily available from the State.
“We’re pleased to be able to provide such a successful stopgap to ensure that all Skagitonians have access to vaccine,” said Communicable Disease Manager Polly Dubbel. Polly currently serves as the vaccine team lead for Skagit County. “But we can’t forget our partners- vaccinators throughout the community have done a great job getting capacity up to speed. Our estimates are that, if doses were readily available, Skagit County providers could offer over 5,000 first doses of vaccine per week.”
According to the Washington State Department of Health, a total of 49,022 vaccine doses have been administered in Skagit County to people from Skagit County and around our region. This represents a number of people initiating vaccination and a total of 17,596 people being fully vaccinated. Roughly 14 percent of Skagit’s total population has been fully vaccinated so far.
Skagit County Public Health estimates that, assuming similar levels of vaccine dose availability going forward, Skagit providers will be able to vaccinate all adults and youth aged 16+ who want to be vaccinated by July 2021.
If you have questions about Skagit’s COVID-19 response or vaccinations, visit www.skagitcounty.net/covidvaccine. You may also call the hotline at 360-416-1500; English and Spanish language call takers are always available.
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