On Friday, at the West Seattle Vaccination Hub, patients were told to send their friends and family. No appointments are necessary for Friday and Saturday.
The word spread quickly on social media. This week the City of Seattle received more than 50,000 doses and city officials want to use them all.
“Because we need to get everyone vaccinated we’re going to be innovative and creative about how we do it,” said Mayor Jenny Durkan on Thursday. She announced plans for walk-up vaccinations outside the Seattle Sounder’s game this weekend too.
“We encourage everyone who has not been able to find an appointment in the past, to try again now, because it’s much easier and it is much quicker,” said Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer with Public Health Seattle and King County.
After the recent struggle to get a vaccine appointment, it is now simple throughout Western Washington.
No appointments are necessary now in Kent and Auburn — you can walk up. They will take up to 1,000 walk-ins each day.
There were so many openings at the King County Vaccination site at the Outlet Collection in Auburn for Sunday, they canceled it. Instead, they encouraged people to go to the Showare Center in Kent.
With more vaccine doses than patients, making those doses easily available for walk-in appointments can be challenging.
“So we want to make sure if a clinic thaws a number of doses that they can be prepared for walk-in patients, who didn’t have appointments, then those doses can be used if possible at another location,” explained. Dr. Duchin.
That happened Thursday at the Showare Center in Kent. Public Health says the doses of Pfizer vaccine were quickly sent to UW Medicine.
“So what our team is working on now are new procedures and protocols to allow rapid identification of where excess doses exist, and rapid redistribution of those doses to people where there’s demand,” said Duchin.