SEATTLE — Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan has kick-started two new vaccine-boosting efforts in King County.
All people 60 and older who live or work in King County can now walk into the city’s vaccination hubs in Rainier Beach and West Seattle and get vaccinated without an appointment.
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Each day, Seattle Fire Department staff will vaccinate as many walk-ins as possible, depending on vaccine supply, but a same-day vaccination is not guaranteed. If no more vaccine is available, patients will be signed up for the next available vaccination appointment.
The city also launched what it’s calling the “Good Neighbor” program to increase vaccinations among older adults throughout King County. It focuses on those who have technology barriers that may prevent them from making a vaccination appointment, as well as those who have mobility barriers that make it difficult to get to a vaccination site.
The program allows anyone 16 or older who brings in someone 60 or older to walk into the Rainier Beach or West Seattle sites without an appointment, and both can get vaccinated, as long as neither has received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and does not have an appointment.
“I encourage all Seattleites to be a good neighbor and help older adults in your life get vaccinated,” said Durkan.
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Only one other person is allowed to get vaccinated with the older patient.
The Rainier Beach vaccination hub is at the Atlantic City Boat Ramp at 8702 Seward Park Ave S, 98118. The West Seattle site is at 2801 SW Thistle St, 98126. Both are open Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Since launching its vaccination effort on Jan. 14, the city has administered more than 113,029 vaccinations to more than 71,000 people, the mayor’s office said.
So far, 25% of Washington’s population is fully vaccinated. KIRO 7 asked U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy what it will take to get the number of COVID-19 cases to drop.
“We really are in a race. At some point we will hit a critical threshold that will help us achieve herd immunity. Here’s the thing to recognize: every person we vaccinate is one less place the virus can hide,” said Murthy.
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For more information on the city’s vaccination sites, visit www.seattle.gov/vaccine.
Those who work and live outside King County can visit the WA COVID Vaccine Finder site.
