Benton County Fairgrounds closed due to vaccine delivery delays

BENTON COUNTY, Wash. — The mass vaccination efforts at the Benton County Fairgrounds are being put on hold for this week despite officials urging patients to sign-up for their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine this week.

According to a press release issued by the Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team, the Benton County Fairgrounds will not open for vaccinations this week.

The Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) alerted Benton County officials that recent weather is causing significant delays at airports and at the point of origin for the vaccines. This shipment delay is forcing the mass vaccination site and others like it throughout the nation to halt operations until supplies become available again.

Previously, officials at the site expected to operate from Thursday, Feb. 18 until Saturday, Feb. 20. However, winter storms throughout the United States are preventing vaccine shipments from reaching Benton County in time.

Officials from the mass vaccination site say that anyone who had an appointment for this week will be rescheduled for a later date. A private Prep Mod link will be provided to applicable patients who expected to receive their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine later this week.

Public health guidelines say it’s advisable to administer the second dose of Pfizer vaccinations between 21 and 42 days after the first dose was received.

The Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team expects appointments for the second dose of the Moderna vaccine to be available by the early evening of Friday, February 19.

Vaccinations will only be completed for those who bring their COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card, which is handed out upon the completion of the first session of the two-part vaccination process.

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