Vaccine clinics critical for Washington’s push to vaccinate 70 percent of adults

SPOKANE, Wash.–The possibility of reopening Washington has given people another incentive to get vaccinated.

Clinics are happening everyday across Spokane County; clinics at Gonzaga, Riverfront Park and at Spokane Indians’ games.

“We just need to go where the people are and efforts like that are very successful at doing that,” SRHD Interim Health Officer Dr. Frank Velazquez said.

The goal for Washington is 70 percent of adults with one dose, and right now, the state sits at 59 percent.

Spokane is striving for that goal on a county level, and for that to happen, roughly 93,631 people still need to get a shot.

In the meantime, we’re seeing the positive effect from those vaccines. Cases are at a plateau around Spokane with an average of 111 reported each day.

Those cases are coming from the same younger crowd.

Roughly 57 percent of cases in the last two weeks across Spokane come from those younger than 40.

The good news is covid-related hospital visits are declining.

Between May 9-15, 41 people in Spokane were admitted to the hospital for COVID-19, compared to 56 the previous week.

The positive trends continue as 72 percent of ICU beds are also being used right now, which is a drop from 88 percent the week before.

The health district is urging vaccinations to also keep kids out of the hospital as they make up 14 percent of all COVID-19 cases nationwide.

“We do want to encourage, as much as possible, parents to have the conversation with their kids,” Dr. Velazquez said.

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