By GEORGE KUNKE, geoakunke@gmail.com
Tuesday, July 27, 2021 2:14 pm
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Pacific County Health and Human Services Department Director Katie Lindstrom took time out of her busy schedule to provide insight about a handful of questions from the Herald about COVID-19 vaccinations.
Herald: Are you satisfied with the number of people that have been vaccinated in north and south Pacific County?
Lindstrom: We are happy that half of 'all' residents have received the vaccine (57 percent of those over age 16). I would love to see that number increase. The goal would be for at least 70 percent of residents to be vaccinated if possible.
Herald: What is the percentage of people that have been vaccinated in Pacific County? Do you have a breakdown for north county and south county?
Lindstrom: 49.4 percent of the total population (This includes kids under 12 who are not yet eligible.), 57.1 percent of those over age 16, and 55.3 percent of those 12 and older are vaccinated. I do not have a breakdown of north/south. I have requested access to the data dashboard to get this information from the state, but as of today still do not have access. Based on what we know of vaccine clinics that have happened throughout the county, it would be safe to assume that substantially more people in south county have been vaccinated than in north county.
Herald: What can you do to get more people vaccinated?
Lindstrom: We are trying to make the vaccine clinics as convenient as possible for people. Many of our providers do not require an appointment which makes the clinics easier to access. We are also (or will be) setting up clinics in community settings, like the county fair, Project Community Connect, back to school fairs, etcetera, so we can offer vaccines to more people. Right now, we believe that there are four groups of people in the unvaccinated category - #1 - People who don't want the vaccine, #2 - People who want it, but just haven't gotten around to it yet, #3 - those who are ineligible (currently everyone under age 12), and #4 - those who are on the fence about it or want to wait and see a bit before getting vaccinated. Our focus is to reach those in group #2 and #4, and then eventually group #3, once eligibility is expanded to those under age 12. We also are continuing to provide education to the public regarding the safety and efficacy of the vaccines.
Herald: Are you concerned about the Delta variant spreading in Pacific County?
Lindstrom: Yes. The state regularly samples positive COVID results for variants. Several variants have been found in Pacific County. The Delta variant has been shown to be more contagious than other strains of the virus and may cause more severe illness. The vaccines are proving to be pretty effective against the Delta variant, but breakthrough cases are possible. We are hopeful to increase vaccination rates across the county to counter the Delta variant and decrease cases in general. At this point, the vast majority (over 95 percent within the past three months) of cases are occurring in people who are unvaccinated.
Herald: Do you believe vaccinations have reached a plateau?
Lindstrom: They haven't completely plateaued, but the rate of people getting vaccinated has slowed considerably since the beginning of the year. Part of the reason is that the people who really wanted the vaccine have mostly been vaccinated. For example, those over age 65 and those with pre-existing conditions were eligible early and those groups had a very high rate of vaccination. We are focusing on making the vaccine as accessible and convenient as possible for those who have yet to get vaccinated (that intend to), and provide education and outreach to those on the fence about getting vaccinated.
Herald: Do you have anything you would care to add?
Lindstrom: Our providers maintain an up to date list of vaccine clinics which can be found at www.pacificcountycovid19.com. This website includes dates/times/locations/ and registration info if required. People can also call us at 360-875-9407, M-F, 8-4, if they'd like to schedule an appointment over the phone.
The vaccines have been shown to be safe and very effective. We encourage everyone who is eligible to take the time to get vaccinated. It truly is our best defense against COVID. As vaccination rates have increased, our COVID case rate has decreased. We hope to see this trend continue as more and more people get vaccinated.
Finally, if you or someone you know is homebound and would like the vaccine, please sign up here: https://forms.gle/o6KAT9t4FbkZu6b19, or call us at 360-875-9407. Public health nurses are available to provide vaccines in your home if needed.