FDA expands authorization for Pfizer doses
On Friday (May 14), following the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to authorize the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in children 12 and over, Washington officially opened vaccine eligibility for that age group, and teens in Okanogan County are already signing up to get their first shot.
“At the joint County registration system, 450 patients are waiting for appointments and many of the more-recent signups are the age group that is just recently eligible,” said John McReynolds, CEO of the North Valley Hospital District.
Pfizer reported 100% effectiveness of the vaccine in children as young as 12, saying the vaccine produced a stronger antibody response in children than in teens and young adults, according to the state Department of Health.
Liberty Bell High School has scheduled a vaccine event for students 12 and older from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 26. Students who received their first dose at a similar event on May 5 will receive their second dose at this event. Vaccines are free to students.
“In an effort to save interested students and their families the time and energy of having to travel a long distance to be vaccinated, the Methow Valley School District is partnering with Okanogan County Public Health and Local Medical Providers to host a vaccination clinic at Liberty Bell High School, specifically for students,” according to a news release.
Students and their family members can register at https://methow.org/news-events/covid-updates or by calling the Methow Valley School District at 996-9205. Parents or guardians do not have to be present but will need to complete a consent form and be available by phone to confirm their consent to vaccinate the student.
Family Health Centers is currently working with Three Rivers Hospital to set up a similar event in Brewster.
Still skeptical
While vaccine eligibility has widened even farther, Methow Valley doctors are reporting that vaccine hesitancy is hampering their effort to make use of all of the doses allocated to Okanogan County.
“At last weekend’s vaccine event, we had 100 extra doses and we were vaccinating visitors from Brewster and Seattle,” said Dr. Ann Diamond, in an email to the Methow Valley News.
“It is increasingly difficult to find people in the Methow who want to be (and haven’t been) vaccinated,” Diamond said.
As of Monday (May 17), 36.9% of all Okanogan County residents were fully vaccinated, or 46.4% of residents over 16.
The county is ranked sixth overall in the state in vaccination rates, said Okanogan County Health Officer Dr. James Wallace.
However, for several weeks, medical providers have reported struggling to fill appointments for vaccine doses.
“I met with health officials from Chelan, Douglas, Grant, and Kittitas counties yesterday and there’s a lot of thinking (more questions than answers) around getting … word and supply out,” Wallace wrote in an email on Thursday (May 13). “I think our success in Okanogan County … is due to the community-oriented approach we’ve taken.”
Last week, Okanogan County Public Health launched a social media campaign to collect photos and positive vaccine stories from the community. People were encouraged to tell Public Health what they were looking forward to now that they’ve received their vaccine.
“In this community, we have reached the people who want to be vaccinated,” Diamond said. “That leaves us in a difficult position because there’s a lot of hesitancy, or just a lot of downright aversion to getting vaccinated.”
Diamond, a doctor for 20 years in Okanogan County and a Methow Valley resident, has volunteered at several vaccination clinics. She said many of the people she talked to who were hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccine were concerned its development had been too rushed.
Overcoming that aversion will take education about the vaccine and an emphasis on putting the community first, she added.
“Whatever your pod is, if you see [getting the vaccine] as taking care of each other, maybe we can make inroads,” she said.
