On Monday, February 1, King County is opening two COVID-19 community vaccination sites, at the accesso ShoWare Center in Kent and at the General Services Administration (GSA) Complex in Auburn. These south King County sites will serve those who are at highest risk from COVID-19 and face barriers to accessing vaccine through traditional healthcare systems.
Public Health has received enough vaccine doses from the state to begin operating the two sites at 500 doses per day, six days a week. These sites will position King County to be able to quickly scale up vaccination efforts and serve the broader community when more vaccine becomes available.
“This is all-hands-on-deck, coordinating County government with partners across the region to stand up community vaccination sites,” said Executive Constantine. “I share the frustration of not having enough vaccine from manufacturers, but we are determined to build the distribution infrastructure to quickly and fairly get shots to eligible people as soon as those doses are available, and to expand capacity ahead of the increasing supply.”
Reaching our vulnerable community members
While the vaccine supply remains very limited, these community sites will serve south King County residents 75 years of age and older and their caregivers and will expand to lower risk groups as soon as possible. Older adults in south King County are at particularly high risk, as rates of COVID-19 in many parts of south King County have been nearly twice as high compared to the county average.
“With a limited supply of vaccine, we need to make the best use of every dose that comes to King County,” said Patty Hayes, Director of Public Health – Seattle & King County. “The new high-volume vaccine sites will help us get life-saving vaccine to the highest risk King County residents. We’re taking an equitable approach by starting in the part of our county that’s been hardest hit by COVID-19. I’m grateful to Executive Constantine and King County Council for the County’s investment and to our community partners for making this effort possible.”
Who can be vaccinated at the community sites
To help ensure access for those most at risk, currently registration is open to residents of south King County who are:
– Age 75 and older OR
– A caregiver or home care worker taking care of someone age 50 or older who cannot live independently. The caregiver or home care worker does not need to be 50 or older OR
– Specific groups of people age 50 and older. Those who are:
- Unable to live independently and receiving care from a caregiver, relative, in-home caregiver or someone who works outside the home.
- Living with AND caring for kin (examples include caring for a grandchild, niece or nephew. This does not include parents living with their child.)
Registration Information
The Kent and Auburn COVID-19 vaccine sites will be open Monday through Saturday, 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM. They will provide vaccinations by appointment only.
Beginning Saturday, January 30 at 8 AM, residents can register for an appointment at Public Health’s vaccine website, Getting Vaccinated in King County .
Currently, both vaccine supply and appointments are limited. Residents may experience delays, or it may take time before appointments are available due to anticipated high demand. This will get easier as the vaccine supply increases.
Assistance registering by phone: Call Washington state’s COVID-19 Assistance Hotline at 1-800-525-0127, then press # for help with registration by phone. For language interpretation state your preferred language when you are connected.
Location Information
– Kent accesso ShoWare Center 625 W James St
– Auburn General Services Administration Complex 2701 C St SW
More information is available at Public Health’s vaccination website.
Originally posted January 29th, 2021