Vaccines And Pierce County: Week In Review

PIERCE COUNTY, WA — This week the Tacoma - Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD) drew back the curtain, giving deeper insight into how the vaccine rollout is progressing in the South Sound.

According to the health department's new vaccine tracker, as of Feb. 27, a total 180,634 vaccine doses have been administered to Pierce County residents. That includes 27,849 doses administered just that last full week of February.

That means at least 12.9% of county residents have received their first dose, and 7.23% are fully vaccinated.

TPCHD's dashboard also allows residents to sift through more granular data, showing things like vaccinations over time, and vaccinations by race and age. For example, the data shows that 24.8% of residents 75 and older have been vaccinated. That's the highest rate, unsurprising considering the state's focus on vaccinating older, higher risk residents first.

Speaking of the state's vaccination efforts, this week the Washington State Department of Health made two major announcements regarding their vaccine distribution plan, and each will likely impact thousands of Pierce County residents.

The first came Tuesday when, following a directive from the Biden administration, Gov. Jay Inslee announced that the state's educators would be eligible for the vaccine, effective immediately.

"Like President Biden, I am grateful for the hard work and sacrifice of educators every day, and especially during this pandemic," Inslee said. "The president has directed us to add PreK-12 educators, school staff and licensed childcare workers to our current vaccine prioritization."

Then another surprise on Thursday, when the state announced that it was planning to begin the next phase of vaccinations by March 22.

That next tier, Phase 1B2, makes a half dozen more groups eligible for vaccination — largely essential employees who work in congregate settings. It includes:

• Workers in agriculture and food processing.
• Grocery store workers.
• Public transit employees.
• First responders, law enforcement, and firefighters.
• Corrections employees at jails and detention centers.
• Anyone 16 and older who is either pregnant or has a disability that puts them at higher risk.

Finally, there is one more group who became eligible for the vaccine this week: veterans. The Puget Sound VA says they are now offering the COVID-19 to all veterans of any age — though they are prioritizing vaccinations for older or high risk veterans first. That includes at the American Lake VA Medical Center in Tacoma. More information on that program can be found here.

As for coronavirus transmission within Pierce County, this week it continued its steady decline. The case rate has now dipped to 168.7 infections per 100,000 residents — the lowest it has been since early November — and there were multiple days this week when the health department reported fewer than 100 new cases. Top health officials say the continued decline is proof that vaccinations and safety guidelines have been working, and are asking residents to hold the line for just a little longer until we can get this pandemic under control.

Total coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Pierce County:

Editors note: Patch is now updating these totals on a weekly, rather than daily, basis. Readers should keep in mind that the increases below represent infections and deaths over a seven-day period.

The above numbers are provided by the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, and some numbers differ from the totals provided separately by the Washington State Department of Health.