100s Of Vaccine Appointments Open At Lake Sammamish State Park

ISSAQUAH, WA — Monday brought a new round of vaccine appointments at the Lake Sammamish State Park drive-thru site, with hundreds of new openings available.

Issaquah Mayor Mary Lou Pauly visited the site Monday, receiving her second dose from Rep. Kim Schrier. The 8th District congresswoman, a pediatrician, encouraged younger adults to get vaccinated and protect themselves from potentially severe symptoms and long-lasting health effects.

"For those of you who are young and feeling like this can't hurt you and it's just a cold, I want you to know something," Schrier said. "There is an issue called long COVID that is hitting young people, even those who didn't have symptoms or in mild cases. You don't want to get it. Get vaccinated."

King County's latest, variant-driven wave in infections continues to affect younger groups at a higher rate, who are less vaccinated than older adults who became eligible early on. With the vast majority of older and more vulnerable adults immunized, young adults now make up the bulk of both new infections and hospitalizations. Dr. Jeff Duchin, King County's health officer, addressed the worrisome trend last Friday.

"Over the past week, twice as many young adults, 20 to 39, were hospitalized compared to people over 70," Duchin said. "The increasing number of cases and hospitalizations among young adults reinforces that COVID-19 can cause severe disease in people of all ages. There's still a lot we don't know about the disease and its long-term health impacts, even for people who do not require hospitalization."

Appointments at the Lake Sammamish vaccine site are open to all Eastside residents 18 and older. The doses of Moderna are supplied by the Snoqualmie Tribe, with shots administered by Eastside Fire & Rescue.

Search for available openings via Signetic, or learn more on the Snoqualmie Tribe Vaccine Partnership website.