Evening Vaccine Clinic Thursday At Lake Sammamish State Park

SAMMAMISH, WA — Organizers have added a special evening clinic to the Lake Sammamish State Park vaccine site this week, looking to make things a little easier for Eastside residents who face scheduling conflicts during regular operating hours.

The addition will allow for appointments between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 6. Residents will still need to register for a spot in advance, which can be done using a simple online tool. The drive-thru clinic is stocked with Moderna vaccines, provided by the Snoqualmie Tribe, which are cleared for use in people ages 18 and older.

Thursday evening's clinic is one piece of a larger effort in King County and across the state to make getting a shot more convenient and reach as many people as possible. While more than 90 percent of King County residents 65 and older have received at least one dose, public health officials are hoping to gain a lot more ground among younger age groups, who now make up the bulk of new infections and hospitalizations.

"Currently, people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s are experiencing more severe disease and hospitalizations than earlier in the pandemic," Public Health - Seattle & King County wrote Tuesday. "This age group only became eligible for the vaccine in the past three weeks. Already, more than half have received a first dose. If even more young and middle-aged adults get vaccinated in coming weeks, that could bring a substantial drop in COVID-19 infections."

Dr. Jeff Duchin, King County's health officer, also addressed the discrepancy last Friday.

"As we vaccinate more people, the risk for us having further surges decreases," he said. "At the moment, we don't have enough younger and middle-aged adults vaccinated to counteract the impact of variants that spread more easily."

Gov. Jay Inslee announced a statewide pause in rollbacks Tuesday, temporarily preventing King County and others from returning to Phase 2 in the reopening plan. State officials will reevaluate the situation in two weeks and are hopeful that will be enough time to bring coronavirus metrics back under the Phase 3 thresholds, particularly if more people are vaccinated.

"It is too early to tell if we have passed the peak of this recent surge," Duchin said. "A two-week pause at this time recognizes this uncertainty and provides time to see whether we are turning a corner and which direction we are heading, while we continue to do everything we possibly can to get more people vaccinated. Our best path out of the painful cycle of COVID-19 resurgences and restrictions – and for a return to normalcy as quickly as possible – is by rolling up our sleeves and getting vaccinated. As more people get vaccinated, the number of infections and hospitalizations will go down and all of us will be safer."

For those who cannot make the Thursday evening clinic, there are still hundreds of appointments available at other times, along with more options in Seattle and around King County.