SEATTLE — A mass COVID-19 vaccination site at the Lumen Field Event Center will open in March as the city of Seattle expands its effort to vaccinate people.
Approximately 5,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will initially be administered at Lumen Field each week, according to the city. That could increase to as much as 21,000 vaccinations a day – supply permitting.
"With additional vaccine doses and a small but steady increase in the coming weeks, the City of Seattle is ready to significantly expand its vaccination efforts to reach thousands more vulnerable Seattleites. We have been working on this massive, unprecedented effort for months. We've had the infrastructure in place, we just needed the vaccine," Mayor Jenny Durkan said. "This is an important step to significantly increase our vaccination rate in Seattle, but there's so much more to be done. Ultimately, it will take all of us – employers, health care providers, philanthropy, unions, nonprofits, community-based organizations, and all levels of government – using all the tools at our disposal to get our community vaccinated equitably. I'm deeply grateful to our partners across the city – and to Governor [Jay] Inslee and the Washington State Department of Health – for their collaboration to vaccinate our most vulnerable communities."
The city and Swedish Hospital will operate the vaccination site, which is expected to open in mid-March. Appointments will be prioritized for community-based organizations serving Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities, older adults, and immigrants and refugees. However, people currently eligible for the vaccine per the state's phase plan will be able to register.
Additionally, starting March 1, the Seattle Fire Department will operate two permanent COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinics. The clinics are located at the testing facilities in Rainier Beach and West Seattle. Due to limited supply of the vaccine, clinics will be "focused on referral-only registrations."