KING COUNTY, Wash. — Two mass COVID-19 vaccination sites opened Monday in south King County. The Kent and Auburn sites will administer 500 coronavirus vaccines a day, six days a week.
King County said until the vaccine supply increases, those eligible for an appointment at the two sites must be 75 and older, an individual over the age of 50 who cannot live independently, or a resident who is the caregiver for someone over the age of 50.
The Kent site is at the Kent accesso ShoWare Center, located at 625 W. James St. Those with appointments can drive and park, walk, or arrive by transit and enter the building, the county said. The Auburn mass vaccination site is at the Auburn General Services Administration Complex, located at 2701 C St SW, and is a drive-through site.
"We’re taking an equitable approach by starting in the part of our county that’s been hardest hit by COVID-19," said Patty Hayes, director of Public Health – Seattle & King County.
The locations are two of the first mass vaccination sites in King County open on a consistent schedule. Both are operating Monday-Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Appointments for the sites are filling up quickly. As of Sunday night, Public Health Seattle-King County said appointments at the Kent site were filled until February 20, and appointments at the Auburn were booked through February 10.
“We need to do everything we can to remove barriers that prevent South King County community members from getting a vaccine once they become eligible,” King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove said in a statement. “Delays in federal distribution have slowed the process, but by establishing these high-volume sites, King County stands prepared to move quickly once those vaccines become available.”
The county expects to expand eligibility once more COVID-19 vaccines become available.
To sign-up for an appointment, visit Public Health – Seattle & King County's website, call 1-800-525-0127 or 1-888-856-5816 and press # for help with registration by phone.
The opening of the new vaccine sites comes just days after the more transmissible U.K. variant of COVID-19 was detected in King County.
Dr. Michael Kalnoski, of Seattle-based Atlas Genomics, revealed Monday that the lab reported the first positive test for King County on Friday, after it was confirmed by both the UW and King County health officials.
Kalnoski said the specimen came from the Renton COVID-19 testing site, and that the person involved had no history of traveling internationally.
