EVERETT, Wash. — Snohomish County just opened a new mass vaccination site at Angel of the Winds Arena for the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
The county received 5,000 doses of the newly released vaccine. The people who were quick enough to book appointments before they filled up were grateful, overwhelmed and excited.
"It was a blessing,” said Marie Mihail.
"Stroke of luck I guess,” said Dale Provencal.
They were some of the first people in the state to get Johnson & Johnson's vaccine. It's the only one of the three currently approved vaccines to be considered complete after one dose. The other two, manufactured by Moderna and Pfizer, require a second booster shot several weeks after the first shot.
People at the Angel of the Winds Arena on Friday were glad that they won't have to follow up for a second appointment.
“I would have taken any one of them. The people I live with, they all got the other ones and they were saying they didn’t want Johnson & Johnson and I was like, ‘I want it’ because first of all it’s one shot and second of all, it’s there. So, I had no preference but I’m grateful I got this one,” Mihail said.
"It's awesome, it's just like the one dose no need to worry about the second dose and everything to that makes me feel lucky,” said Erica George.
George is a childcare worker who just became eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in our state.
"It's hard to stay social distanced and everything especially working with young kids. So, it'll definitely be like peace of mind that maybe I won't be spreading it to my parents,” she said.
While teachers and childcare workers flock to book appointments, some people are worried that the older, less tech-savvy generation will be pushed further back in the pecking order to get doses.
"Well that certainly is a concern,” said Dr. Chris Spitters, health officer of the Snohomish Health District.
Spitters said the county is working with school districts to get vaccine clinics just for teachers and staff.
"We would encourage all school staff and teachers orient toward their employer to find out when that clinic is being held and when they'd be vaccinated,” he said.
But the people lucky enough to fill a spot at the Angel of the Winds Arena site are overcome with a wave of relief.
“Way less nervous about everything, I’m still going to mask up, still social distance, but that’s not hanging over my head anymore,” Provencal said.
“It means everything, it’s a relief a little bit. But I’m going to continue to be safe. It’s just one more level of protection and I’m so grateful,” Mihail said.
To make appointments, the county just launched Prep Mod, the same system the state uses for booking vaccine appointments, in hopes of streamlining the process and making it easier to navigate and find a place to a dose.
“Ultimately we will, with the mass vaccination sites in Everett as well as the one in Monroe and Arlington we will be using this system consistently at those sites so that we can streamline the experience for folks who are coming in to get an appointment,” said Jason Biermann, Snohomish County Dept. of Emergency Management.
Snohomish County has the capacity to give 50,000 doses a week and is ready to open up two more mass vaccination sites as soon as more doses are available.
