Clark County reported 90 new COVID-19 cases and no new deaths Wednesday, as public health announced that federal officials will deploy a Type 1 incident management team to Southwest Washington to help plan and manage community vaccination sites.
The incident management team will serve Clark, Cowlitz and Skamania counties and work to establish several community vaccination sites in the region, including mobile sites that enable vaccination at high-risk workplaces.
Other community partners, such as health care providers and schools, will also be involved in the process, the province said in a press release on Wednesday.
“We are delighted to have Pacific Northwest Incident Management Team 3 in Southwest Washington,” said Dr. Alan Melnick, Clark County health officer and director of public health, said. “Through a coordinated effort between the incident management team, the three counties and community partners, we will be able to get people in Southwest Washington vaccinated faster and more effectively against COVID-19.”
Details about the vaccination sites, including locations and opening dates, are not yet available, the country said. Updates are promised in the coming days.
News of the intensified vaccination plans came as Clark County approached the 16,000 COVID-19 case milestone. The total was 15,961 on Wednesday. There have been an average of about 119 new daily cases since Friday, continuing a downward trend from previous weeks.
The number of deaths due to COVID-19 was unchanged at 164 on Wednesday. According to public health data, four deaths were reported on Tuesday.
The number of active cases and hospitalizations also decreased. There were 770 active cases on Wednesday, compared to 794 on Tuesday. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 decreased to 57 on Wednesday, compared to 65 the previous day. The number of people admitted to hospital in anticipation of the test results is stable at eight, according to public health data.
People who are admitted to Phase 1a or Phase 1b Level 1 (B1) of the state’s vaccination plan can now be vaccinated. Eligible individuals who require assistance in accessing the COVID-19 vaccine may submit a request form on the public health website.
All requests must be submitted via the web form. Public health connects people who are eligible for local health care facilities with the COVID-19 vaccine. Public Health does not administer the COVID-19 vaccine at the Center for Community Health Offices.
Public Health on Tuesday morning accepted requests from eligible people in Phase 1b Level 1. In the first 24 hours, public health received more than 11,000 request forms. Given the large number of requests and the continued limited vaccine supply, it may take several weeks before those who have submitted the forms are contacted by a facility. Public Health cannot provide individual updates on the status of requests.
People who have used the State Phase Finder tool to determine if they are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination should still submit a request form on the public health website if they need help accessing the vaccine. The Phase Finder tool does not connect eligible individuals with vaccination facilities, nor does it send information to Clark County Public Health.