City Partners With Seattle Sounders FC to Pilot In-Stadium Pop-Up Vaccination Clinics During Sounders Matches
Seattle Fire Department Will Pilot Evening Hours at Rainier Beach and West Seattle Vaccination Hubs
Seattle (April 30, 2021) – Mayor Jenny A. Durkan today announced that since launching its vaccination effort on January 14, 2021, the City of Seattle has vaccinated more than 100,000 individuals across its four City-affiliated vaccination sites and mobile teams. At a press conference with Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, King County Executive Dow Constantine, and City and community leaders, Mayor Durkan also announced that 67 percent eligible of Seattle residents have begun the vaccination process, which puts Seattle second among all major American cities in vaccination progress. The Mayor also announced that the City is partnering with Seattle Sounders FC to offer vaccinations to all eligible fans at home games, beginning this Sunday, May 2. Next week, the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) is also piloting evening hours at its Rainier Beach and West Seattle Vaccination Hubs to better serve essential workers who have not yet received a vaccination.
There are still several thousand first and second dose appointments available across the four City-affiliated vaccine sites this week and next. The City urges all those who live or work in King County and have not yet completed the vaccination process to secure an appointment immediately. Residents can visit www.seattle.gov/vaccine or call the Customer Service Bureau at 206-684-2489 to schedule any appointments. The City encourages all residents who have already been vaccinated or have secured an appointment to amplify these registration opportunities to their networks, in order to ensure all those who want to be vaccinated are aware of this opportunity.
“As of today, 67 percent of eligible Seattleites have begun their vaccination progress, and the City has vaccinated more than 100,000 people as a provider. These are incredible milestones, and if we continue this effort, we’ll reach a level of community protection where so many of us – particularly our most vulnerable – will be protected from the most serious effects of this virus,” said Mayor Durkan. “We’ve reached a turning point in our vaccination efforts: Now anyone who wants a vaccination in Seattle and King County can get one. If you need a first or second dose of the vaccine and you live or work in King County, sign up for a vaccination appointment today. If you have already been vaccinated, be a good neighbor and help your friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers get vaccinated. And we’ll see our Seattle Sounders faithful at the stadium this Sunday for a vaccination, a hot dog, and a win. Go Sounders!”
“Countywide more than half of our 2.3 million residents have already received their first dose. Our remarkable progress would not be possible without the leadership of the Biden administration and partnerships across King County between cities, first responders, and the public and private health systems,” said Executive Dow Constantine.
“Across King County we’ve had great success vaccinating older adults and others who are at higher-risk of severe COVID-19,” said Patty Hayes, Director of Public Health – Seattle & King County. “Now it’s the time for younger residents to get vaccinated! Vaccine providers are receiving many more vaccine doses and thousands of appointments are now available throughout King County. At our King County vaccine clinics in Auburn and Kent, we’re now offering expanded hours and walk-in sessions to make it easier for people with busy schedules to quickly get vaccinated, when it’s convenient for them.”
To-date, 67 percent of eligible Seattle residents have begun the vaccination process, and nearly 40 percent are fully vaccinated. Compared to all major American cities, only San Francisco has made quicker progress in vaccinating its eligible residents and workers. Members of the public can find a breakdown of the vaccination rates of the 30 largest American cities here. Data is collected from municipalities’ public-facing data dashboards, websites, and reports.
SFD is partnering with Seattle Sounders FC to offer in-stadium, no appointment vaccinations to all eligible fans at home games, beginning this Sunday evening as the Rave Green take on the LA Galaxy. Fan vaccinations – like all COVID-19 vaccinations – are free of charge and are being made available on a walk-up basis with no appointments necessary. The Seattle Fire Department will be stationed at two locations to serve those in attendance: one in the West Field Plaza outside of section 140, and the second in the East Main Concourse outside of section 104. Vaccinations will be available starting when gates open and running through the end of the match. Fans being vaccinated on Sunday will also receive a voucher to redeem for a free hot dog at Lumen Field concession stands.
SFD will administer the Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines, and those receiving Moderna will schedule their second dose at any one of the City of Seattle’s community vaccination hubs. Both vaccines are only available to those 18 years old or older. The vaccines are only available to those who are unvaccinated; if a fan has already received one dose of a vaccine elsewhere, they cannot receive their second dose at the in-stadium clinics.
“Vaccinating all players and support staff across both our First Team and Tacoma Defiance groups is a major milestone for our club,” said Sounders FC General Manager & President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey. “Bringing everyone to this moment safely would not have been possible without a lot of focused and dedicated people, but, in particular, I want to recognize our exemplary medical staff for steering us through the past year. It’s also critical to mention that as a community it’s essential for as many people as possible get vaccinated, while remaining socially distant and using masks. We hope that our players and staff being 100 percent bought into the overall vaccination effort inspires others to do the same, and we need to thank the City of Seattle, Public Health – Seattle & King County, in addition to Lumen Field, First & Goal Inc. and Virginia Mason Franciscan Health for leading this mass vaccination initiative at our upcoming home matches.”
In addition, SFD is piloting evening hours at the Rainier Beach and West Seattle Vaccination Hubs. On Tuesday, May 4, the Rainier Beach hub will remain open until 7:30 p.m., and on Wednesday, May 5, the West Seattle hub will remain open until 7:30 p.m. Evening hours are an effort to reach essential workers who cannot leave work during the day. If appointments are high, SFD will expand this pilot.
“Through City-affiliated sites, health care organizations and pharmacies, together we have been able to vaccinate just over two thirds of Seattle’s residential population … but our work isn’t over yet,” said Fire Chief Harold Scoggins. “We want to ensure that access to the vaccine is not a barrier, which is why we continue to implement new and innovative programs to vaccinate those who live and work in Seattle. This weekend we will have a booth at the Sounders match so fans can get vaccinated while cheering on their favorite soccer team. Additionally, we are conducting a one-day pilot of evening hours at both of our vaccination hubs in West Seattle and Rainier Beach, to understand if this will better allow those who work a Monday-Friday job evening access to a vaccine.”
“We’re so grateful supply has caught up with demand and that anyone who wants a vaccine can now get a vaccine,” said Calvin W. Goings, Director of the City’s Department of Finance and Administrative Services, which, with Swedish, operates the Community Vaccination Site at the Lumen Field Event Center and has provided nearly 70,000 vaccines since opening last month. “The quicker we all get vaccinated, the quicker we can safely reunite with loved ones and help our small businesses and our city recover. A vaccine is more than just a shot. It’s our ticket out of this pandemic and the light at the end of the tunnel.”
SFD is administering walk-in vaccinations at their Rainier Beach and West Seattle Vaccination Hubs for anyone 60 or older who hasn’t yet received their first dose. Anyone 60 or older can head to Rainier Beach or West Seattle hubs and receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine without an appointment. The City also launched the Good Neighbor program: Anyone 16 or older who hasn’t been vaccinated can bring someone 60 or older who also hasn’t been vaccinated to Rainier Beach or West Seattle, and SFD will vaccinate both people, no appointment required. Residents can find more information here.
Since launching its vaccination effort on January 14, the City of Seattle has administered over 155,000 vaccinations to eligible adults (over 100,000 individuals). These vaccinations have occurred at 88 Adult Family Homes, 90 affordable housing buildings with seniors and people with disabilities, 19 pop-ups, 18 permanent supportive housing buildings, two vulnerable youth-serving organizations, and the four City-affiliated fixed vaccination sites. Approximately 45 percent of those vaccinated by the City identify as BIPOC communities.
Additionally, vaccine clinics at the Kent accesso ShoWare Center and at the Auburn Collection Outlet Mall are now open to all King County residents – Monday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Residents can make an appointment or just walk in. To make an appointment, visit kingcounty.gov/covid/registration.
For more information, visit the City’s vaccination website at www.seattle.gov/vaccine. The site contains vaccination information in seven languages, and in-language assistance is also available over the phone. Even as more residents get vaccinated, public health measures like social distancing, wearing a mask, and washing your hands remain critical. Please continue to follow all public health guidance, and visit this website from Public Health – Seattle & King County for more information.