Lakewood Mayor Requests Increased Vaccine Supply

LAKEWOOD, WA — Lakewood Mayor Don Anderson has penned an open letter to Gov. Jay Inslee requesting the county receive a greater allocation of the COVID-19 vaccine.

In particular, Anderson says the county should be sent an extra 15,000 doses each week, saying they would be a boon to Lakewood residents who have been struggling to get vaccinated.

"A relatively high percentage of the residents of Lakewood are economically disadvantaged or are members of communities of color that are disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic," writes Anderson. "Even if we receive our proportionate share of vaccine, our residents are at a disproportionate risk of illness and negative economic impact. An under allocation is unconscionable. "

Anderson's request follows a similar letter from Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier, who also requested the county be sent an extra 15,000 doses, at least until its vaccination rate catches up with the statewide average.

Inslee has yet to respond to Anderson's letter, but the governor's earlier response to Dammeier's request indicates that the vaccine allotment will remain as is. In it, the governor points out that the state already increased Pierce County's allotment by 5,000 doses a week, and that the county has received over 150,000 doses from the federal government, including 108,000 from the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, and nearly 24,000 for residents and staff at Joint Base Lewis McChord.

Anderson argues that's not enough, as Pierce County "has received tens of thousands of fewer doses than its fair share," a reference to the recent discovery that a technical glitch in the state's allotment system left Pierce County under-ordering vaccines.

The governor says, despite the glitch, Pierce County has received 97 percent of the expected doses based on the size of its population.

>> Read Mayor Anderson's whole letter to the governor.