Pierce Exec Asks Inslee To Expand County's Vaccine Allotment

TACOMA — Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier is calling on Gov. Jay Inslee to provide the county further support as it prepares to roll back into Phase 2 of the Healthy Washington plan.

In an open letter to the governor Tuesday, Dammeier requested that Washington state increase Pierce County's vaccine allotment by 15,000 doses a week, at least until the county can catch up to the state's average vaccination rate.

"Pierce County and its partners have demonstrated their ability to put shots in arms as quickly as they get supplies, and I am confident they will continue to do so," writes Dammeier.

Previously, the DOH agreed to up the county's allocation by 5,000 a week until they caught up.

The executive's letter comes in response to two recent events that he says have set the county back. First, as The News Tribune reports, a "technical glitch" in the state's vaccine ordering program left Pierce County under-ordering COVID-19 vaccines. That under-ordering of vaccines caused Pierce County's vaccination rate to fall behind the rest of the state, Dammeier says.

Gov. Jay Inslee has since responded to Dammeier. In a letter obtained by KIRO 7, the governor does not directly address or deny Dammeier's specific requests, but says that, despite the glitch, Pierce County has actually received 97 percent of its expected doses. The governor also notes that the county has also had a unique advantage because it is home to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, meaning it also received nearly 24,000 extra doses directly from the federal government to inoculate Pierce County residents who live on or near the base.

However, Pierce County is still behind the curve. While the state has nearly 20 percent of the population fully vaccinated, just 16.6 percent of Pierce County residents are fully vaccinated, The News Tribune reported. Similarly, more than 31 percent of all Washingtonians have had at least one dose of the vaccine, compared to just over 25 percent of Pierce County residents.

The second driving force behind Dammeier's letter is Monday's announcement that Pierce County will be pushed back into Phase 2 of the Healthy Washington plan. Pierce County is one of just three Washington counties that failed the state's metrics required to remain in Phase 3. As a result, it will be pushed back into Phase 2 Friday, reimposing several older pandemic restrictions.

Dammeier says, that's why he's also asking the governor to immediately expand vaccine eligibility to all Pierce County residents 16 and older.

That would expand eligibility just slightly ahead of the rest of the state. On April 15, all Washingtonians over 16 will become eligible for vaccination.

As Dammeier notes, that change wouldn't be unprecedented: Inslee's office has already allowed one upcoming mass vaccination clinic to prematurely serve patients as young as 16.

"Both these actions will improve public health and help mitigate the economic disruptions caused by the decision to rollback Pierce County to Phase 2," Dammeier said.

>> Read Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier's full letter to the governor.

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