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COVID-19 vaccines are still by appointment only and still only available to those eligible, but a brand new vaccination site has opened 10 miles from Mill Creek's Town Center.

The indoor mass vaccination site was announced by the Snohomish Health District on Feb. 3. It is located at Boeing Everett Activity Center, 6400 36th Ave. W. in Everett, and will replace the drive-through site at Paine Field.

Longtime Snohomish County leader and former Mill Creek City councilman Terry Ryan is the county's aerospace director, in close contact with Boeing. He notes the support the company has shown with the vaccine site.

"Boeing has been a great partner for Snohomish County for over 50 years, and this commitment to host a mass vaccination site is just their latest effort to keep our community safe," said Ryan, Snohomish County Aerospace Economic Development Director and a foundational Mill Creek community member. "We all know The Boeing Company as a major jobs producer, but we also appreciate them for the contributions they make to our local community. Snohomish County is better and healthier because of Boeing."

Health officials say when supplies increase, several more sites will be established around the county.

The Boeing site offers the Moderna vaccine and shots are administered by the Seattle Visiting Nurse Association, according to a news release by the health district. Two doses of Moderna vaccine are given about 28 days apart.

Those who have had one Moderna dose have six weeks to get the second shot, medical officials say. If a first appointment was completed at the Paine Field site, a second appointment will be at the new Boeing site, the health district states. Officials ask that people bring their vaccination card, from appointment one.

The Boeing Activity Center site can handle 10,000 shots per week, if supply flow allows for that level, health officials say. The continuation of all mass vaccination sites depends on supply.

Earlier in the same week, three of the county's mass vaccination sites were closed due to lack of vaccine availability.

"Our team has worked really diligently to make sure we have capacity," Jason Biermann, emergency management director at the county stated in the weekly COVID-19 update. "Our original goal was to be able to provide vaccinations for up to 50,000 residents per week. We believe we can easily do that when we have all of the capacity in place."

Supply has been a challenge but Dr. Chris Spitters, health officer for the county, said the goal is to keep moving ahead.

"We've got an incredible scientific community that led to two vaccines that are currently available (and) many more on the way," Spitters said, adding that all levels of government are working to get vaccines to people. "It's bumpy, and it's the first time we've done this in our lifetime, in our generation. And you know I just urge – let's focus on trying to get through the bumps."

The new Boeing site is a result of partnership efforts between the county's task force and Boeing. Stan Deal, president and chief executive officer at Boeing Commercial Airplanes commented on the joint effort, tying that local achievement to a larger goal.

"The pandemic has had a profound effect on every facet of life for people locally and around the world, and we must all work together to fight COVID-19," Deal said.

Countywide, more than 53,700 people have received at least one vaccination, either Moderna or Pfizer, and more than 8,400 have completed both doses, as of January 31. More than 21,700 vaccinations have been completed at mass vaccination sites since Jan. 6, the health district states. Vaccine numbers are updated weekly on Tuesdays at http://www.snohd.org/ covidvaccine.

The taskforce plans to use mobile vaccination clinics as well.

Photo courtesy of Snohomish Health District

Inside the newly-opened Everett Activity Center vaccination site, launched by the Snohomish County Vaccination Task Force in partnership with Boeing

Vaccine supply is still limited. Appointments book rapidly and cannot be made in advance.

For those who are already fully vaccinated, health officials still advise social distancing, masking and cleanliness. Until more people are vaccinated, the virus could still overwhelm hospital resources.

In rare cases, patients have been infected with COVID-19 twice, according to the CDC, bolstering advice to stay vigilant.

Eligibility, booking and site location information is here https://bit.ly/3pMKN6e.

The health district call center is at 425- 339-5278. To sign up for a text when your eligibility comes up, visit https://bit. ly/3rk9A1P and complete the survey.

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