As hospitals on the North Olympic Peninsula struggle under a worsening capacity crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a way forward.
That was the message from Drs. Tracie Harris, Allison Berry and Joe Mattern during a briefing last week to the Jefferson County board of commissioners. Amid the influx of COVID patients to Olympic Medical Center and Jefferson Healthcare hospitals, doctors are calling on people to get vaccinated — to help keep the community’s health care system, schools and economy functioning.
“We all have to do this together,” Mattern said.
COVID-19 shots are free and available at many locations, including pharmacies and clinics.
• In Port Angeles and Sequim: Safeway, Walgreens, Walmart and Rite Aid are among the pharmacies where Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines are available. Costco in Sequim also provides vaccinations.
• In Port Angeles: Olympic Medical Physicians offers Pfizer vaccination appointments to patients 12 years or older; phone 360-565-0999 for an appointment.
• Peninsula College, 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd. in Port Angeles, will host COVID-19 vaccination clinics from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Monday and on and Oct. 4.
• In Port Townsend, the Jefferson Healthcare Express Clinic, on the north side of the main building at 834 Sheridan St., provides the Johnson & Johnson vaccine without an appointment from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week. Port Townsend’s Safeway store pharmacy at 442 W. Sims Way offers the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines with no appointment needed.
• In Port Hadlock, the Tri-Area Pharmacy offers walk-in COVID vaccinations Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• In Forks, the Clallam County Health Department offers the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Thursdays. To schedule an appointment, phone Tina Moody at 360-374-3121 or email tmoody@co.clallam.wa.us.
• Both counties’ websites have abundant information on the vaccines: Clallam at http://www.clallam.net/ Coronavirus/vaccine.html and Jefferson at co.jefferson.wa.us.
• People also can contact their own doctors and nurse practitioners to discuss vaccination and other health concerns.
• People who are homebound and want to be immunized are encouraged to phone the emergency management department: 360-344-9791 in Jefferson County and 360-417-2430 in Clallam.
For people experiencing COVID symptoms — fever, coughing or sore throat, trouble breathing — Mattern strongly advises getting a test. Each county website has information about testing sites, while the Clallam County COVID hotline is 360-417-2430 and the Jefferson County nurse consult line is 360-344-3094.
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Jefferson County senior reporter Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-417-3509 or durbanidelapaz@peninsuladailynews.com
