Covid-19 update

There was one more case of covid-19 reported in Wahkiakum County in the last two weeks according to the Washington Department of Health, bringing the cumulative total to 645. There was an additional hospitalization, bringing that number to 51, and the number of deaths attributed to the virus stands at 12.

Disclaimer: With the easy accessibility of at home tests, the actual number of active covid-19 cases and actual cumulative numbers in the county are hard to know.

While 70.8 percent of the population in Washington state has received the primary series of the vaccine, only 53.3 percent of the population in Wahkiakum County has had the primary series, and according to WA DOH, 34.6 percent of the people in the county eligible for the bivalent booster have had it while only 31.9 percent of people eligible in the state have opted to receive it.

The primary series of the Pfizer vaccine and the Pfizer bivalent booster, including a version for juveniles, are available at the vaccine clinic offered by Wahkiakum Health and Human Services.

The clinic is held on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and 1:30-3 p.m. Call 360-849-4041 for more information.

The health department’s vaccine clinics are held at their Elochoman Valley Campus, at 42 Elochoman Valley Road.

According to Wahkiakum Health and Human Services Director Chris Bischoff, the waiting room/check-in area for the clinic is in the first building that people see when they turn into the south driveway, called Building 1. Parking is to the right. The entrance is at the northeast corner of the building where people will be greeted and given the forms they need to fill out for their visit.

The primary series of the Moderna vaccine and the new Moderna bivalent booster are available at the Cathlamet Pharmacy by appointment, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. and 2-5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Call 360-795-3691 for more information or to make an appointment.

“The only really newsworthy thing is that the original covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer and Moderna is now no longer available,” Bischoff said. “Instead the formulation that was introduced as a booster in the fall will be used for people who are just starting the vaccine process. There was a hiccup in the process where the original vaccine was no longer available and the new formulation was not approved for use as the primary series yet. That lasted for a few days, but has been rectified now.”