Hours extended at Tower Mall vaccination site
VANCOUVER – Clark County Public Health is offering more opportunities to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Public Health will offer Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccine at two upcoming weekend events and is adding evening hours at the Tower Mall vaccination site.
Beginning today, the Tower Mall vaccination site will operate until 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. Pfizer vaccine is administered at Tower Mall; those 16 years and older can get vaccinated. The site offers appointments, which are added weekly, and provides vaccinations to those without appointments. Priority will be given to those with appointments.
The Tower Mall site is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays, and 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays. The site closes noon to 1 p.m. each day and 5-5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. Tower Mall, 5403 E. Mill Plain Blvd., offers drive-thru and walk-up vaccination options, and is accessible by C-TRAN bus route 37.
Everyone vaccinated at the Tower Mall site is automatically scheduled for a second dose at the site three weeks later. Consent forms are needed for each appointment and are available on the Public Health website.
The Tower Mall site is operated in partnership with the city of Vancouver and Safeway.
Weekend vaccination events
Public Health will also be hosting vaccination events in Woodland and the Fruit Valley area of Vancouver over the next two weeks.
The first event is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat., May 8 at Woodland High School, 1500 Dike Access Road. The event will offer Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccine. About 1,000 appointments are available. Schedule an appointment for the Woodland event online or by calling Public Health at (888) 225-4625. Language assistance is available.
Johnson & Johnson vaccine is available for people 18 years and older and requires only one dose. Pfizer vaccine is available for people 16 years and older and requires two doses. Second doses will be provided for everyone who receives a first dose at Woodland High School on Sat., June 5.
Public Health also has appointments for more than 400 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine at Fruit Valley Community Learning Center, 3410 NW Fruit Valley Road, on Sat., May 15. Appointments are available 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be scheduled online or by calling Public Health at (888) 225-4625.
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) resumed use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine across the state on April 24 after an 11-day pause was taken as a precaution after six cases of a rare but severe type of blood clot were reported following administration of the vaccine. In these cases, a blood clot in the brain formed, which is called thrombosis. This is coupled with low blood platelets, known as thrombocytopenia. When those both occur after a vaccine, it is referred to as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS).
On April 23, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that a total of 15 cases of TTS had been reported, which included the original six cases. All the cases occurred in women between the ages of 18 and 59, occurring six to 15 days after vaccination. DOH is not aware of any cases in Washington. The warning signs of TTS include severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, and/or shortness of breath. People experiencing TTS symptoms following vaccination should contact their healthcare provider or seek medical attention immediately.
Public Health will be at the Fruit Valley school to administer second doses of Pfizer to people who received their first dose at the site on April 24. No first doses of Pfizer vaccine will be available.
COVID-19 vaccines are free. ID and health insurance are not required.
As virus activity increases in Clark County, Public Health is urging everyone to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible.
“All three vaccines are safe and prevent COVID-19 infection, including asymptomatic infection,” said Dr. Alan Melnick, Clark County health officer and Public Health director. “The more people who get vaccinated, the better protected our community is against COVID-19.”
Information provided by Clark County Public Health.
