Vaccination appointments open this week for all residents 65 and up; focusing on people living in West, South or Central Seattle

SEATTLE — Seattle is opening vaccination appointments at its testing and vaccination hubs in Rainier Beach and West Seattle from March 9 to 13.

The focus is on people aged 65 and older who live in West, South and Central Seattle.

The vaccination sites are run by the Seattle Fire Department, whose staff will be administering the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. Both are two-dose vaccines, and those who are eligible will schedule their second dose while scheduling their first dose.

The city is working with community and faith-based groups in a referral-based process to register people in phase 1A and phase 1B, tier 1 for appointments with a focus on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities and older adults, immigrants and refugees.

City officials said they are focusing on high risk people who are 65 and older because in many neighborhoods throughout Seattle, vaccination rates in that group are lagging behind the rest of King County.

Central Seattle, at 62.8%, has one of the lowest vaccination rates for people 65 and older in King County.

At 61.6%, West Seattle and South Seattle have the lowest vaccination rates of people 75 and older countywide.

Appointments for older Seattleites are being prioritized because they are most at risk of hospitalization and death.

Those who do not live in Seattle and are under 65 should not register.

Both registration forms are available at www.seattle.gov/vaccine.

Residents who are 65 and older can register for the Rainier Beach vaccination hub here: http://bit.ly/3kTm4LO and the West Seattle vaccination hub here: http://bit.ly/3pGCcWS.

If you have special needs or need help registering, you can contact the Customer Service Bureau at 206-684-2489 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Language assistance is available over the phone.

Cox Media Group