Submitted by the Whatcom County Health Department
As of August 8, 56.4% of all Whatcom residents are fully vaccinated, and 61.8% have gotten at least one dose. Out of everyone who’s currently eligible, including adolescents and teens ages 12-17, 70.8% have gotten at least one dose.
There are still more than 50,000 eligible people in Whatcom County who have not gotten vaccinated. Cases are rising locally and nationally, and everyone who isn’t vaccinated is at higher risk of catching and spreading the Delta variant of COVID-19. If you haven’t yet been vaccinated, please do so as soon as possible. Find a provider near you at VacineLocator.doh.wa.gov.
Changes Coming to Vaccine Newsflash
We’re going to be publishing these weekly vaccine updates every Thursday beginning next week. You’ll get even more advance notice about pop-up clinics scheduled for the following week. We’ll also be updating the vaccination graphic every other week, instead of weekly. You can still get updated weekly data from DOH’s data dashboard here.
Pop-up Vaccination Clinics and Other Walk-In Options
All of these clinics welcome walk-ins, and the vaccine is still 100% free of charge. If you’re already vaccinated, share this list with someone who isn’t!
PeaceHealth Cordata Clinic
- Tuesday, Aug. 10, 5:30-6:30pm
- 4545 Cordata Pkwy, Bellingham
- Pfizer
- Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are preferred. Call 833-375-0285 to make an appointment.
Old Lynden Middle School Gym
- Friday, Aug. 13, 3-6pm
- 516 Main St, Lynden
- Pfizer, Moderna, J&J
- Testing offered here too. And burrito truck coupons!
Vaccine MythBusted: COVID-19 vaccines kill people
Various numbers get thrown out on social media alleging that people are dying from COVID-19 vaccination. Some of the numbers range as high as 12,000. The root of these claims always point to VAERS data, but lack context. According to the disclaimer on the VAERS website:
VAERS accepts reports of adverse events and reactions that occur following vaccination. Healthcare providers, vaccine manufacturers, and the public can submit reports to the system. While very important in monitoring vaccine safety, VAERS reports alone cannot be used to determine if a vaccine caused or contributed to an adverse event or illness. The reports may contain information that is incomplete, inaccurate, coincidental, or unverifiable. In large part, reports to VAERS are voluntary, which means they are subject to biases. This creates specific limitations on how the data can be used scientifically. Data from VAERS reports should always be interpreted with these limitations in mind.
About 8,000 people die in the U.S. every day from various causes. Some people die coincidentally after having recently received a vaccine. Whether or not their death was directly caused by vaccination, their death may be logged into VAERS. That’s why VAERS data by itself should not be used to make claims about vaccine safety.
Between December 14, 2020 and August 2, 2021 more than 346 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in the United States. During this time, 6,490 reports of death were logged into VAERS. Even if we assumed every reported death was directly caused by vaccination, that would still mean your odds of dying are only about 1 in 53,000. For comparison, your odds of getting struck by lighting in your lifetime are 1 in 15,300 – and your odds of dying from COVID-19 once infected are about 1 in 58.
The actual number of deaths from COVID-19 is almost certainly lower than 6,490. The COVID-19 vaccine is one of the safest vaccines ever produced. It won’t save you from lightning, but it will protect you from COVID-19.
More Information
More information about the COVID-19 vaccine, vaccine planning, and vaccine safety can be found on the DOH’s COVID-19 vaccine web page at www.covidvaccinewa.org. For information about COVID-19 vaccination in Whatcom County, visit our webpage at www.whatcomcounty.us/covidvaccine.
