Mass vaccination site opens up

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Those who qualify for the COVID-19 vaccine now have more options, as a mass vaccination clinic opened up in Vancouver this past week.

On March 5, the Tower Mall mass vaccination site opened. It is intended to handle 600 vaccinations daily, according to Clark County Public Health Director and County Health Officer Alan Melnick.

Melnick was present at the first day of the site’s operation. He, along with a team of county staff, were overseeing the first day of operations.

The program was the result of collaboration between Public Health, the city of Vancouver and Safeway, the latter of which has been an integral part of vaccine distribution.

Melnick estimated there were 20,000 individuals in the county waiting to receive the vaccine. He mentioned that his department has made a focus on Black, indigenous and people of color communities for a greater level of distribution.

Melnick said bringing the site to fruition took several weeks of conversation with Vancouver city officials, with vaccine allocation through the federal program being one of the factors.

“We’ve been thinking about it for a long time,” Melnick remarked

Melnick said that since the vaccine was available, staff knew it would be a complex operation. The county has had the help of a team of individuals provided federally through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), who have helped with logistics in delivering doses.



Melnick noted that the department had orchestrated “strike teams” of mobile vaccinations targeting adult family homes

“There’s a lot of work and coordination that goes into this,” Melnick remarked.

Melnick noted that the site was different in its activation than the site at the Clark County Fairgrounds, given that one was run directly from federal partnerships. He noted that any school staff, alongside preschool teachers, are now eligible.

Melnick noted that the world continued to change, regardless of how vaccine response went.

“Throughout this pandemic … something different happens, and you have to pivot a little different in terms of your planning,” Melnick remarked. “But the fact is we’re all that the table and talking to each other makes it a lot easier.”