Peninsula Pharmacies staff Jim Bannister, center, and Wendy D’Agostino, right, administer vaccinations with Yamilie “Jamie” Castro, left, of the Pacific County Health Department providing interpreter services.

PACIFIC COUNTY — Nearly 200 shellfish workers in Pacific County were vaccinated in a single day last week, as the county health department and Peninsula Pharmacies teamed up to take Moderna’s covid-19 vaccine on the road.

The “tour of canneries,” as county health director Katie Lindstrom called it, included stops at the Port of Peninsula, where 68 workers from eight different shellfish companies received their first vaccine shot, Safe Coast Seafoods in Ilwaco, Goose Point Oysters in Bay Center and Pacific Seafood in South Bend.

In recent weeks, the state expanded vaccine eligibility to certain high-risk critical workers, including those who work in aquaculture and food processing. In this area, seafood-processing workers have suffered a disproportionate share of covid infections. The Pacific County Public Health Department worked with Peninsula Pharmacies, ports and employers to make the clinics happen.

Pull Quote

‘The port [in Nahcotta] is trusted within the oyster growing community as well as geographically central to shellfish work, so we wanted to leverage those factors to reach shellfish workers who might have slipped through the cracks due to work schedules or language and cultural reasons.’

Phil Martin

Port commission chairman

Port of Peninsula Board Chairman Phil Martin said his port has been working for a while to connect shellfish workers, particularly those from small independent growers and the growing Hispanic worker community, with vaccinations.

“The port is trusted within the oyster growing community as well as geographically central to shellfish work, so we wanted to leverage those factors to reach shellfish workers who might have slipped through the cracks due to work schedules or language and cultural reasons,” Martin said.

At the clinic on Friday, Peninsula Pharmacies staff greeted participants and guided them through the intake process and then performed the vaccine injections, Martin said.

A growing number of Pacific County’s shellfish workers are Hispanic, and there has been a public call for greater equity in vaccine access in Hispanic communities. Along with the Peninsula Pharmacies staff needed to administer the vaccines, the county health department also provided an interpreter for the tour.

“This event was about more than just equity in vaccine access for an at-risk community; this was about our community working together and protecting our high-risk workers who grow the food our nation counts on. The event came together very quickly and absolutely could not have happened without the efficient professionalism of Pacific County Public Health and Peninsula Pharmacies. There was an excellent response from local shellfish growers and workers,” said Port Manager Jay Personius.

Marilyn Sheldon of Northern Oyster Company was supportive of the event. “It went great. We really appreciate what the port did to put this together. They made it easy and accessible.”

Lindstrom said that the county and Peninsula Pharmacies workers will be back on the road again in a few weeks, to administer second doses and complete vaccination. She said they are also hoping to set up additional first-dose tours for the canneries they weren’t able to visit last week.

New real-world study bullish on Pfizer, Moderna vaccines

A new report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on March 29 showed that Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines provide up to 90% protection against covid-19, backing up clinical data from last year for both of the vaccines.

The real-world study of nearly 4,000 healthcare workers and first responders, many of whom were the first to be eligible for vaccination last December, found that both Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines reduce the risk of contracting covid-19 by about 80% two weeks or more after receiving the first of two shots. The figure rose to 90% two weeks or more after receiving the second and final shot.

The volunteers of the study worked in eight locations throughout the country, and were observed from mid-December to mid-March. They were tested for covid-19 on a regular basis, regardless of symptoms, and were monitored via text messages, emails and medical reports.

Of the 3,950 participants in the study, 2,961 were vaccinated with at least one dose, while the other 989 were unvaccinated. Of the 205 confirmed positive covid-19 cases, 161 infections were identified in unvaccinated participants, eight were identified among those who were fully vaccinated, and 33 were excluded because the participant’s immune status was unclear.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on Monday that the study was “tremendously encouraging.”

“These findings also underscore the importance of getting both of the recommended doses of the vaccine in order to get the greatest level of protection against covid-19, especially as our concerns about variants escalate,” Walensky said.

As of March 27, 14,552 vaccine doses had been given in Pacific County, up from 13,254 doses a week earlier. About 23.8% of county residents have been fully vaccinated so far. Statewide, 3.25 million doses have been given, up from 2.83 million doses a week ago.