Washington public health officials ask: Boosters, anyone?

Demand for Omicron boosters is off to a gradual begin within the Seattle space.

Driving the information: As of Monday, 6.8% of eligible King County residents had acquired a bivalent booster aimed toward preventing the newest strains of COVID-19.

• That is a smaller share than native officers hoped for, mentioned Kate Cole, a spokesperson for Public Well being – Seattle & King County.

What’s taking place: Greater than two weeks after doses grew to become out there in King County, “main gaps” exist in booster protection broadly — however the numbers are lowest amongst those that are Black, Latino or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Cole mentioned.

• As of Monday, 2.6% of Black and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents of King County had acquired a bivalent booster, in comparison with 8.9% of white residents.
• In the meantime, amongst Latino and Hispanic residents, 3.3% had acquired the up to date shot.
• To assist handle these disparities, the county is partnering with group organizations to host pop-up vaccination clinics and dealing to share data in a number of languages, Cole mentioned.

Of observe: County residents ages 65 and older obtained boosted at the next fee than another group — however even then, solely 12% had acquired the up to date shot as of this week.

What they’re saying: “COVID-19 just isn’t disappearing; it is altering and stays unpredictable,” Cole wrote in an electronic mail to Axios.

• “…The up to date boosters will present the most effective safety we now have from COVID-related hospitalization and demise, and can even decrease the chance of long-COVID,” she wrote, including that the brand new shot is “specifically tailor-made to focus on the COVID-19 variants which might be circulating now.”

By the numbers: As of Monday, 281,201 folks had acquired the up to date shot statewide, based on the state Division of Well being.

• About 109,000 of these had been in King County.

The massive image: Booster charges are low not simply in Washington, however nationwide.

Be good: You are eligible for the brand new booster in case you’re 12 or older, have completed your main vaccine sequence, and haven’t acquired a dose or booster prior to now two months.

• Boosters are free even when you do not have insurance coverage or authorized residency standing.

You will discover locations to get a shot and make an appointment at kingcounty.gov/vaccine.