Mass COVID Vaccination Site in Seattle Could Serve More Than 20,000 People A Day

by Ashley Gross

(This article was originally published by KNKX and has been reprinted with permission)

King County residents who are eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine will have a new location to do so starting this weekend.

The city of Seattle is opening a mass vaccination site at Lumen Field, where the Seahawks and Sounders play. The site is a partnership of the city, Swedish Health Services and the company that operates the facility, First & Goal Inc.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan says getting a large site set up now will help speed up vaccinations when more doses become available.

"We will be open for two to three days a week," Durkan said. "Initially, because of supply, we will vaccinate about 5,000 people a week."

But officials aren't stopping there. They hope to have Lumen Field Event Center operating seven days a week.

"At full supply and full status, we'll be able to vaccinate over 20,000 people a day," Durkan said.

Parking at the Lumen Field parking garage will be free for volunteers and people getting vaccinated.

People who are eligible to receive the vaccine can sign up on a notification list at the website seattle.gov/vaccine, or they can call 206-684-2489 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

The city is working with organizations that serve Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities, older adults, immigrants and refugees to schedule appointments. The aim is to make sure vaccines are distributed equitably.

Ashley Gross is a Seattle-based reporter with KNKX.

Featured image is attributed to Mecklenburg County under a Creative Commons 2.0 license.