Mass vaccination clinics begin

DAVENPORT – Weekly mass vaccination clinics hosted by the Lincoln County Health Department begin April 22 at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds. The vaccination clinics, which are expected to be funded on a reimbursement basis through FEMA grant money, will take up a large chunk of the 100 doses the health department hopes to disburse each week.

So far, only 10 people had signed up for the first clinic as of April 20, despite COVID-19 numbers holding steady here. 15 new virus cases have been reported in Davenport in the last two weeks. The Reardan and Wilbur outbreaks have slowed, with just four new cases between the two (three in Reardan).

24% of the county’s population is fully vaccinated, far short of the 70-80% forecasted to bring herd immunity. Despite this, the health department has indicated vaccine interest is declining.

Lincoln Hospital is also receiving 100 doses per week to disburse. Everyone in Washington ages 16 or older is now eligible to be vaccinated.

Updated information: Past issues of The Times that featured stories about the recent outbreak in Davenport and Reardan schools included the news that a school staff member in Davenport was hospitalized, based on an update given to the county commissioners by the health department. That patient ended up receiving a false positive COVID-19 test and was hospitalized for reasons other than coronavirus. Follow-up testing yielded a negative COVID-19 test in that staff member.