Snowstorm impacts local blood supply, donations urgent in February
The weekend snowstorm blanketing much of Western Washington and Portland has created a dangerous dent in our local blood supply due to cancelled blood drives and inability to travel to appointments. The cancellations mean over 800 donations couldn’t be collected leaving our community in short supply of lifesaving blood and in urgent need of more donors
“The snowstorm hit us at a time when our community blood supply is already experiencing a surge in hospital usage,” said Bloodworks President and CEO Curt Bailey. “In the past three days we’ve collected only 52% of the blood components needed to support patients. Blood and platelet shortages like we’re experiencing now jeopardize the availability of blood for our local hospitals and trauma centers. The community must donate in the days and weeks ahead to rebuild the supply for patients who depend on lifesaving transfusions.”
What do you want to know about COVID-19 vaccination in Clark County?
We track down answers to readers’ questions about where and how to get a shot
Published: February 14, 2021, 6:05am
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3 Photos Staff members of Touchmark at Fairway Village received the COVID-19 vaccine in January. Since Dec. 16, Clark County has administered more than 32,000 doses of the vaccine. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian) Photo Gallery Photo
While Clark County, and the rest of the U.S., has been administering the COVID-19 vaccine for almost two months, vaccine is still not easily accessible.
In the past few weeks, The Columbian and local health care providers have been inundated with questions about vaccination. We’ve rounded up the most frequently asked questions about vaccination, and we have done our best to answer them.
DOH: Million doses of COVID vaccine given across state KIRO 7 News Staff
According to the Washington State Department of Health, more than 1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered across the state since distribution began in Dec. 2020.
“We are thrilled that 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Washington state. That means hundreds of thousands of people have gotten their COVID-19 vaccine,” said Dr. Umair Shah, secretary of health. “But we have so much more work to do to get everyone, not just that first dose, but the second. And until we have millions of people vaccinated in the state, we all must continue to wear masks, wash our hands, and watch our social distancing.”