Submitted by UW Medicine.

UW Medicine’s Lopez Island Neighborhood Clinic will be offering COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine shots on an appointment-only basis beginning Aug. 24.

Although 74 percent of Lopez Island residents are fully vaccinated, clinic staff say it’s important for those who have not been vaccinated yet, to get their shots and for children who are now 12 years old, to also be signed up for shots.

The clinic distributed the Moderna vaccine from March through May; but this time, the clinic will be using the Pfizer vaccine. This vaccine is a two-shot series, with the second shot being given 28 days after the first at the clinic.

Recent health reports show that the delta variant is now the dominant variant in the U.S. as well as Washington state. While the vaccines are highly protective against this variant for serious illness or hospitalization, recent studies have shown that the Delta variant is much more contagious than the original COVID-19 virus which was dominant last year and earlier this year.

Even those who are vaccinated can carry a viral load of the delta variant and can be contagious to the unvaccinated, according to the CDC.

Although Lopez Island is a relatively isolated community, it is still important for those who are not vaccinated to do so.

The doses at the clinic are by appointment only and can be made by calling 360-468-2245, then press #2.