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Kitsap Public Health data report highlights progress and gaps in COVID-19 vaccine rollout
- The report shows Kitsap County healthcare providers have made progress vaccinating eligible county residents, despite an ongoing vaccine shortage.
- Similar to state and national trends, the report reveals differences in vaccination rates by area of residence, race, ethnicity, and language.
- Kitsap Public Health is collaborating with community organizations and healthcare providers to support equitable access to vaccine for all eligible county residents.
Shot by shot, Kitsap County residents are gaining protection against COVID-19.
Healthcare providers in our county have been administering COVID-19 vaccines since late December. About 36,000 residents have already received their first dose. However, vaccine has not been equally available to all Kitsap residents.
A nationwide shortage of vaccine doses has prevented many eligible residents from booking appointments. Challenges with online registration systems and the limited number of vaccination sites available have created additional barriers to accessing vaccine.
To better understand who in our county is getting vaccinated, Kitsap Public Health District epidemiologists combed through COVID-19 vaccination data from the state's immunization database to produce a demographic snapshot of vaccine rollout through early February.
The new report, available on our COVID-19 vaccine page, shows healthcare providers in Kitsap County have made tremendous strides vaccinating eligible community members, despite an ongoing shortage of vaccine. Data also reveal how local vaccination rates vary by race, ethnicity, language, and geographic area. Similar disparities are being reported across the state and country.
Narrowing gaps in vaccine distribution will take a community-wide effort. Kitsap Public Health is collaborating with service organizations and healthcare providers to support equitable access to vaccine for all eligible county residents and reach populations hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A section of our report breaks down COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths by gender, geographic area, age, race and ethnicity, and language. Understanding which groups have been most affected by COVID-19 to date helps us prioritize our vaccination efforts as we work to protect the health of residents and control the spread of the virus.
A snapshot of vaccination in Kitsap County
- More than 30% of Kitsap residents older than 65 received their first dose of vaccine. The current phase of vaccination - Phase 1B Tier 1 - focuses on people 65 or older and people 50 or older in multigenerational households.
- About 12% of all Kitsap residents received their first dose of vaccine.

- Among Kitsap residents 65 or older, vaccination rates are highest for those identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native. Tribes are receiving federal or state vaccine allocations that are separate from the supplies allocated by states to local healthcare providers.
- Vaccination rates among all other racial categories are within 10 percentage points of each other. The vaccination rate for Kitsap residents 65 or older is somewhat higher among those who identify as White than those identifying as Asian, Black, or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.
- About 28% of residents 65 or older who speak English have been vaccinated, compared with 6% of Spanish speakers. However, language information was not available for about 32% of those vaccinated.
The unequal impact of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected us all, but it has hurt some more than others.
Extensive information is available on COVID-19 impacts at the national and state level. Locally, Kitsap Public Health has tracked the effect of the disease on different populations within our county since early in the pandemic. Our new report further examines demographic disparities in the cases, hospitalizations, and deaths reported to date.
Below are some of the key findings. We use a "rate per 100,000" to compare the affects of COVID-19 among groups of different population sizes.

- Bremerton has the highest rate of COVID-19 cases reported to date. Bainbridge Island has experienced the fewest.

- By race and ethnicity, people identifying as Hispanic or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander have experienced the highest rates of COVID-19.
- People identifying as Asian or White have experienced the lowest rates of COVID-19.
- Spanish speakers have experienced a much higher rate of COVID-19 (4,338 cases per 100,000) than English speakers (1,426 per 100,000).
Supporting equity in vaccine rollout
Kitsap Public Health District's mission is to protect and promote the health of all Kitsap County residents and we are committed to maintaining a strong focus on equity.
There are many challenges to providing equitable access to COVID-19 vaccine, beginning with the overwhelming demand for vaccination and extremely limited supplies. Systems in place for finding and booking vaccine appointments have overwhelmingly favored people with internet access and technological know-how, or those with others to advocate on their behalf.
Many of the racial disparities we see in both the impact of the COVID-19 and access to vaccination are linked to systemic inequality that extends far beyond this pandemic response.
Both locally and nationally, people of color are more likely to experience poor health and have greater barriers to accessing healthcare than people who are white. (See our 2017 health disparity report for local context.) The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed and widened these gaps.
Communities of color, including Black and Latinx, have been hit hardest by COVID-19 nationwide. People of color are more likely to be hesitant to pursue vaccination due to mistrust in government and healthcare systems.
No one agency or organization can solve these complex issues, but we are committed to promoting equity in our own vaccination programs and bringing our community together around broader solutions.
Our ongoing work includes:
- Convening a community collaborative focused on improving equity in vaccine rollout. An initial meeting is scheduled this week. For information, email covidvaccine@kitsappublichealth.org
- Working with community groups and healthcare providers to promote COVID-19 vaccination and support vaccine access for underserved populations. This includes planning additional vaccine clinics to serve communities hardest hit by COVID-19.
- Reserving a portion of appointments at our COVID-19 vaccine clinic for people who are eligible for vaccine but do not have internet or have other barriers to accessing vaccine.
- Providing phone support for people who do not have internet or computer access, or have other barriers to getting vaccine appointments. Call 360-728-2219. Para Español: 360-728-2218.
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MORE COVID-19 VACCINE RESOURCES
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QUESTIONS? Email covidvaccine@kitsappublichealth.org
MEDIA CONTACT: pio@kitsappublichealth.org
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