Spokane residents hunting for first-dose COVID-19 vaccine appointments might have some luck this week, with community providers and the Spokane Arena opening up more slots.

The Spokane Arena mass vaccination site, run by the Department of Health and Safeway-Albertsons pharmacies, has opened up some first-dose appointments online Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Booking for the Arena appointments must be done online through the Safeway-Albertsons scheduling tool . While this week is considered a soft launch for scheduling, the department expects more first-dose appointments to open up next week.

Providence also announced it will host an additional community clinic Wednesday at the Spokane Teaching Health Clinic, with appointments available online.

Health care and frontline workers as well as K-12 teachers, child care workers and residents 65 and older or 50 and older in multigenerational households are eligible.

There are several providers in the community offering doses, and those appointments are listed on the Department of Health website.

Spokane County Interim Health Officer Dr. Francisco Velázquez told reporters the county is moving at a good pace and is on track for vaccinating its population.

Spokane County, the fourth most-populated county in Washington, has received doses proportional to its population. So far, 91,598 Spokane County residents, about 17.7% of the population, have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Velázquez said he is confident that county providers will continue to receive increasing vaccine supply in the coming weeks. The Spokane Regional Health District has administered first doses to all long-term care facilities and adult family homes that were not included in the federal vaccine program.

The health district is focusing on administering second doses in these facilities as well as getting doses to homebound residents who are eligible.

CHAS Health received 500 single-shot Johnson & Johnson doses from the federal government this week. The organization plans to use them to vaccinate people who might struggle to return for a second dose, such as the homeless or those who live in rural areas.

A look at local numbers

The Spokane Regional Health District confirmed 59 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday and no additional deaths.

There are 589 confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Spokane County residents. There are 41 patients hospitalized with the virus.

The Panhandle Health District confirmed 31 new cases on Wednesday and four additional deaths.

To date, 273 Panhandle residents have died from COVID-19.

There are 26 Panhandle residents hospitalized with the virus.