The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) continues to make progress with our COVID-19 vaccine distribution and administration efforts.

As of April 19, more than 4,765,270 doses of vaccine have been given across the state, which is nearly 82% of the 5,820,340 doses that have been delivered to our providers and long-term care programs. Washington is currently averaging 58,830 vaccine doses given each day and more than 25% of people in Washington are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. This information can be found on the DOH data dashboard under the vaccines tab, which is updated three times per week.

Now is the time to get your COVID-19 vaccine

Everyone 16 and older is now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Washington. Getting vaccinated protects yourself and those around you, especially those at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. Once you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you may be able to start doing some of the things you stopped doing because of the pandemic, including gathering without masks or physical distancing in private settings with others who are fully vaccinated or gathering with those who are unvaccinated and are at low risk for severe COVID-19 illness. Masks are still required in public settings regardless of vaccine status.

DOH is encouraging providers to expand their hours and offer additional clinic times to help make it easier for people to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The four state-led mass vaccination sites recently expanded their hours and are now open until 8 p.m. two days a week. We want to ensure people feel confident when they get the COVID-19 vaccine. Those with questions are encouraged to visit COVIDVaccineWA.org to learn more about vaccine safety and effectiveness, how the vaccines work, and other frequently asked questions.

Those looking for vaccine can use the state’s Vaccine Locator tool to find open appointments near them. You can also search Vaccine Finder, which shows providers who receive vaccine directly through federal government collaborations like the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program.

Update on Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause

Friday the Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices (ACIP) will hold another emergency meeting to talk about the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine. Last week, out of an abundance of caution, DOH decided to follow U.S. Food and Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance and pause the use of the J&J vaccine. Following the announcement, DOH reached out via text, email, and by phone to those who received the J&J vaccine to inform them of the pause.

Allocation update

Our three-week vaccine forecast shows allocations for Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna will remain fairly consistent. The forecast is an estimate that helps with planning at the state and local level. The numbers are subject to change as vaccine availability from the federal government may change.

Week of April 25: 370,340 total doses (191,680 first doses, 178,660 second doses)
- This includes 212,940 doses of Pfizer and 157,400 doses of Moderna
Week of May 2: 377,360 total doses (191,680 first doses, 185,680 second doses)
- This includes 219,960 doses of Pfizer and 157,400 doses of Moderna
Week of May 9: 383,360 total doses (191,680 first doses, 191,680 second doses)
- This includes 219,960 doses of Pfizer and 163,400 doses of Moderna

In addition to Pfizer and Moderna, the forecast shows Washington will receive 4,300 doses of the J&J vaccine in early May. We hope to learn more from our federal partners about the J&J vaccine at the end of the week.

The above is a press release from the WA State Department of Health. The Auburn Examiner has not independently verified its contents and encourages our readers to personally verify any information they find may be overly biased or questionable. The publication of this press release does not indicate an endorsement of its content.