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

As of April 5, more than 3,798,746 doses of vaccine have been given across the state, which is nearly 85% of the 4,477,920 doses that have been delivered to our providers and long-term care programs. Washington is currently averaging 59,592 vaccine doses given each day. This information can be found on the DOH data dashboard under the vaccines tab, which is updated three times per week.

Vaccinating 16 and 17-year-olds

We know parents are eager to find COVID-19 vaccination appointments for their teens. Currently, Pfizer-BioNTech is the only COVID-19 vaccine authorized for people 16 years of age and older. Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are authorized for people 18 and older. We are working to add vaccine type to our Vaccine Locator webpage and mobile app to help simplify the process. In the meantime, we encourage providers to clearly identify the type of vaccine they are offering for available appointments. If the vaccine type is not listed, people may need to contact the provider.

Starting April 15 everyone ages 16 and older will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. Those age 16 or 17 may need consent from a parent or guardian to get the vaccine, unless they are legally emancipated.

Vaccine trials for adolescents

Friday Johnson & Johnson announced it’s expanding its vaccine trial to include adolescents 12 to 17 years of age. The vaccine will initially be tested in a small number of teens age 16 to 17. Following a review of initial data, the study will expand to a larger group of younger adolescents. The news comes on the heels of a recent study released by Pfizer that shows the Pfizer vaccine is safe and 100% effective for adolescents age 12 to 15.

Moderna is also studying the safety and effectiveness of its vaccine on children. The company is currently conducting two clinical trials, including one for adolescents age 12 to 17. The second trial is for children age 6 months to 11 years old.

Allocation update

Our three-week forecast from the federal government shows a substantial decrease in Johnson & Johnson vaccine starting next week. 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. It is not uncommon for additional doses to be added later in the week before orders are placed.

Week of April 11: 386,810 total doses (191,560 first doses, 195,250 second doses)
- This includes 225,810 doses of Pfizer, 148,100 doses of Moderna, and 12,900 doses of Johnson & Johnson
Week of April 18: 355,980 total doses (182,960 first doses, 173,020 second doses)
- This includes 203,580 doses of Pfizer, 148,100 doses of Moderna, and 4,300 doses of Johnson & Johnson
Week of April 25: 356,940 total doses (180,620 first doses, 176,320 second doses)
- The includes 201,240 doses of Pfizer, 151,400 doses of Moderna, and 4,300 doses of Johnson & Johnson

Last week nearly 15 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine were ruined at a manufacturing plant in Baltimore. Despite the loss, our federal partners have told us this should not have a major impact on vaccine allocations. Johnson & Johnson said it is still on track to meet its target of producing 100 million doses of vaccine for the United States by the end of May.

On top of our weekly state allocations, there is a new federal allocation coming to Washington that goes directly to dialysis clinics. The partnership increases access to COVID-19 vaccines for patients and healthcare personnel in outpatient dialysis clinics who have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and are at high risk of severe illness.

The above is a press release from the WA 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.