For immediate release: June 17, 2021   (21-152)Spanish

Contact: DOH Communications

Public inquiries: State COVID-19 Information Hotline, 1-800-525-0127

Washington moves closer to reopening goal as 67.8% of people 16+ initiate vaccination

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

As of June 14, more than 7,528,340 doses of vaccine have been given across the state and more than 4.1 million people have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Washington is getting closer to its 70% initiation goal. Combining data from the Washington State Immunization Information System (IIS) with aggregate data from the Department of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA), 67.81% of people 16 and older have initiated vaccination across the state. This information can be found on the DOH data dashboard, which is updated three times per week.

Comparing DOH and CDC vaccination data

To reopen before June 30, at least 70% of people 16 and older need to receive at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. As DOH has shared, there are differences between vaccination data displayed in the state’s data dashboard compared to vaccination data in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) COVID Data Tracker. The state’s data dashboard represents the most accurate information the department has control over. There are a few reasons for the differences:

• The state dashboard reports for people 16 and older, whereas the federal government reports for people 18 and up.
• DOH uses 2020 population estimates from the Office of Financial Management, the federal government uses 2019 census data.
• DOH is including 174,450 DoD and VA people who have initiated vaccination to the current statewide total. The federal government gets data from DoD, VA, Bureau of Prisons, and potentially a few other sources DOH does not have access to.

Spokane mass vaccination site closes today

After giving out more than 75,000 doses of vaccine, Thursday, June 17 the state-led mass vaccination site at Spokane Arena will close as DOH continues its transition to mobile vaccination clinics. The state-led sites in Ridgefield and Kennewick closed last month and the Chelan-Douglas Health District now leads the site in Wenatchee. During their operation, the four sites were incredibly successful and gave out more than 300,000 doses of lifesaving vaccine.

Novavax COVID-19 vaccine found to be highly effective

This week Novavax announced its COVID-19 vaccine was found to be safe and 90.4% effective in a large clinical trial. The vaccine showed levels of efficacy similar to Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. The company said it plans to file for authorization with the Food and Drug Administration later this year. If authorized, the Novavax vaccine would be the fourth COVID-19 vaccine in the United States and would likely be used across the world.

Get vaccinated today

It will never be easier than right now to get your COVID-19 vaccine. By making an appointment today you will protect yourself and your loved ones and be able to fully enjoy all the benefits when our state reopens later this month. If you have questions, reach out to your healthcare provider or visit our Frequently Asked Questions page. To find vaccine near you, you can use the state’s Vaccine Locator website, text your zip code to GETVAX (438829) or VACUNA (822862) to receive addresses of nearby available vaccination sites, or you can call our COVID-19 vaccination number 833-VAX-HELP. Language assistance is available.

The DOH website is your source for a healthy dose of information. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Sign up for the DOH blog, Public Health Connection. 

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