Less Than 20% of COVID Vaccines in Washington State Have Been Administered

Just over 59,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine has been distributed so far in Washington State, or about 19% of the roughly 357,000 doses delivered.

The state will receive a reported 57,500 doses of the Phizer COVID-19 vaccine and 44,500 doses of the Moderna vaccine this week. State officials have recently been complaining that they don't have a predictable delivery schedule from the CDC and it's making distribution plans more difficult.

Acting Assistant Health Secretary Michele Roberts said 1A vaccine recipients are continuing to be prioritized, and it's the department's hope that 1B recipients can start in mid-to-late January, although it's still unclear as to who will be in that next category.

"We know that many people's number one question right now is who's next with vaccine prioritization." explained Roberts, "We hopefully will have these answers by early next week."

Roberts added that the state guidance on administering vaccines was updated this week so that providers who run out of 1A vaccine recipients, but have vaccines left, can use their clinical judgement to give any remaining doses to other healthcare workers.

In the meantime, Roberts said it's important for all eligible people to get their flu shot this winter. The state also needs more providers to enroll as distributors for future vaccination phases in the coming months.