OLYMPIA, Wash. — Governor Jay Inslee said Washington is ready to go, as the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine is being shipped to the state.
“There will be an end to this turmoil and this trauma and this challenge, we know there will be an end because we know that this vaccine is going to work,” said Inslee at a news conference on Sunday.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will arrive on in the state on Monday. Front line health care workers and long-term care facility residents will get the initial doses as soon as Tuesday.
Inslee said he's been critical at times of the federal response to the pandemic.
“But it's just a really happy event that we can say the FDA, the CDC, did their job in this case without political intrusion into the scientific decision making,” said Inslee.
Washington, joined by Oregon, California, and Nevada, did their own evaluation of the vaccine as well. And the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup confirmed that the vaccine is safe and effective.
“There are side effects with this vaccine as there are with any other; the ones that we saw in the study, they're transient and they're comparable to many of the side effects that we see after the administration of many other currently licensed vaccines,” said Dr. James Dunn, a workgroup member representing the evergreen state.
The preventative medicine is coming on board as COVID-19 activity is at its highest in Washington, according to the state's top doctor.
“As of this morning there are more than 1,000 Washington residents with COVID-19 in our hospitals our hospitals are stressed taking care of patients with and without COVID and our health care workers are exhausted,” said Dr. Kathy Lofy, Washington State Health Officer. Lofy is also the state’s Chief Science Officer.
The initial shipment to Washington is 62,000 doses. It will be sent to 40 facilities in 29 counties, one pharmacy that serves long term care facilities across the state, two tribal nations and an urban Indian health facility. As many as 222,000 doses should be delivered by the end of the month.
PeaceHealth Southwest Washington Medical Center is expecting about 4,000 doses to start. It's most-at-risk health care workers will be eligible for the vaccine. But the hospital will also distribute the vaccine to other front-line workers and long-term care centers in southwest Washington. Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center was treating 27 COVID-19 patients on Sunday. It will also be getting the vaccine to its most-at-risk workers who are treating those patients.
The governor praised residents for helping Washington have one of the lowest infection rates in the country right now, and asked them to continue the fight, by getting the vaccine when it's their turn.
“And we are relying on Washingtonians commitment to following science and truth and the truth is in the science,” said Inslee.