Major milestone: 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered across the state

||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH |||

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is thrilled to share that more than 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given to people across the state since distribution began in mid-December of 2020.

This important milestone was reached thanks to the hard work of our providers, local and private sector partners, the Washington National Guard, and DOH staff, who have put in long hours and spent months planning to get us to where are today.

See pictures and videos of the ceremonial 1 millionth dose being given in Wenatchee!

 “We are thrilled that 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been given in Washington state. That means hundreds of thousands of people have gotten their COVID-19 vaccine,” says Umair A. Shah, MD, MPH, Secretary of Health. “But we have so much more work to do to get everyone not just that first dose, but the second. And until we have millions of people vaccinated in the state, we all must continue to wear masks, wash our hands, and watch our social distancing.”

Recently, the state shifted into high gear by vaccinating more than 30,000 people at the state-lead mass vaccination sites that opened January 26 in Spokane, Ridgefield, Wenatchee, and Kennewick. These sites further expand upon the work done at local health departments, community health centers, hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, and more, getting shots in the arms of Washingtonians eligible for vaccine.

Currently, more than 26,000 people on average are receiving their vaccine every day, which is moving closer to DOH’s goal of vaccinating 45,000 people per day. Although we have a long way to go, we want to thank our partners for their hard work and the community for their continued patience. This is further proof that, with vaccine, hope is on the horizon.