Washington’s first COVID vaccine is administered at UW Medicine. (KING 5)
The first COVID-19 vaccinations at UW Medicine took place at 11 a.m. on Tuesday when a group of front-line workers received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
“The word for today is memorable,” said Harborview Associate Medical Director Dr. John Lynch.
The first workers to be vaccinated were nurses, doctors, environmental workers and respiratory therapists.
UW Medicine received about 3,900 doses of the Pfizer vaccine Monday for its hospitals: Harborview Medical Center, Valley Medical Center, and the two University of Washington Medical Center campuses (Montlake and Northwest). Vaccination clinics for eligible health professionals at UW Medicine begin Thursday, Dec. 17.
The first shipments of a COVID-19 vaccine for widespread use in the United States departed from Michigan on Sunday to distribution centers nationwide. The first shipment from Washington State contains 62,000 doses of Pfizers vaccine, which will be a priority for primary care workers and people in long-term care facilities.
“I am pleased to say that the federal government has allowed the use of a COVID vaccine,” said Governor Jay Inslee on Sunday, adding that Washington State has also completed its own scientific safety assessment, along with its partners in other states. the west coast.
“Obviously, this can’t come soon enough,” Inslee said of the vaccine.
Another Moderna vaccine will be reviewed by an expert panel this week and could be allowed for public use shortly thereafter.