100 million Americans have received COVID vaccine, CDC says
At least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine has now been given to more than 100 million Americans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday. That means more than 30% of the population has gotten the shot.
A few weeks ago, the U.S. passed 100 million doses given a few weeks ago, which included does given people who received both the first and second doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
The CDC said of the 101,804,762 who have gotten at least one dose, 57,984,785 are now fully vaccinated -- people have either gotten both doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines or a dose of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. That's 17.5% of the U.S. population considered fully vaccinated.
Johnson & Johnson to begin testing COVID-19 vaccine on younger teens
Pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson said on Friday it would begin testing its coronavirus vaccine on adolescents ages 12 to 17.
The company said in a statement that the Phase 2a study, which has been ongoing since September, was initially designed to evaluate the safety of the vaccine candidate in "healthy adults aged 18 to 55 years, as well as adults aged 65 years and older."
White House Chief Medical Adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci recently told lawmakers he believes vaccines will be available for older children beginning in the fall, but elementary school aged kids may need to wait until next year. Moderna and Pfizer recently announced pediatric trials for children under 12 years old.
FDA authorizes 2 changes to Moderna’s vaccine
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized two changes to Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine that can provide extra doses from each vial.
The agency said late Thursday it approved new vials from Moderna that can contain up to 15 doses each, compared with the original vials designed to hold 10 doses. Additionally, regulators said providers can safely extract up to 11 doses from the original 10-dose vials. Those changes will be added to instructions for health care workers.
An inside look at the mass vaccination site on Microsoft's campus
The mass vaccination site on the Microsoft campus has now delivered more than 40,000 COVID-19 shots into arms.
The site is a partnership between Microsoft, Overlake Medical Center and Evergreen Health. Right now, the partnership says it’s delivering about 2,000 shots a day. It could do 6,000 if it could get more doses, organizers say.
King County COVID-19 update
King County Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin gives an update on COVID-19 in the county as health officials warn about a potential fourth wave of coronavirus cases.
How to get a COVID-19 vaccine in Washington
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) released an online portal to check your eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine.
As of Wednesday, March 31, the state moved to Phase 1B, Tiers 3 and 4, which added the following qualifications for eligibility:
- Anyone age 16 and older with two or more diseases or medical conditions
- Anyone age 60 and older
- Anyone living or working in certain congregate settings (correctional facilities, group homes for those with disabilities, those experiencing homelessness, etc.)
- Additional high-risk critical workers in congregate settings (restaurants, manufacturing, construction)
If you are eligible, find a list of vaccine providers on the state's Vaccinate WA page and information on how to make an appointment.