EDMONDS, Wash. — More coronavirus vaccines are coming, and for some hospitals they have already arrived and are being doled out.
Here's when some of western Washington's biggest health care providers will vaccinate frontline workers.
Seattle Children’s hospital began inoculating its staff Wednesday.
Swedish released photos of some of their first vaccine recipients from Tuesday night. A spokesperson said additional details are being worked out for their campuses.
The four UW Medicine hospitals, including Harborview Medical Center, Valley Medical Center and the Northwest campus, will formally begin vaccinations on Thursday. This coincides with staff ending their work weeks to guard against the impacts of side effects. UW Medicine received the first batch of 3,900 doses of the Pfizer vaccine at 7 a.m. Monday morning.
Next week, Overlake says they’re expecting to begin inoculating their staff with the Pfizer vaccine.
Overlake Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Knoepfler said there are priorities even within the 1A group, which broadly includes residents in nursing and congregate facilities. Their top priority are those staff members at risk of contracting the virus, because they treat COVID-19 patients, and those who are at greater risk of COVID consequences, including the factor of age – those over 65.
“Obviously, the more of these in play, the sooner the individual is vaccinated,” Knoepfler said in a hospital frequently asked questions blog.
Michele Roberts, the state Department of Health’s vaccine coordinator, told KING 5 last week that she expects the system to smooth out in January.
But already the massive inoculation job has taken a sharp jump with the expected arrival this week of the first 60,400 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and another 160,000 is expected by the end of the month.
If all goes well and the Moderna vaccine is approved this week, another 180,000-plus doses of that vaccine could arrive this month.