OLYMPIA, Wash. — More than 30,000 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine have been given to health workers across Washington since the state first received the vaccine last week, and thousands of more doses are on the way.
"We are thrilled with this progress in such a short time," health officials said in a prepared statement Wednesday.
This week, the state Department of Health (DOH) distributed a total of 172,750 doses of the vaccine to health providers to be given to at-risk health workers. The state received 44,850 doses of Pfizer's vaccine and 127,900 doses of Moderna's vaccine, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration late last week.
Health officials said those numbers include 153,925 doses distributed to more than 220 sites in 37 counties and 18,825 doses distributed to support long-term care facilities as well as 14 Tribes and Urban Indian Health Programs.
The state placed an order on Dec. 21 for 128,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine, but it's unclear when they will all get delivered.
Washington is expected to receive 101,825 doses of the vaccine next week, which includes 57,525 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 44,300 doses of Moderna's vaccine, according to a news release from the DOH.
There will continue to be limited supply of the vaccine over the next several weeks, officials said, and the vaccine will not be delivered on Christmas or New Year's Day.
"In early 2021, we hope to move to a consistent pattern of ordering and delivery, to continue the growth of COVID-19 vaccine availability in Washington state," health officials said.
The state is planning to begin vaccinations at long-term care facilities that are registered through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's long-term care program on Dec. 28.
One long-term care pharmacy in Washington, that is registered through the state's vaccine provider program, started vaccinations at several facilities on Monday, officials said.
Health officials clarified Wednesday that the state's reduced allocation of the Pfizer vaccine last week was because "prior allocations were inadvertently based on vaccine doses produced -- not all of which had yet completed the quality control process." The vaccine cannot be released before quality control is completed, and that discrepancy was the source of the change in allocations.
Health officials said for the "foreseeable future" the state will get its vaccine allocation on a week-by-week basis, but that the federal government has shared the vaccine supply will increase each month.