Washington Completes a New Milestone; Finishes over 70% Vaccination

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is amazed to share that the state has surpassed its milestone of getting 70% of the population vaccinated. As of July 12, 70% of the people aged 16 and above have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.This percentage involves the analytical information and data of vaccination rates from the Washington State Immunization Information System and the average data given by the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs.

This information is available on the data dashboard of DOH, which has been updated three times per week.Although the state has reached the milestone, the work is not yet over. DOH will continue to focus on the rate of increasing vaccination, especially among those communities and groups that have a lower rate of vaccination.

Across Washington, about 4.3 million people have received at least one shot of the Covid-19 vaccine. The people who have received the second dose vaccine of either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna should prioritize receiving the double dose of vaccine on time. While one dose of the vaccine does offer some protection against the virus, getting the second dose boosts the vaccine’s effectiveness to over 90% or higher. Research has shown that the Covid-19 vaccines offer protection against the different variants, including the Delta variant. Widespread vaccination can also prevent death after the infection and even prevent hospitalization. The more protected the communities are, the better.

According to the US Food and Drug Administration and CDC, people who have been fully vaccinated do not have to worry about any third dose during this time. More information about this will be shared if and when science shows that further boosters are needed.