All Eligible For Vaccines By April 15 In WA: Inslee

OLYMPIA, WA — By mid-April every adult Washingtonian will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

That's a significant change from the prior vaccination timeline, a change which Gov. Jay Inslee said is fueled in part by the state's recent increase in COVID-19 transmissions and case counts.

"We need to do everything we can to keep these numbers down now," the governor said at a conference announcing the move Wednesday. "Obviously the vaccine is a critical part of this because new evidence is very encouraging that it can keep, not only lives being saved, but to reduce the transmission of this virus."

As of Inslee's announcement Wednesday, an estimated 5 million Washingtonians are already eligible for vaccination, including workers in high-risk environments, those who live in congregate settings, patients with comorbidities, and anyone 60 years old or older. Many of the state's highest-risk residents have already received their vaccine doses — another reason Inslee says the time has come to greatly broaden distribution.

"We are confident we can take this step because our dosage allocations have increased," Inslee said. "We've now had roughly 3.3 million doses that have been administered in our state, and more than 1 million Washingtonians are already fully vaccinated."

Related: Vaccine Eligibility Expands In WA: Here's Who Qualifies Now

The governor did note that when eligibility expands it's unlikely that the state will have enough doses for everyone, so Washingtonians will need to continue following COVID-19 safety guidelines for the foreseeable future.

"We still don't have a supply to make this available to everyone today, so many of us are going to have to have continued patience," Inslee said. "Eventually we know that everybody's going to have access to this vaccine."

Because demand for doses is likely to increase exponentially when eligibility expands, the governor and other health leaders are encouraging everyone who can currently receive a dose to get their shot now, rather than wrestle with the crowds next month. That's doubly true for the remaining 28 percent of adults over 65 who have not been fully vaccinated.

"We have tens of thousands of people, those over 65, who have not had the vaccine who are really living in the danger zone right now," Inslee said. "It is a dangerous situation not to be vaccinated, particularly if you're over 65 today."

The governor also took some time to address recent criticism of the state's vaccine rollout. Several other states, like Alaska, Kansas, Louisiana and North Dakota, expanded eligibility to all residents this week, prompting some to question if Washington was falling behind the curve. The governor says that's not true, and that Washington's more deliberate rollout has helped save the lives of it's highest risk residents.

"We are in a good position to make everyone eligible because the way we prioritized people in our process," Inslee said. "We began with the most vulnerable, older adults, for those who represent 90 percent of the fatalities."

The governor's words were echoed by a statement from state Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah:

"The state’s phased eligibility approach has helped ensure those most vulnerable were the first to be vaccinated. Thanks to increasing vaccine supply from the federal government and hard work from our providers across the state to get shots in arms, we are able to expand eligibility sooner than anyone initially thought. As we work to get the community vaccinated, individuals still need to wear a face covering, get tested if they feel sick, practice physical distancing, and properly wash their hands. These continued efforts will help us further protect our community and put the pandemic behind us."

The White House estimates that 90 percent of American adults will qualify for a dose by April 19. Notably, California is also bumping up eligibility to every resident 16+ on April 15 as well.

Here is Washington's latest outlook for vaccine deliveries statewide:

• Week of March 28: 408,730 total doses (238,050 first doses, 170,680 second doses)
  • This includes 221,130 doses of Pfizer, 144,800 doses of Moderna, and 42,800 doses of Johnson & Johnson.
• Week of April 4: 343,700 total doses (173,020 first doses, 170,680 second doses)
  • This includes 198,900 doses of Pfizer and 144,800 doses of Moderna.
• Week of April 11: 368,270 total doses (173,020 first doses, 195,250 second doses)
  • This includes 223,470 doses of Pfizer and 144,800 doses of Moderna.

Health care providers across Washington administered an average of 53,778 vaccines each day last week. The state says that, if supply increases by April 15 Washington could administer even more daily doses: last week health care providers requested nearly 500,000 doses.

"Right now supply continues to be the limiting factor, but we are hopeful that will continue to increase," Shah said.