Moderna Vaccines Could Arrive In Washington As Early As Monday

SEATTLE — A second coronavirus vaccine has been approved, and is on its way to Washington state.

The new vaccine, developed by Moderna and approved Friday, may arrive in the evergreen state as early as Monday, according to the Associated Press. At the time of the vaccine's approval, Moderna had already produced 5.9 million doses of the vaccine to ship out over the weekend. Tens of thousands of those are now en route to Washington.

Health officials say that's good news, as Washington will be receiving roughly 40 percent fewer Pfizer vaccines than promised next week. Per the AP, the Army general in charge of distributing those vaccines across the country has issued an apology for the shortfall, saying they stemmed from a "miscommunication".

The Moderna vaccine's approval follows the approval of the Pfizer vaccine by just a week. In a statement, FDA chief commissioner Stephan Hahn said his agency's emergency authorization of the vaccines was necessary to contain the pandemic from causing even more damage.

"Through the FDA's open and transparent scientific review process, two COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized in an expedited timeframe while adhering to the rigorous standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality needed to support emergency use authorization that the American people have come to expect from the FDA," Hahn said.

On top of the review and authorization at the federal level, Washington and several other western states have created a pact to independently verify the safety and efficacy of any FDA approved coronavirus vaccines. Researchers from that Western State Pact investigated and approved the Pfizer vaccine while it was being shipped to Washington. Health leaders say that is also the plan for the Moderna vaccine, and that they expect researchers to finish their evaluations before the new vaccine arrives, avoiding any additional delays.

In a clinical study, the Moderna vaccine was found to be about 94 percent effective in 30,000 volunteers. The Pfizer vaccine had a similar rate. Both vaccines have a small chance of causing severe allergic reactions. Of the thousands of vaccinations already performed across the country, just five allergic reactions have been reported in the U.S.

As for who will receive the new vaccines: Washington State is still in Phase 1a of the Department of Health's vaccination plan. During that first phase, vaccines are only distributed to high-risk workers in health care facilities, and to the resident and staff of long-term care facilities. The state estimates roughly 300,000 to 500,000 people will qualify for vaccination during Phase 1a, which they hope to complete by mid-January. Once they've been vaccinated, the scope will be broadened.

Related: With Vaccinations Underway In WA, Need For Precautions Remains