Washington Celebrates 10 Million COVID-19 Vaccines Administered

OLYMPIA, WA — Washington has administered its 10 millionth COVID-19 vaccine, according to the latest data update from the state Department of Health. State health leaders are calling the news a "significant" milestone, and a surprising success considering the vaccine only first became available in mid-December.

“Giving out 10 million doses of life-saving vaccine is something we should all be proud of here in Washington,” said Washington Secretary of Health Dr. Umair A. Shah. “Knowing that younger kids can now be protected from the worst outcomes of this virus is an incredible relief, not just for parents and families, but for everyone. The more people vaccinated, the more community protection we have, and that’s good for us all.”

To celebrate, Shah and other state leaders visited a vaccination clinic in eastern Washington Monday, and helped as nurses administered the Pfizer vaccine to younger patients ages 5-11.

Those 10 million doses mean that, as of Nov. 8, 79.6 percent of Washington's population ages 12 and up have had at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot, and 73.5 percent are fully vaccinated.

That's no slouch, but state health leaders continue to urge the remaining 20.4 of unvaccinated Washingtonians to seek out vaccination if they can, to help protect the communities they love. The DOH also urges high-risk patients to seek out booster shots, if they are eligible for a third dose.

Finally, as more and more businesses across Washington require proof of vaccination, the state has made it easier than ever to verify you have received one of those 10 million shots: WA Verify, a new program from the DOH, allows vaccinated Washingtonians to quickly access a digital COVID-19 verification record. All users have to do is submit their first name, last name, and date of birth, and the program will link a QR code leading them to their COVID-19 vaccination record.