MYNORTHWEST NEWS

UW Medicine administers Washington’s first COVID-19 vaccinations Tuesday

Dec 15, 2020, 11:09 AM | Updated: 11:15 am

Washington's first COVID vaccine is administered at UW Medicine. (KING 5)...

Washington's first COVID vaccine is administered at UW Medicine. (KING 5)

(KING 5)

The first COVID-19 vaccinations at UW Medicine took place Tuesday at 11 a.m. as a group of frontline workers received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

“The word for today is momentous,” said Harborview Associate Medical Director Dr. John Lynch.

The first employees to be vaccinated included nurses, doctors, environmental-services staff, and respiratory-care therapists.

UW Medicine received approximately 3,900 doses of the Pfizer vaccine on Monday for its hospitals: Harborview Medical Center, Valley Medical Center, and the two campuses of University of Washington Medical Center (Montlake and Northwest). Vaccination clinics for eligible health care workers at UW Medicine will begin Thursday, Dec. 17.

The first shipments of a COVID-19 vaccine for widespread use in the United States headed out Sunday from Michigan to distribution centers across the country. Washington state’s initial shipment has 62,000 doses of Pfizer’s vaccine, which will be prioritized for frontline health care workers and people at long-term care facilities.

“I’m joyous to be able to say that the federal government has authorized the use of a COVID vaccine,” Gov. Jay Inslee said Sunday, adding that Washington state has finished its own scientific safety review as well, along with its partners in other West Coast states.

“This cannot come soon enough, obviously,” Inslee said about the vaccine.

Another vaccine by Moderna will be reviewed by an expert panel this week and soon afterward could be allowed for public use.

MyNorthwest News

Image: Brightly colored eggs are set on a table on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington,...

Ted Buehner

Expect good Easter weekend weather for egg hunts, chilly evening Mariners games

Both Saturday and Sunday of Easter weekend will feature temperatures warming to around 60 degrees across much of Western Washington.

1 hour ago

Taylor Swift performs onstage during the Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour at Lumen Field on July 22, 20...

Micki Gamez, KIRO Newsradio and Bill Kaczaraba, MyNorthwest

Seattle tourism dollars break records following All-Star Week, Taylor Swift

It was a record-setting year for dollars flowing into Seattle from tourists.

2 hours ago

Image: A bridge in Carnation....

Julia Dallas

Carnation frustrated with Seattle again after 8th false emergency alarm induces widespread panic

Carnation citizens have faced a series of panic-inducing alarms after SPU's system for the Tolt Dam falsely sounded eight times.

4 hours ago

Grocery store shopper...

Bill Kaczaraba

Ways to deal with Seattle grocery store sticker shock

Seattle grocery store sticker shock continues to play havoc on locals, but there are ways to counter high prices.

4 hours ago

belltown hellcat social media...

Frank Sumrall

Infamous ‘Belltown Hellcat’ social media influencer charged with reckless driving

The social media influencer has been accused of driving 107 miles per hour through Belltown in a Dodge Hellcat.

5 hours ago

KIRO Newsradio gracie awards...

MyNorthwest Staff

KIRO Newsradio anchors receive Gracie Awards for outstanding work

Heather Bosch and Lisa Brooks, anchors at KIRO Newsradio, have been honored by the Alliance for Women in Media with prestigious Gracie Awards.

8 hours ago

UW Medicine administers Washington’s first COVID-19 vaccinations Tuesday