Even though the first shipment is on the ground in our state, questions remain.
By
Benjamin Cassidy
12/14/2020 at 10:25am
Many Washingtonians will have to wait a while to get their shots.
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It's Here. Shipments of the first authorized coronavirus vaccine in the U.S. arrived today in Washington. Vaccinations could begin as soon as Tuesday, with health care workers, long-term care residents and staff, and tribal governments receiving the initial doses statewide. âWe now have in view the end of this pandemic,â Jay Inslee said during an upbeat Sunday press conference.
The announcement followed Fridayâs news that the FDA had granted emergency use authorization to a vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. Over the weekend, the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroupâa group of immunization experts commissioned by Washington, Oregon, California, and Nevada to review federal data and ostensibly say âno, really, you can trust this!ââoffered its unanimous support for the shots. The workgroup will likely vet another vaccine, created by the National Institutes of Health and biotech firm Moderna, next weekend, provided the FDA approves it later this week. The aforementioned prioritized groups could start getting jabs of that vaccine in the days before Christmas.