Most eligible WA residents have gotten COVID boosters, but work still ahead, DOH says

About 53% of eligible people have gotten a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose, according to Washington state health officials. Secretary of Health Umair Shah shared the statistic for the 12 and older eligible population during a Wednesday morning briefing. He said 2.2 million booster doses had been given out across the state. Researchers are still studying the ongoing effectiveness of the vaccines, said Acting Assistant Secretary Michele Roberts. However, she emphasized that the vaccines continue to be a key tool in responding to the more transmissible Omicron variant.

“It’s really becoming more and more clear how important this booster dose is to continue to build our immunity and really continue to fight the emergence of Omicron and other variants and keeping our health system whole,” Roberts said. Shah acknowledged the continued strain on the state’s hospital system as he noted the two-year anniversary of the first COVID-19 case in the country. The first documented case affected a Snohomish County man in January 2020.

As of Monday, the state reports it has recorded over 1.1 million cases, 49,940 hospitalizations and 10,230 deaths since the start of the pandemic. The state has a total population of over 7.7 million.