Submitted by Washington State Department of Health.

The Washington State Department of Health continues to make progress with our COVID-19 vaccine distribution planning efforts, and are hopeful a safe and effective vaccine against COVID-19 will be available before the end of the year.

Update on vaccine candidates

This week we heard encouraging news about a second COVID-19 vaccine candidate. We are excited that there are potentially two very effective vaccines close to being ready for approval.

Both pharmaceutical companies developing these vaccines are indicating strong vaccine effectiveness among participants in Phase 3 clinical trials. One of the companies has announced it will apply for Emergency Use Authorization through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

As these vaccines go through the approval process, we will learn more about how well they work. They will also be vetted for safety.

Provider enrollment

Health care providers began enrolling earlier this month to be COVID-19 vaccine administrators. As of November 16, 375 providers have turned in applications. Most applications are still in progress, but we have fully approved six sites. We want to encourage clinics, pharmacies and health care offices across the state to apply to be vaccine administration sites. If you are a health care provider and want to enroll, learn how and get enrollment materials at www.covidvaccinewa.org.

Vaccine planning

Estimates on the number of doses we will receive have varied. We do not have new information from the federal government about our allocation or timing for receiving vaccines. We also do not have information on how often we will continue to get additional doses.

To see Washington’s interim plan that addresses who might get the vaccine in what phases, go to www.covidvaccinewa.org.