WA hits 70 percent vaccinated
By Terry Murry on Thursday, July 15th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
OLYMPIA – Just two weeks after the state fully opened on June 30, the Washington State Department of Health announced Wednesday a major milestone has been reached regarding COVID-19 vaccination rates.
“Thanks to you, Washington, we have reached our 70 percent goal of vaccinations and our communities are safer and more protected,” DOH Acting Assistant Secretary Michele Roberts tweeted following Wednesday’s briefing. “This milestone has taken months of hard work and dedication, and we don’t plan to stop until we cross the finish line.”
The milestone means 70 percent of Washingtonians 16 years and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
State Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah said since July 1, COVID-19 case counts are flattening across the state and that the DOH is watching trends.
According to Shah, the delta variant is becoming increasingly dominant in the state representing just over 40 percent of the confirmed COVID-19 cases in Washington.
However, Shah said because the vaccines are holding up to the variants, delta’s rise is not an immediate cause of concern. “The best protection, no matter the strain, is to get vaccinated,” Shah said.
