Jules Mack (right) receiving the COVID-19 vaccine administered by Fetiya Omer (left). Photo courtesy of Mark Stone, University of Washington.
Highlights | COVID-19 vaccination update
- UW Medicine has vaccinated over 15,000 people so far.
- Over 59,000 people have been vaccinated in Washington state.
- UW Medicine is nearly doubling its current vaccination capacity to increase first vaccine dose appointments and deliver second doses.
It’s been just over two weeks since UW Medicine launched all four vaccination clinics, and in those two weeks we have collectively vaccinated more than 15,000 people. The majority of those 15,000 are staff who work in clinical settings and over 2,700 are emergency responders who work for our partner organizations.
All over the state, hospitals and pharmacies are starting their vaccine rollouts. In a press conference on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020, officials announced that over 59,000 people in Washington state have been vaccinated.
Watch the UW Medicine Newsroom video below with Shireesha Dhanireddy, MD, director of the Infectious Diseases Clinic at Harborview Medical Center, for an update on the healthcare system’s status during this phase.
Increasing vaccination capacity
By Jan. 6, 2021, UW Medicine plans to nearly double its current vaccination capacity in order to increase new first dose appointments and keep up with delivering second doses.
Observation and reflection
For many of the over 15,000 employees and community members that have been vaccinated at UW Medicine, the 15-minute observation period after receiving the vaccine has been a moment for reflection.
At UW Medical Center – Montlake, the staff support team started sharing vaccine reflection cards with COVID-19 vaccine recipients during their observation period after receiving the vaccine. Recipients are invited to share their thoughts, emotions or whatever is in their heart during that 15-minute window.
COVID-19 vaccine reflection card for vaccine recipients to fill out during their 15-minute post-vaccine observation period.
UW Medicine’s first COVID-19 vaccine recipients shared their reflections in real time. Hear their responses on the UW Medicine Newsroom Twitter livestream (part one and two).
Thank you to our COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force and volunteers
UW Medicine’s COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force is working tirelessly to increase our vaccination capacity to ensure we are vaccinating as many people as possible. Not to mention the many volunteers who are signed up to help with vaccine distribution.
Other outreach efforts led by Paula L. Houston, EdD, Santiago Neme, MD, and the UW Medicine Office of Healthcare Equity provide vaccine information to communities with higher declination rates and address concerns among employees of color or those for whom English is not their primary language.
