SEATTLE — Over 70% of Washington residents ages 12 and up are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) announced Tuesday. That is more than 4.6 million people.
As of Oct. 4, 77.1% of Washingtonians 12 and older received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 70.7% of residents 12 and older are fully vaccinated, according to the DOH.
The DOH said the reported number is higher than the state’s data dashboard “because it includes state Immunization Information System data, as well as aggregate data from the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs.”
Oct. 4 was the last day state employees could get vaccinated with the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine to be considered fully vaccinated before Washington state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate takes effect. Health care workers and all school staff are also included under the vaccine mandate.
Employees who refuse to get vaccinated - and do not qualify for medical or religious exemptions - cannot work for the state under the proclamation signed by Gov. Jay Inslee in August.
In July 2021, the DOH reported 70% of Washingtonians ages 16 and older had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. That milestone was reached two weeks after the state fully reopened on June 30, and almost 18 months after it closed down.