June 30 reopening still in play as WA vaccination rates move toward target
Washington is on the path to reopen June 30 or earlier as it continues to approach the 70 percent threshold of vaccinated people necessary to lift statewide COVID-19 restrictions.
Just under 60 percent of all Washington residents ages 16 or older have received one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah said Wednesday during a state Department of Health media briefing. The percentage of people 16 or older who have received both doses is significantly lower at 47 percent.
Every Washington county entered Phase 3 of the Healthy Washington reopening plan Tuesday, allowing for increased occupancy in restaurants, gyms, retail stores and other locations. Shah said people still should stay up to date on what is happening in their community and the importance of vaccines.
“We are nowhere near out of this pandemic,” Shah said during the briefing. “But I will tell you that in the last several months, we have made (an) incredible amount of progress.”
Over 6.3 million doses of vaccine have been administered, according to Saturday, May 15, data from the Department of Health. May 12 data from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department shows about 605,000 of those doses were given to Pierce County residents. Since vaccine eligibility opened to children ages 12 to 15, those vaccination numbers have risen at a high rate.
About 28,000 adolescents received their first dose of Pfizer over the first four days when children ages 12 to 15 became eligible in Washington, said Michele Roberts, leader of COVID-19 vaccine planning and distribution at the state Department of Health.
“I am so proud of these vaccination numbers,” Roberts said. “This is proof that our state is stepping up.”
Shah said the state Department of Health wants parents to model “good behaviors for their kids” who are still too young to receive the vaccine. Shah — who is fully vaccinated — continues to wear a mask around his children so they feel comfortable continuing to wear theirs.
Shah also said the state mask order has been updated to reflect new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for fully vaccinated people. Those individuals do not need to wear a mask in most circumstances, Shah said. Social distancing and mask wearing does not need to occur either inside or outside, except when in schools, health care settings, correctional facilities or homeless shelters. Fully vaccinated people can continue to wear masks if they feel more comfortable doing so, Shah said, and no one should be shamed for wearing a mask.
“The message that I want everybody to hear is we want people to respect the rules of the room you’re in,” Shah said. “That means that counties and businesses can make their own rules about masking. So, if you walk into an establishment, and they say, ‘We are requiring you to wear a mask’ … you should respect that rule. We want everybody to respect the rules and to know the rules that are within their local context.”
More guidance on masking in the workplace and state expectations for businesses will be released by the end of the week. For now, and in the future, Shah said those who feel unsafe in their workplace should initiate conversations with their superiors, get vaccinated and continue to wear their mask.
“We know that workplaces are going to do right by their employees,” Shah said. “We hope they’re going to do right by not just their employees, but also the people that frequent their businesses and establishments, and if they’re in a sector that’s working with the public, that they’re going to do the right right by everybody that’s part of that ecosystem.”