By Hanna Park
(SEATTLE) Seattle has become the first major U.S. city to fully vaccinate 70% of its residents against COVID-19, marking a major milestone toward fully reopening Washington state.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan (D) touted the achievement in a news release, saying the city has surpassed San Francisco in leading the country in vaccinations.
“Seattle is America’s most vaccinated major city, and it would not have been possible without our residents’ commitment to protecting themselves, their loved ones, and our entire community,” Durkan said in the statement.
So far, 78% of Seattleites 12 years and older have started the vaccination process, Durkan said. The city has administered nearly 250,000 vaccinations for more than 131,000 individuals, one of the largest numbers in the state, the mayor’s office said.
These vaccinations have taken place at adult family homes, affordable housing buildings, community pop-up clinics, breweries, sporting events and other locations.
The city plans to shut down its mass-vaccination center at Lumen Field at the end of the day on Saturday. The Rainier Beach vaccination site will close end of day on June 23.
At Wednesday’s news conference, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) congratulated the city and its leaders for doing “everything they can to make” vaccines accessible across the city.
“They’ve been very creative, getting to people who might not normally have good access to health care,” Inslee said.
The governor anticipates the state to begin fully reopening by June 30 if at least 70% of the population receives at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, 63.9% of U.S. adults have had at least one vaccine dose.