V
accinate teachers. It s become a rallying cry uniting parents and celebrities, Democrats and Republicans. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, and many schools are nearing the one-year mark of closing to in-person instruction, there s seemingly universal support for vaccinating educators as soon as possible so schools can be open safely. So why hasn t Washington and Gov. Jay Inslee prioritized COVID-19 vaccines for teachers yet? Inslee says it comes down to a lack of supply. We would all like to be vaccinated today, Inslee said in a press conference last week. We are going to be vaccinating teachers. We re already vaccinating teachers over 65 and those over 50 in multigenerational housing. There isn t enough to go around for everybody not of age right now.
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Huge steps in technology, focus on patients define sector in recent years
Spokane has long served as a central hub for health care for all of Eastern Washington and North Idaho. The Spokane County Medical Society was founded in 1885 and the Spokane Regional Health District in 1970. Over the years, the region added six hospitals: the VA Medical Center (1948), Deaconess Hospital (1896), Sacred Heart Hospital (1887), St. Luke’s (1897), Valley Hospital (1969), and Shriner’s Children’s Hospital (1924). These events demonstrated a commitment to innovation and public service for more than 100 years. The past 35 years, however, proved to be a huge step forward in technological advancements in health care. These technologies include improved disease prevention methods, growth in MRI capabilities, and use of state-of-the-art tools such as the da Vinci Xi surgical robot. In addition, there has been an increased focus on the patient and their family’s perception of their care
Credit Courtesy of Washington Department of Health
Washington state health officials say nearly one million residents have received at least one of the Covid 19 vaccinations in the state. That s a major mile marker as they push to meet a goal of vaccinating 45,000 per day.
Even so, they say they are seeing inequity in the number of minorities who are receiving the shots.
A new report says Hispanics make up 4.7% of those who have received one dose of vaccine, and 5.9% who are now fully vaccinated. That s a lower figure than the state s Hispanic population, 13.2%.
Washington Health Secretary Umair Shah says there are likely several reasons for the disparity.
WSU’s Foley Institute hosted a virtual meeting Tuesday to discuss the technology and misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine.
There are three major types of vaccines, said Dr. Bob Lutz, member of the Washington State Department of Health. There is a protein-based vaccine, an mRNA vaccine and a viral vector.
The mRNA vaccine technology has been around for a very long time, but this is the first vaccine of its kind to be produced, he said. It is also the main COVID-19 vaccine, which is produced by Moderna and Pfizer.
Lutz said this type of vaccine allows the body’s own mRNA in the cell to create proteins against the virus.