Inslee Talks Vaccine Distribution, Planning For Economic Recovery

OLYMPIA, WA — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee held a news conference Monday afternoon, where he touched on several coronavirus-related topics including the pending COVID-19 vaccine, economic recovery and a new tool to help track virus exposure.

Inslee kicked off the conference on an optimistic note, saying that he had recently been on a call with Vice President Mike Pence and had learned that Washington could receive its first batch of the coronavirus vaccine as early as mid December.

"This is great news," Inslee said. "We are very appreciative of the brilliant people who have developed what appears to be an effective vaccine."

On Monday, Moderna Inc. announced they were asking U.S. and European regulators to approve their vaccine for emergency distribution, after their latest study found the vaccine to be 94 percent effective.

While the vaccine candidate is being approved, Inslee says Washington's next step is ensuring as many hospitals and clinics are approved to distribute that vaccine when it arrives. Several distributors have already been cleared by the state Department of Health and hundreds more have applied, but the governor stressed that as many as possible need to prepare, so that the vaccine can be distributed evenly across the state.

"Of course, there'll be fairly limited numbers available in the first few weeks of this matter, but again, I hope that anyone in the medical profession, pharmacy industry, can sign up and enroll to be a vaccine provider," Inslee said. "We'd like to get as close to universal coverage as we can."

Related: Washington Joins Western State Pact To Review Coronavirus Vaccine

The governor says any provider who has enrolled to distribute the vaccine by December 6 could be eligible to receive vaccines from the first shipment. Health care providers can enroll online at the state Department of Health's website.

During his conference Monday Inslee also touched on a new app tracking coronavirus exposures in Washington.

"This is a program that will alert you if you've come in close proximity to someone who is positive without ever having to share your personal, private information," Inslee said.

The governor stressed that the program is voluntary, and that it is not a surveillance tool or part of the state's contact tracing efforts.

"This is a voluntary system, no one has to do this. It's your choice whether to enable it or download it on your phone, but obviously the more people who take advantage of this, the more who will know whether they've potentially been exposed to COVID-19," said Inslee. "And I'm very pleased to say that as of the last couple of hours, we've already had over 200,000 Washingtonians enroll in this program."

Read more: Washington Unveils Coronavirus Exposure Notification App

Finally, Inslee capped off his conference touching on upcoming plans to help small businesses recover from the economic fallout wrought by the pandemic.

One form of support is coming quickly: the governor confirmed that, later this week, the state Department of Commerce will open grant applications for small businesses, distributing $50 million in new Working Washington grants.

"We'll need everyone's help spreading the word," Inslee said. "If you know of a small business that's been heavily impacted by COVID, a restaurant, your local bowling alley, tell them to visit our site and stay connected to the Department of Commerce, so they can apply as soon as possible."

Other support programs are coming, but may take longer. When asked about the state's remaining $150 million in CARES Act funding, the governor did not release specifics, but promised further details soon.

"We are having promising discussions with legislators about those subjects," Inslee said. "We hope to have more to say in the next few days."

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Inslee Announces $135 Million To Support Businesses, Families

WA Hospitality Association, Lawmakers Call For Coronavirus Relief

This article originally appeared on the Seattle Patch