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Spokane Health Officer Says Spokane Will Get To 70% Vaccination, But Maybe Not By June 30

Screenshot from Spokane Regional Health District

Spokane County health officials today [Wednesday] urged people to get vaccinated against Covid, as the county trails behind the state average for vaccination.

State health officials and Spokane Interim Health Officer Francisco Velazquez reminded reporters that if 70% of Washington residents are vaccinated by June 30, they would formally drop Covid restrictions.
 
“The reason why we want that 70% is to provide us some level of reassurance that we have reached enough immunity within the population that has a protective effect from the rest of the community. I am very confident that we will do that," he said.
 
But Spokane County’s not on track to get there by June 30. Only about 50% of Spokane County’s residents have received at least one shot.

The Memorial Day holiday is approaching and Velazquez is encouraging people to enjoy it with loved ones, but to do it safely.

“It’s really, really safe to meet others outdoors, as opposed to indoors and, frankly, with this kind of weather, who really wants to stay inside. We’ve been cooped up up for almost a year, so I think it’s time to go out," Velazquez said.

Spokane public health officials reported 269 new cases of Covid on Wednesday. It’s the second day in the last four where that number has topped 200. A third day hit 199. Officials say some of those cases are due to the state health department reporting some positive test that had not been previously reported.