The Shadow
RICHMOND — Virginia hospitals have administered more than 175,000 doses of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines in the four weeks since the Commonwealth received the first shipment of doses in mid-December.
That figure reflects doses administered by hospitals as of Tuesday, Jan. 12.
As Gov. Ralph Northam noted at a Thursday afternoon news conference, “Virginia’s hospitals and health systems have administered the majority of shots in arms so far in Virginia.”
Last week, VHHA announced more than 102,900 vaccine doses had been administered by hospitals during the first three weeks of the program.
VHHA will continue to provide weekly vaccination updates, which will be available on the Virginia Hospital COVID-19 Dashboard.
Progress on vaccine administration in Virginia is contingent on a steady, predictable supply of doses available to hospitals and other providers.
A recent announcement by the federal government that additional vaccine doses will be released to states is an encouraging sign, and one that can help build on the vaccination progress achieved so far.
Another positive sign is the state’s move into Phase 1b of the vaccination process even as work continues to vaccinate health care professionals in the Phase 1a priority population.
Individuals covered in the Phase 1b and 1c priority populations include essential workers such as police officers, firefighters, educators, and childcare workers, grocery store and food processing plant employees, as well as older adults such as those in high-risk and vulnerable populations, and construction, utility, transportation, and food service workers.
Governor Northam has announced that Virginians 65 and older and those ages 16-64 with a co-morbidity (which represents about half of Virginia’s population) are included in the phase 1b population.
This designation can help further expedite vaccination progress.
Virginia hospitals stand ready to continue to support these efforts alongside its partners in the public and private sector. With a steady supply of vaccine doses, it is estimated that Virginia’s hospitals can administer close to 100,000 doses of vaccine each week and have the capacity to expand that if additional doses and funding are available.
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