State Health Commissioner Dr. Norman Oliver speaks at a Nov. 10 COVID-19 update.
Gov. Ralph Northam and State Health Commissioner Dr. Norman Oliver said Tuesday that Virginia will be ready to launch a vaccination program as soon as a COVID-19 vaccine has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Oliver said that he is encouraged by Pfizer’s announcement this week that its COVID vaccine under testing now has a 90% effectiveness rate, and he expects either that vaccine or another being developed will be available by the end of the year. “We are ready to get that vaccine and administer it to citizens here in the commonwealth,” Oliver said, while cautioning that it will take “months to vaccinate millions” and longer for people to develop immunity. The state will begin vaccinating frontline medical workers and more vulnerable people — such as nursing home residents — before distributing the vaccine more broadly, officials have said.
Oliver added that the advisory panel set up by the Virginia Department of Health has developed a plan for dispensing vaccines across the state that was submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and approved in October. Following Pfizer’s news and other developments, the team has “revised and tweaked” its plan, which will be shared with the CDC and the U.S. Department of Defense, which will also lead federal vaccination efforts, Oliver said.
