State Health Commissioner Dr. Norman Oliver speaks at a Nov. 10 COVID-19 update.
Virginia expects to receive 480,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses from Pfizer and Moderna by the end of December through the federal government’s Operation Warp Speed program, the Virginia Department of Health announced Friday, based on new information available.
Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday that the state expected only 70,000 vaccine doses by the end of the year, which would be directed to frontline health care personnel and long-term care facility residents. The announcement Friday still designates health care providers and nursing home residents as the state’s two top-priority groups, but the federal allotment of vaccine dosages will cover the majority of these populations, which VDH estimates at 500,000 total in the state.
“Vaccines will be provided to Virginians in a way that is fair, ethical and transparent,” State Health Commissioner Dr. Norman Oliver said in a statement Friday. “We will focus initially on the groups that have been most at risk for severe illness from COVID-19 infections and those whose work puts them at greatest risk of contracting COVID-19 infections. Over time, as more vaccine supply becomes available, more Virginians will be able to get vaccinated, and we can look forward to a time when this pandemic will end.”
