Mary Rogers, a registered nurse with Carilion Clinic, received a COVID-19 vaccination from Director of Retail Pharmacy Operations Adrian Wilson in December 2020. Photo courtesy Carilion Clinic.
The Federal Retail Pharmacy program in Virginia is now providing COVID-19 vaccination to essential workers and people under age 65 with high-risk medical conditions, the Virginia Department of Health announced Wednesday.
Currently, there are more than 300 pharmacies across the state receiving vaccine doses directly from the federal government, separate from the doses allocated to local health districts weekly. Until now, only people age 65 and older in Virginia were allowed to register and receive shots through the federal program. With Wednesday’s announcement, people in the following industries will be able to get shots by appointment:
- Police, fire and hazmat
- Corrections and homeless shelter employees
- Food and agriculture workers (including veterinarians)
- Manufacturing
- Grocery stores (including farmers market food vendors)
- Public transit (including ride-share drivers)
- Mail carriers (U.S. Postal Service and private delivery)
- Officials needed to maintain continuity of government (including judges and public-facing judicial workers)
- Clergy/faith leaders
- Janitorial/cleaning employees
Virginia has already begun vaccinating people in essential jobs and people age 16 to 64 with underlying health issues through the state’s health districts after pre-registering at vaccinate.virginia.gov or calling 877-VAX-IN-VA, but Wednesday’s announcement means more opportunities for people in these groups.
