Virginia National Guard members and others sign in people receiving COVID-19 vaccine shots at the Richmond International Raceway in Henrico County. Photo courtesy Henrico County
More COVID-19 vaccine doses are going to be allocated to Northern Virginia and Richmond regions soon, the state’s vaccine coordinator said Friday, addressing higher demand in those areas of the state. Avula said he expects Northern Virginia to get 20% to 30% more doses next week.
A large influx of Virginians driving several hours to Danville to get shots in recent days illustrated the point of high demand in certain areas, Dr. Danny Avula said during his press call Friday. Danville was one of the first health districts in the state to enter phase 1c and was the first Virginia locality to open a Federal Emergency Management Agency-funded community vaccination center offering about 3,000 appointments per day.
On Reddit and other social media sites, people learned that Danville had lower than expected demand for those shots after the clinic was open for a few days. In came hundreds of shot seekers from Richmond, Harrisonburg, Roanoke and Charlottesville, which are still in phase 1b, according to news reports. Many were responding to rumors that doses were going to waste in Danville — but that was not the case, Avula said.
