Virginia Reaches New Milestone With 25 Percent Fully Vaccinated

VIRGINIA — Virginia reached a milestone Monday, as state health officials reported that one in four residents is now fully vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine.

According to Virginia Department of Health data, 5,345,314 total doses have been administered since last December. A total of 2,137,823 Virginians, or 25 percent of the state's population, are fully vaccinated.

Since the first Pfizer vaccine was administered in the state four months ago, 3,404,507 people, or 39.9 percent of the state's population, have received at least their first dose of the vaccine. The seven-day average on Monday was 77,983 doses administered in Virginia.

Virginia reached the vaccination milestone a day after all areas of the state entered phase 2 of COVID-19 vaccinations, allowing everyone aged 16 and up to be eligible for the vaccine. The state transitioned from a preregistration system to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Vaccine Finder, which allows people to directly book appointments through vaccination providers.

The Virginia Department of Emergency Management sent out a wireless alert at 10 a.m., on Monday, informing Virginians that everyone 16 and older was now eligible to schedule a free COVID-19 vaccination appointment.

Local health departments lead the state with 1,577,956 total doses given, followed by 1,327,083 given at pharmacies. Hospitals have administered a total of 975,170 vaccines. Medical practices are next with 799,537 doses administered followed by community health providers at 665,568.

The VDH reported a 6.1-percent coronavirus positivity rate on Monday from tests performed on residents over the past seven days.

SEE ALSO: How To Get The COVID-19 Vaccine In Virginia

The positive rate is far below the 2021 high of 17.4 percent reported on Jan. 3 by the VDH. Since the start of the pandemic, the all-time high of the seven-day coronavirus positivity rate was 20.2 percent on April 20, 2020.

On average, 18,250 daily PCR testing encounters were reported statewide on April 15, down from a peak of 35,034 on Jan. 14.

On Monday, 978 additional COVID-19 cases were reported by the VDH, and the seven-day average of daily cases was 1,464. Northern Virginia accounted for 258 new cases on Monday and has a seven-day average of 372 daily cases.

An additional 14 COVID-19 deaths were reported Monday, bringing the death total to 10,595.

Virginia's COVID-19 hospitalizations stood at 1,044 statewide on Monday. The current count includes 257 patients in intensive care units and 119 on ventilators.

Ventilator use among all hospital patients is at 28 percent, and ICU occupancy is at 75 percent, according to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association.

Globally, more than 141.5 million people have been infected by COVID-19, and over 3 million people have died, Johns Hopkins University reported Monday morning. In the United States, more than 31.6 million people have been infected and over 567,000 people have died from COVID-19.

Here are the latest coronavirus data updates for our coverage area from Sunday to Monday:

• Alexandria: 11,481 cases, 550 hospitalizations, 133 deaths; increase of 20 cases, one hospitalization and one death
• Arlington County: 14,846 cases, 821 hospitalizations, 249 deaths; increase of 11 cases
• Fairfax County: 74,610 cases, 3,842 hospitalizations, 1,063 deaths; increase of 111 cases, three hospitalizations and two deaths
• Fairfax City: 540 cases, 47 hospitalizations, 18 deaths; increase of two cases
• Falls Church: 415 cases, 20 hospitalizations, nine deaths; increase of three cases
• Loudoun County: 26,736 cases, 996 hospitalizations, 274 deaths; increase of 42 cases and one hospitalization
• Manassas: 4,261 cases, 169 hospitalizations, 46 deaths; increase of four cases
• Manassas Park: 1,184 cases, 68 hospitalizations, 12 deaths; no changes
• Prince William County: 43,890 cases, 1,585 hospitalizations, 478 deaths; increase of 65 cases
• Fredericksburg: 1,996 cases, 99 hospitalizations, 22 deaths; increase of one case
• Spotsylvania County: 9,411 cases, 301 hospitalizations, 113 deaths; increase of 16 cases
• Stafford County: 10,754 cases, 346 hospitalizations, 72 deaths; increase of 15 cases and one hospitalization