Virginia Nears 20% Fully Vaccinated As State Sees Surge In Shots

VIRGINIA — Virginia is averaging almost 30,o00 more vaccine shots per day as of Monday than it was two week ago, according to state health officials. The seven-day average on Monday was 77,879 doses administered compared to 59,598 vaccine doses a week ago and 49,912 doses on March 22.

On Monday, the Virginia Department of Health reported that 1,543,719 Virginians, or 18.1 percent of the state's population, were fully vaccinated. According to VDH data, 4,224,890 total doses have been administered, with 2,800,332 people, or 32.8 percent of the state's population, receiving at least their first dose.

Local health departments lead the state with 1,277,501 total doses given. Vaccine doses administered by pharmacies surpassed 1 million, with the state's pharmacies administering 1,003,988 total doses, including at long-term care facilities, as of Monday.

Hospitals have administered a total of 860,472 vaccines. Medical practices are next with 626,997 doses administered followed by community health providers at 455,932.

Last week, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced that residents 16 and older in Virginia will be eligible to receive the vaccine starting Sunday, April 18, which is ahead of the May 1 goal President Joe Biden set for the country.

Based on the projected supply Virginia expects to receive from the federal government, all health districts will be able to open appointments to the general public by April 18. Those at the highest risk will continue to be given priority in the scheduling process.

SEE ALSO: COVID-19 Vaccinations To Open Soon For All Virginians 16 And Up

The Fairfax County Health Department and the Alexandria Health Department announced Monday that COVID-19 vaccine registrations have opened to certain essential workers in phase 1c.

People who live or work in the Fairfax Health District (Fairfax County or cities of Falls Church or Fairfax) or the city of Alexandria and fall into these essential worker groups can register: energy; water, wastewater, and waste removal workers; housing and construction; food service; transportation and logistics; and institutions of higher education faculty and staff.

Other groups that will be eligible later in phase 1c are workers in finance; information technology and communication; media; legal services; public safety (engineers); and other public health workers). The health department expects to open registration to remaining phase 1c groups later this week and start phase 2 (all residents 16 and up) by April 18.

COVID-19 Data

The Virginia Department of Health reported a 6.4-percent coronavirus positivity rate on Monday from tests performed on residents over the past seven days, an increase from the 2021 low of 5.4-percent positivity rate reported on March 12.

But the positive rate is far below the 2021 high of 17.4 percent reported on Jan. 3 by the VDH. In the two months after reaching 17.4 percent in early January, the state reported more than 3,000 deaths from COVID-19.

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, 16,959 daily PCR testing encounters were reported statewide on April 1, down from a peak of 35,034 on Jan. 14.

On Monday, 1,267 additional COVID-19 cases were reported by the VDH, and the seven-day average of daily cases was 1,397. Northern Virginia accounted for 384 new cases on Monday and has a seven-day average of 391 daily cases.

An additional 42 COVID-19 deaths were reported Monday, bringing the death total to 10,360. Virginia's COVID-19 hospitalizations stand at 1,035 statewide as of Monday, up from a 2021 low of 977 on March 20. The current count includes 257 patients in intensive care units and 133 on ventilators.

Ventilator use among all hospital patients is at 28 percent, and ICU occupancy is at 74 percent, according to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association.

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

• Alexandria: 11,077 cases, 535 hospitalizations, 128 deaths; increase of 31 cases and one hospitalization
• Arlington County: 14,436 cases, 808 hospitalizations, 247 deaths; increase of 24 cases and one death
• Fairfax County: 72,250 cases, 3,758 hospitalizations, 1,044 deaths; increase of 123 cases, seven hospitalizations and four deaths
• Fairfax City: 527 cases, 42 hospitalizations, 18 deaths; increase of one case
• Falls Church: 398 cases, 20 hospitalizations, nine deaths; increase of three cases
• Loudoun County: 25,623 cases, 956 hospitalizations, 271 deaths; increase of 51 cases
• Manassas: 4,192 cases, 166 hospitalizations, 45 deaths; increase of three cases
• Manassas Park: 1,172 cases, 67 hospitalizations, 12 deaths; no changes
• Prince William County: 42,473 cases, 1,517 hospitalizations, 472 deaths; increase of 79 cases, one hospitalization and two deaths
• Fredericksburg: 1,907 cases, 96 hospitalizations, 22 deaths; increase of four cases
• Spotsylvania County: 8,965 cases, 291 hospitalizations, 109 deaths; increase of 15 cases
• Stafford County: 10,299 cases, 337 hospitalizations, 70 deaths; increase of 15 cases

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