Vaccination Rates Climb In Virginia As Supplies Increase

VIRGINIA — Average daily COVID-19 vaccination rates in Virginia are expected to reach new highs this week as the state receives more doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccine. Next week, vaccination rates are likely to increase again as supplies of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine are scheduled to arrive in the state.

As of Monday, 1,982,780 vaccine doses have been administered in Virginia, according to the Virginia Department of Health. There are 1,296,491 people with at least one dose (15.2 percent of the population) and 686,289 people fully vaccinated (8.0 percent of the population).

The state is now averaging 42,032 vaccines per day, just below the average high set on Jan. 30 before vaccination rate dropped off in February.

New vaccine demographics data is available on a locality level. Residents can see the vaccine count and rate per 100,000 for age groups and race and ethnicity groups.

On Saturday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for a new vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson. The approval allows the vaccine to be distributed in the U.S. for those 18 and older.

Virginia is expected to receive 69,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine next week, which will be prioritized for mass vaccination clinics across the state. An additional allotment is expected to be sent to pharmacies participating in a federal partnership to help vaccinate priority groups, such as those 65 and older, at no cost, the VDH said in a news release.

No supplies will be shipped to the United States the week after next, though, creating an uneven supply of the one-dose vaccine. By late March, Johnson & Johnson is expected to deliver another 16 million doses to the federal government.

Starting Monday, some COVID-19 restrictions in Virginia were eased, including on-site alcohol sales at restaurants and bars ending at midnight, as opposed to the current 10 p.m. curfew, lifting of the midnight to 5 a.m. curfew, increasing outdoor social gatherings from 10 people to 25, and outdoor entertainment and public amusement parks operating at a capacity of 30 percent, or 1,000 people, up from 250.

On Monday, VDH reported 1,124 new cases, and the latest seven-day average of daily cases is 1,701. At a peak, the average was 6,166 on Jan. 18. Northern Virginia had 297 new cases on Monday and a seven-day average of 427. The cumulative total of cases in Virginia is 577,174.

An additional 231 deaths were reported on Monday, bringing the total of deaths associated with COVID-19 to 8,783. Northern Virginia had 46 of these new deaths. VDH continues to add a large number of deaths as it processes 2021 death certificates associated with the post-holiday surge of cases.

Hospitalizations overall have been trending down since mid-January. As of Monday, there were 1,319 current COVID-19 patients, the lowest hospitalization number in Virginia since Nov. 15. The hospitalization total included 295 in the intensive care units and 196 on ventilators. Northern Virginia has 262 current patients.

As reported by the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association, ICU occupancy among all hospital patients is at 74 percent, and ventilator use was at 31 percent.

Virginia's seven-day average of positive tests stood at 7.1 percent as of Feb. 25. The average has been trending down since reaching a winter peak of 17.4 percent on Jan. 3. Northern Virginia's average is 6.6 percent on Feb. 25, compared to a winter peak of 16.6 percent on Jan. 2.

The average number of daily PCR testing encounters continues to trend down since peaking at 35,027 on Jan. 14. The latest average is 20,979.

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

• Alexandria: 10,342 cases, 509 hospitalizations, 119 deaths; increase of 14 cases, two hospitalizations and 1 death
• Arlington County: 13,182 cases, 770 hospitalizations, 229 deaths; increase of 31 cases, one hospitalization and two deaths
• Fairfax County: 66,703 cases, 3,507 hospitalizations, 949 deaths; increase of 130 cases, eight hospitalizations and 19 deaths
• Fairfax City: 491 cases, 37 hospitalizations, 13 deaths; increase of one case
• Falls Church: 353 cases, 20 hospitalizations, seven deaths; increase of one case
• Loudoun County: 23,126 cases, 865 hospitalizations, 237 deaths; increase of 50 cases, two hospitalizations and eight deaths
• Manassas: 4,004 cases, 162 hospitalizations, 39 deaths; increase of two cases
• Manassas Park: 1,127 cases, 66 hospitalizations, 11 deaths; increase of three cases
• Prince William County: 39,398 cases, 1,389 hospitalizations, 420 deaths; increase of 65 cases and 16 deaths
• Fredericksburg: 1,783 cases, 93 hospitalizations, 19 deaths; increase of three cases
• Spotsylvania County: 8,300 cases, 281 hospitalizations, 100 deaths; increase of 19 cases, one hospitalization and one death
• Stafford County: 9,582 cases, 309 hospitalizations, 67 deaths; increase of 27 cases