Pharmacy Partners To Expand Vaccines Within Phase 1B In Virginia

VIRGINIA — On Wednesday, the Virginia Department of Health announced partners with the Federal Retail Pharmacy program are directed to expand COVID-19 vaccinations to more groups within phase 1b.

Newly eligible groups include people 16 to 64 with an underlying health condition or disability, and front-line essential workers in phase 1b. These essential worker groups are police, fire, and hazmat; corrections and homeless shelters; food and agriculture (including veterinarians); manufacturing; grocery stores (including farmers market food vendors); public transit (including rideshare drivers); mail carriers (USPS and private); officials needed to maintain continuity of government (including judges and public-facing judicial workers); clergy and faith leaders; and janitorial and cleaning staff.

For more information on coronavirus vaccines in Virginia, see the Virginia Patch COVID-19 vaccination page.

Up until now, pharmacies offering the vaccine through the federal program were directed by the state to offer the vaccine to people 65 and older. Teachers, school staff and child care workers were added under a directive from President Joe Biden.

"The expansion follows the state’s recent announcement that some Virginia communities could move from Phase 1b to Phase 1c, based upon a variety of factors, including vaccine demand decreases despite strong efforts to engage eligible populations, particularly among those who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19," VDH said in a statement.

Over 300 pharmacies in Virginia are receiving the COVID-19 vaccine through the federal program. There's capacity to expand to over 1,000 pharmacies within the state.

Many federal pharmacy partners are working with the Virginia Department of Health to address vaccine waitlists, but some like CVS, Safeway and Harris Teeter have their own registration systems.

VDH recommends using vaccinefinder.org to find availability.