More Coronavirus Vaccines Coming For VA's Top-Priority Groups

VIRGINIA — Virginia health officials are expanding their response to the coronavirus pandemic so that more people in top-priority groups will receive vaccinations sooner.

Based on new information about the federal government's Operation Warp Speed, Virginia health officials are preparing to receive an estimated 480,000 doses of vaccine from two manufacturers — Pfizer and Moderna — by the end of the month. This is a considerably larger amount than the estimated 70,000 doses of a coronavirus vaccine Gov. Ralph Northam said on Wednesday the state would be receiving from Pfizer alone.

The larger number of doses will ensure that nearly all of the 480,000 individuals in Virginia's two top-priority groups — health care personnel and long-term care facility residents — will be taken care of in the first round of vaccinations. The Virginia Department of Health estimates there are up to 500,000 individuals in these two groups.

“Vaccine will be provided to Virginians in a way that is fair, ethical, and transparent,” Virginia State Health Commissioner M. Norman Oliver said, in a release. “We will focus initially on the groups that have been most at risk for severe illness from COVID-19 infections and those whose work puts them at greatest risk of contracting COVID-19 infections. Over time, as more vaccine supply becomes available, more Virginians will be able to get vaccinated, and we can look forward to a time when this pandemic will end.”

Virginia is expected to received its first shipment of vaccines from Pfizer in mid-December. These doses will require ultra-cold storage of negative 70 degrees Celsius, with the 72,150 initial doses being sent to geographically diverse health care systems that have ultra-cold storage capacity.

Thanks to a federal partnership between the CDC, pharmacies, and long-term care facilities, CVS and Walgreens' teams will provide vaccinations for the majority of residents in those facilities.

VDH reported 3,793 new coronavirus cases Saturday, which is up considerably from the 2,877 new cases reported on Friday. The increase is partially due to VDH clearing a backlog of data concerning news cases.

The one-day spike raises the seven-day average of daily cases to 2,508 compared to 2,419 on Friday.

On Saturday, each of the five regions in Virginia reported new cases above their seven-day average. New cases by region included 1,056 in the southwest region (524.0 seven-day average), 844 in the northern region (662.6 seven-day average), 777 in the northwest region (493.9 seven-day average), 528 in the eastern region (410.4 seven-day average) and 588 in the central region (378.7 seven-day average).

Statewide, there are 1,852 current COVID-19 patients as of Saturday. Hospitalizations in Virginia have remained steady over the past three days. Of these, 183 patients are on ventilators, and 4o7 are in the intensive care units.

Hospitalizations by region include 504 in Northern Virginia. Elsewhere in the state, 380 people were hospitalized in the southwest region on Saturday, 345 in the eastern region, 341 in the central region and 282 in the northwest region.

On Wednesday, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said at a news conference that an estimated 70,000 doses of a coronavirus vaccine would be in the first wave of Pfizer vaccines sent to Virginia.

The governor said Virginia will be following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention policy for distribution of vaccines to priority groups. On Tuesday, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to make the first priority group health care workers and long-term care facility residents.

As of Nov. 30, the seven-day positive average of tests in Virginia was 9.9 percent. Regional averages were 13.3 percent in the southwest region, 9.4 percent in the northern region, 8.8 percent in the eastern region, 8.7 in the northwest region and 7.8 percent in the central region.

Ventilator use among all hospital patients in Virginia is at 28 percent, while ICU occupancy is at 77 percent, according to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. The 2019 average for ICU occupancy was 67 percent. When including 881 ICU surge beds, statewide ICU occupancy is at 52 percent.

According to VDH data, no Virginia hospitals have reported difficulty obtaining PPE since Sept. 18.

There were 37 new coronavirus deaths reported by VDH on Saturday, and the seven-day average of daily death reports is 20. The cumulative totals of deaths is 4,197, while there have been 251,173 cases and 15,255 hospitalizations to date.

Below are the latest coronavirus data updates for our coverage area from Friday to Saturday:

• Arlington County: 6,640 cases, 597 hospitalizations, 158 deaths; increase of 105 cases and 1 hospitalization.
• Fairfax County: 32,579 cases, 2,611 hospitalizations, 621 deaths; increase of 333 cases, 4 hospitalizations and one death.
• Fairfax City: 223 cases, 18 hospitalizations, nine deaths; increase of 10 cases
• Falls Church: 119 cases, 15 hospitalizations, six deaths; increase of 2 cases
• Loudoun County: 10,557 cases, 570 hospitalizations, 150 deaths; increase of 88 cases and two hospitalizations
• Manassas: 2,377 cases, 142 hospitalizations, 28 deaths; increase of 12 cases and three hospitalizations
• Manassas Park: 751 cases, 62 hospitalizations, eight deaths; increase of three cases
• Prince William County: 19,161 cases, 1,114 hospitalizations, 235 deaths; increase of 193 cases and 11 hospitalizations
• Fredericksburg: 741 cases, 57 hospitalizations, six deaths; increase of 18 cases
• Spotsylvania County: 3,340 cases, 183 hospitalizations, 58 deaths; increase of 44 cases
• Stafford County: 3,536 cases, 201 hospitalizations, 22 deaths; increase of 78 cases and two hospitalizations

SEE ALSO: 70K Doses Of Pfizer's Vaccine Expected In Virginia