NORFOLK, Va. — Virginia’s COVID-19 vaccination leaders say they’re confident all adults should be able to get their first vaccination shot by the end of May, and anyone who wants a vaccine should become eligible by the end of April.
“We look at the supply and pace and demand here in Virginia, we think we will easily meet that May 1 marker and potentially outpace it by a couple of weeks," Dr. Danny Avula, Virginia's vaccine coordinator, said. “Anyone who wants a vaccine will move into the open eligibility before the end of April, and everyone should be able to be vaccinated by the end of May, at least with a first dose."
President Joe Biden set a target of May 1 for states to open vaccinations to all adults in his first prime time address Thursday.
Virginia health leaders are expecting a large increase in vaccine supply in April and said they anticipate finishing most Phase 1B vaccinations by mid-April.
“The fact there’s so many more doses available and channels to receive the vaccine through means we’re not going to have that stark supply-demand mismatch that we had going from 1A to 1B," Avula explained.
In a press conference Friday, Dr. Avula said he expects the Virginia Department of Health will distribute close to 600,000 or 700,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses per week during the month of April.
Currently, Avula said the demand for vaccinations among people 65 and older is slowing down, so local health departments are scheduling more appointments for adults younger than 65 with underlying health conditions.
Some localities and health departments may move on to Phase 1C vaccination appointments more quickly than others.
“If they have multiple days where they’re having 10 percent [of available appointments] or more into their 1C backup list, that’s a good mark as a community you’re ready to go to 1C," Avula said.
Avula said the herd immunity goal of vaccinating 75 percent of people is “absolutely within reach” and private providers will play an important role in reaching that goal.
“I think people really rely on doctors and nurses," Avula said. "As more of the vaccine shifts out to provider communities, being able to take time and work through vaccine hesitancy will increase uptake.”
Virginia now ranks fourth in the country in terms of vaccine doses administered.
Avula said Virginia leaders looked at the intersection of lower vaccination rates and higher need when scheduling a mass community clinic in Portsmouth next week.
Dr. Daniel Carey, Virginia Secretary of Health, said upcoming community vaccination clinics are a way of addressing inequity and disparities within the vaccine rollout.
“Hispanic and Latinx, as well as African-American communities, have been even more affected [by the virus], so we have extra obligation to make sure we’re getting into those communities," Carey said after visiting the Colonial Williamsburg Vaccination Clinic on Friday.