NORFOLK, Va. — Governor Ralph Northam said nearly 1 in 4 Virginians have received at least their first dose. However, there is a big drop-off in reaching vaccinating minorities and underserved communities.
“We want to get back to normal, and the way to do that is to get vaccinated as soon you can,” said Northam during a press briefing Tuesday.
The state received 500,000 vaccine doses this week. Right now, Virginia averages roughly 50,000 doses daily, and at times, the state has surpassed 60,000 daily doses.
More vaccine is coming to the Commonwealth, and Gov. Northam expects vaccination efforts to ramp up. Starting next week, Northam said the federal government is increasing the state's allocation of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
But he reiterated the importance of vaccine equity, and state officials claim they are carefully considering innovative ways to reach all communities.
Governor Ralph Northam said everyone who wants the vaccine should have access to it by the end of May. But right now, the VDH shows there’s a huge gap in vaccinating minorities and underserved communities in the Commonwealth.
Black, Latino and Asian people make up only 14 percent of Virginians with at least their first dose, based on data on the VDH website. The groups comprise 37% of the state’s population, based on Census data.
Dr. Danny Avula, the state’s vaccine coordinator, said they are thinking through ways to reach communities that are not going to use some of the standard avenues for vaccinations. He said certain communities are not going online to register, and many lack access.
“How can we help with transportation? How can we help with childcare?" said Northam while listing examples of questions being considered.
Governor Northam said the vaccination call center is an example of offering an effective solution.
“We want to do as much as we can in a fast fashion but very equitably, so we don’t leave anyone behind," said Curtis Brown, director and state coordinator for Virginia's Department of Emergency Management.
Brown spoke to faith and community leaders Tuesday during a weekly meeting called, "Get Out The Vaccine," and said the state is taking several steps to reach equity. One of the tactics involves contracting Elite Business Strategies to hire a community outreach specialist, or what he called "influencers' to help people to pre-register and get vaccinated.
“These are the folks who are going to be doing the on-the-ground-work of going door-to-door and registering people, going to supermarkets and grocery stores, coordinating efforts with our faith-based communities," said Brown.
Transportation and options for homebound people are also being considered, said Brown.
State officials took equity into consideration when choosing locations for community vaccination sites, including the location scheduled for Portsmouth.
Brown said they are looking to hire people from the communities to work those events. The positions include vaccinators and greeters among other roles.
“We want these to be really tailored vaccination events. We want to eliminate disparities that we are seeing," he said. "If we have a community-based vaccinated event we want people from that community running it."
As previously reported, faith leaders across Hampton Roads have been tapped to assist in the registration and vaccination process. Houses of worship are serving as vaccination sites, and faith leaders have helped communicate facts about the vaccine.
Brown strongly encouraged people to advise family and friends to register for the vaccine.
“Please encourage folks to register," he said.
He urges people to pre-register, which can be done by visiting vaccinate.virginia.gov or by calling the hotline at 1-877-829-4682.