VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Department of Health leaders say their main goal is “getting shots into arms," but compared to other states, the Commonwealth is missing the mark.
Virginia has used about 34% of all available vaccine doses that have been distributed throughout the Commonwealth.
That percentage is in the bottom five of all states, with updates to each state's dashboard and percentage arriving every day.
Over the next two weeks, the federal government will consider how quickly states are giving out the vaccine when it comes to the next allotment of available doses -- which could be concerning for future supply of the vaccine in Virginia.
In a letter sent on January 13, Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer asked Governor Northam and state leaders for direct access to the vaccine to speed up the process.
However, a reply from the governor’s office said local health departments will still work "in partnership" with the state.
VDH Deputy Commissioner Dr. Laurie Forlano told 13News Now the department is aware there's a need to increase the Commonwealth's vaccine administration numbers.
“The scale of this operation is quite large, so I think it’s reasonable to expect that lag time right now and hopefully it will improve," Forlano said. "Lots of room to improve and we acknowledge that."
Virginia’s ratio of vaccine shots that have been used improved from 21% to 34% between Jan. 4 and Jan. 18 – but not quickly enough to keep up with improvements in other states.
VDH leaders said on Jan. 14 they want mass vaccination centers to speed up the administration process, but those are not likely to be ready for weeks.