Virginia is slated to receive an estimated 480,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine with initial distribution going to health care workers and long-term care facility residents possibly by the end of this month.
Even with such a large number of doses, it is still short of the estimated 500,000 shots needed to inoculate every health care worker and long-term care resident in the state, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
Virginia State Health Commissioner Dr. M. Norman Oliver said the vaccine will be provided in a “fair, ethical and transparent” way. “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,” he said in a statement.
Calls to local nursing homes and health care providers went unanswered last week. Health care is a growing occupation within the county.
The Virginia Department of Health has defined health care personnel as paid and unpaid persons serving in health care settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials. Long-term care facility residents are defined as adults who reside in facilities that provide a variety of services, including medical and personal care, to persons who are unable to live independently.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) on Tuesday voted to formally recommend health care providers and long-term care facilities residents as top priorities for vaccination. In response, the Virginia Disaster Medical Advisory Committee (VDMAC) and the Virginia Unified Command voted this week to officially adopt ACIP recommendations in Virginia and provide initial vaccines to both HCP and LTCF residents, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
The first shipment of vaccines is expected to be received from Pfizer in mid-December and will require ultracold storage – negative 70 degrees Celsius. All 72,150 initial doses will be distributed directly to geographically diverse health care systems with ultracold storage capacity, and will go to health care providers. Health care personnel that directly care for COVID-19 patients will receive top priority among health care providers.
Subsequent weekly shipments are expected to begin after the initial shipment and will be divided among health care providers and long-term care facilities residents. The majority of long-term care facilities in Virginia will receive vaccinations from CVS and Walgreens’ teams onsite through a federal CDC-pharmacy-long-term care facilities partnership. Health care systems and public health will ensure access to vaccination for both groups equitably across the entire state.
The VDH said ACIP ethical principles for distribution of the vaccine, mainly to maximize benefits and minimize harms, promote justice, and mitigate health inequities, support the early vaccination of HCP and LTCF residents. According to ACIP, as of December 1, 2020, approximately 245,000 COVID-19 cases and 858 COVID-19-associated deaths had been reported among U.S. HCP. Early protection of HCP is critical to preserve capacity to care for patients with COVID-19 or other illnesses. LTCF residents, because of their age, high rates of underlying medical conditions, and congregate living situation, are at high risk for infection and severe illness from COVID-19. As of November 15, 2020, approximately 500,000 COVID-19 cases and 70,000 associated deaths had been reported among residents of skilled nursing facilities in the United States.
The actual amount of vaccine received in Virginia is a moving target and dependent on when and how quickly vaccination doses are manufactured. VDH is coordinating future prioritization based on federal guidance, it said in a statement.
Virginia could receive the doses from two manufacturers, Pfizer and Moderna.
Pfizer said its vaccine is 90 percent effective beginning 28 days after the first dose. Moderna said its study showed a 94 percent effective rate. On Sunday, the Food and Drug Administration said it will consider Emergency Use Authorization for Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine candidate on Thursday and Moderna’s vaccine candidate on Dec. 17, according to Fox Business.
