RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) — Gov. Ralph Northam shared several updates in his Tuesday press briefing, including big news that a mass vaccination event is coming to Portsmouth next week. Here are some of the highlights.
Mass Vaccination Site Coming to Portsmouth
A mass vaccination site run with the help of FEMA will open up in Portsmouth next week, Northam announced during his briefing.
Additional sites will also open in Petersburg and Danville. They will focus on equitable distribution of the vaccine after looking at data on underserved areas. These events will be able to vaccinate anywhere from hundreds to thousands of people going forward, and will select people via Virginia’s pre-registration system. People will not be able to just show up, they’ll need an appointment.
This is big news for Portsmouth, whose health department was already working at maximum capacity and needed volunteers to expand its efforts.
Virginia’s Emergency management coordinator says the state will use $178M of FEMA funding to provide vaccine sites in the coming months.
Officials said more vaccination sites will come in the next three weeks, with up to 13 events in the next three months.
How Many Doses Are We Getting? And When Can I Get My Shot?
Dr. Danny Avula, Virginia’s head of vaccine rollout, says Virginia’s supply of doses should meet the demand of all of those in 1b by the second week of April. President Biden said last week that there should be a vaccine for every American adult who wants one by the end of May, so Avula says Virginia should be just ahead of that.
The gamechanger: Virginia will start getting more than 100,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine starting March 29, Avula says. Virginia got a big 69,000 dose allotment of J&J to start, but additional distribution will be minimal until March 29. Virginia’s currently also getting 188,000 first doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and about 170,000 second doses each week.
Northam stressed how important it is to answer phone calls, even from unknown numbers.
“It is important that you answer your phone,” Northam said. “Our call center and local health districts are telling us that a lot of people aren’t.”
Virginia is averaging more than 50,000 vaccinations per day (Northam’s initial goal) and 18% of Virginians have at least one dose.
“This is literally our path back to normalcy,” Northam said. “I have been so encouraged by your resilience and strength. We have seen such generosity this past year. You’ve stepped up and done your part to keep your neighbors and communities safe.”
If you’re having trouble finding yourself on the state’s pre-registration list, Avula says to reach out to the state call center at 877-829-4682.
For the latest on the vaccine, visit WAVY’s vaccination page.
2/3 of School Staff Have at Least 1 Vaccine Dose, Northam says
Northam says two-thirds of staff at schools across Virginia have at least one vaccine dose ahead of his March 15 deadline for schools to offer at least some in-person learning.
“We know there are ways for schools to hold in person classes safely,” said Northam.
All Virginia schools have submitted in-person learning plans, and most have already reopened for in-person, Northam says. Portsmouth schools however won’t go back until after Northam’s March 15 deadline.
“We’re seeing a decline in academic performance, and we’re seeing increased behavioral problems and mental health issues, so I’m glad that our children are getting back into the classroom because that is where they need to be,” Northam said.
Click here to the latest on school reopening plans in Hampton Roads/Tidewater.
No Capacity Increases for Weddings
Northam says it’s not safe to expand weddings past their current 25-person capacity, even outdoor weddings. Though that capacity limit could be lifted coming up if Virginia’s coronavirus metrics continue to dip. Virginia’s still reporting more than 1,000 cases per day on average, though it has seen its percent of positive tests dip below 6%.
“People are in close proximity,” Northam said. They’re hugging folks, they are glad to see, it’s a happy occasion. There’s eating, there’s drinking, there’s dancing. there’s singing, all of the things that we know that spread this virus. So we’ve really tried to follow the science and follow the data. As soon as we can, I promise you, we’ll lift the measures, but it’s just not safe right now.”
Northam’s Tuesday briefing comes as health metrics across Virginia continue to improve — with cases and hospitalizations steadily dropping.
Last week, the governor lifted Virginia’s stay-at-home curfew and now restaurants are allowed to sell alcohol until midnight. He also increased group sizes allowed outside, including expanding some outdoor venues to up to 1,000-person capacity.
Northam hopes there will be a vaccine available for all Virginia adults by the end of May, after a pledge from the Biden administration. However, he warns herd immunity will not happen until months later, since children have not started the vaccination process.
He told our sister station WRIC, the mask mandate will likely stick around.
“Whether we can take our masks off in the fall, I’m not sure. But as soon as we have that herd immunity, as soon as we know it’s safe, then I hope we’ll get some direction from the CDC or Washington,” Northam said. “If I had a crystal ball to look into and answer a lot of these questions, I would do that but we don’t.”
This time last year, Northam announced a state of emergency as the virus made its way to Virginia.
Now, the FDA has approved 3 vaccines to combat coronavirus. The most recent is the single-dose Johnson and Johnson shot, which health experts say emphasized is highly effective at preventing serious COVID-19 symptoms — including 100% effectiveness at preventing hospitalizations and deaths.
Northam says he’ll continue to emphasize outdoor activities over indoor gatherings going forward.
“I’ve had questions come up about [indoor] prom, weddings, those types of things. Until the numbers are down in the communities we have to be very, very careful,” Northam said. “But anything that involves being outdoors, as soon as we can lift those measures, we will.”