First Moderna Vaccine Doses Arriving In Virginia This Week

VIRGINIA — Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is starting to be delivered this week in Virginia, a week after the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine rolled out to be administered to the first people.

The commonwealth had ordered around 140,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine last week in anticipation of receiving approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its use. The FDA granted the emergency use authorization last Friday. All of the Moderna vaccines ordered are expected to be delivered on Wednesday. In addition, Virginia received an allocation of 50,000 additional Pfizer vaccines doses this week.

Estimates provided by the federal government's Operation Warp Speed indicate Virginia will receive a weekly 50,000 doses from Pfizer and 50,000 from Moderna for the next few weeks. The actual total is a moving target and depends on how quickly vaccine doses are manufactured.

"Vaccines are our way out of this pandemic. With Pfizer-BioNTech and now Moderna vaccines available, more Virginians are able to get vaccinated,” said State Health Commissioner M. Norman Oliver. "The interest we are seeing from community members on when they can get vaccinated indicates people want this protection."

The first doses have gone to health care personnel at health-care systems across Virginia. These health-care workers, as well as long-term care facility residents and staff, are in the group1a priority group for the vaccine as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Virginia Department of Health.

Many Virginia long-term care facilities signed onto the federal program for vaccinations and will receive on-site vaccinations from CVS and Walgreens starting the week of Dec. 28. CVS shared its plans for pharmacy staff to make three visits to each facility to give vaccinations, and 874 Virginia facilities will participate.

As vaccine supplies and resources to administer the doses increase, more vaccines will become available to other populations. These groups will be identified in phased distribution plans from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and VDH.

"We are working hard to get vaccines to people as quickly as possible," said Oliver. "In the meantime, please continue to wear a face mask, practice social distancing, and wash your hands frequently.”

The two vaccines arrived as Virginia continues to see daily cases and hospitalizations higher than the earlier months of the pandemic. A record-high 4,652 cases were reported by the VDH on Wednesday, including 1,048 in Northern Virginia.

A new high of 2,586 current COVID-19 patients was reported on Wednesday. This includes 532 in the intensive care units and 290 on ventilators. Northern Virginia's current patients stand at 627; the peak had been 818 patients on April 30.

According to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association, ventilator use among all hospital patients is at 33 percent capacity, with 982 of the 3,017 available in use. ICU occupancy is at 81 percent, while the 2019 ICU occupancy average was 67 percent. There have been no hospitals reporting difficulty obtaining personal protective equipment within 72 hours since Sept. 18.

There were 55 new deaths reported on Tuesday in Virginia, and the seven-day average of daily death reports is 36. The cumulative totals stand at 319,133 cases, 17,271 hospitalizations, and 4,760 deaths.

The seven-day positive average of PCR tests is 11.4 percent statewide as of Dec. 20, while Northern Virginia's average is 11.2 percent. As for total PCR tests reported each day, the seven-day average is 28,713 for the state and 8,148 for Northern Virginia.

Below are the latest coronavirus data updates for our coverage area from Tuesday to Wednesday:

• Alexandria: 6,845 cases, 421 hospitalizations, 85 deaths; increase of 63 cases, three hospitalizations and one death
• Arlington County: 8,222 cases, 639 hospitalizations, 174 deaths; increase of 101 cases, three hospitalizations and five deaths
• Fairfax County: 40,785 cases, 2,837 hospitalizations, 663 deaths; increase of 302 cases, 32 hospitalizations and three deaths
• Fairfax City: 281 cases, 24 hospitalizations, 10 deaths; no changes
• Falls Church: 159 cases, 16 hospitalizations, six deaths; increase of two cases
• Loudoun County: 13,082 cases, 628 hospitalizations, 154 deaths; increase of 157 cases
• Manassas: 2,752 cases, 147 hospitalizations, 29 deaths; increase of 42 cases
• Manassas Park: 882 cases, 62 hospitalizations, eight deaths; increase of 13 cases
• Prince William County: 23,407 cases, 1,191 hospitalizations, 249 deaths; increase of 366 cases, 11 hospitalizations and two deaths
• Fredericksburg: 945 cases, 63 hospitalizations, eight deaths; increase of four cases
• Spotsylvania County: 4,219 cases, 204 hospitalizations, 67 deaths; increase of 48 cases and two hospitalizations
• Stafford County: 4,659 cases, 219 hospitalizations, 23 deaths; increase of 81 cases