Funds Allocated For COVID-19 Vaccination Program In Virginia

VIRGINIA — Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday $22 million in federal CARES Act funds have been allocated for a coronavirus vaccine program to distribute vaccines once they're approved for public use. The Virginia Department of Health submitted a draft vaccination plan to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier in October.

According to a news release from the governor, several companies are working on COVID-19 vaccines. These could be expected to be finalized and approved for distribution in the coming months. Northam encouraged residents to get the vaccine once it becomes available.

"We look forward to the day that a safe vaccine for COVID-19 is available for public use, so that we can get closer to living normal lives," said Northam in a statement. "We want to be ready to help Virginians get that vaccine as quickly, efficiently, and safely as possible. This funding will support the Virginia Department of Health’s vaccine preparations, so distribution will go more smoothly when a vaccine becomes available."

A mass vaccination program has required planning from the commonwealth for purchases of equipment, support for local health districts, staff to manage the program, warehousing medical supplies, and communicating with the public. The plan indicates vaccine doses could be available in limited supply as early as November, but supplies are expected to substantially increasing in 2021. VDH has invited health care providers to complete a form indicating whether they intend to administer a COVID-19 vaccine when available.

The draft vaccination plan to the CDC includes:

• Assumptions, variables, and scenarios that can impact vaccine planning
• Measures to identify and estimate critical populations and establish vaccine priority groups
• Measures for provider recruitment, enrollment, and training
• Process for vaccine allocation, ordering, distribution, inventory management, and reporting doses administered
• Guidelines for appropriate vaccine storage and handling
• Methods for second dose reminders to ensure compliance with vaccine dosing intervals (most COVID-19 vaccines require two doses separated by 21 or 28 days) and achieve optimal vaccine effectiveness
• Systems for vaccine safety monitoring
• Procedures for vaccination program monitoring, including online dashboards
• Efforts to build confidence and inform the public about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, working with trusted community partners

The $22 million in federal Cares Act funds will support VDH's vaccination preparations through the end of 2020. For the program to continue in 2021, additional sources of funding would be identified. VDH estimated the vaccination program will cost around $120 million.

Latest COVID-19 Numbers in Virginia

On Friday, 1,180 new coronavirus cases were reported, bringing the cumulative total to 171,284. The new cases include 344 in the southwest region, 280 in the northern region, 209 in the eastern region, 180 in the central region, and 167 in the northwest region.

There have been 3,539 coronavirus deaths to date, which include 15 reported in the last day. Because deaths may be reported on a different day than the one on a death certificate, VDH also tracks death certificate dates. To date, the highest seven-day average of deaths by death certificate date was 40 on May 5. Data may be incomplete for the most recent weeks, but the seven-day average has been less than half of the May 5 peak since June.

Cumulative hospitalizations stand at 12,140, while current patients total 1,012 statewide, according to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association. That includes 113 patients on ventilators and 233 in the intensive care units. Ventilator use among all hospital patients stands at 23 percent capacity, and ICU occupancy it at 81 percent. The 2019 average for ICU occupancy in Virginia was 67 percent. No hospitals are reporting difficulty obtaining personal protective equipment or other medical supplies in the next 72 hours.

The seven-day average of positive PCR tests remains at 5 percent across Virginia. There have been 2,472,061 PCR tests completed to date, an increase of 20,363 since Thursday. Positive averages by region include 7 percent in the southwest region, 4.9 percent in the central and eastern regions, 4.6 percent in the northern region and 4 percent in the northwest region.

Below are the latest coronavirus data updates for our coverage area between Wednesday and Thursday.

• Alexandria: 4,179 cases, 326 hospitalizations, 75 deaths; increase of 17 cases
• Arlington County: 4,488 cases, 531 hospitalizations, 153 deaths; increase of 31 cases, seven hospitalizations and one death
• Fairfax County: 23,137 cases, 2,228 hospitalizations, 606 deaths; increase of 122 cases, eight hospitalizations and one death
• Fairfax City: 156 cases, 14 hospitalizations, eight deaths; no changes
• Falls Church: 74 cases, 13 hospitalizations, seven deaths; no changes
• Loudoun County: 7,704 cases, 471 hospitalizations, 130 deaths; increase of 24 cases and one hospitalization
• Manassas: 2,029 cases, 132 hospitalizations, 27 deaths; increase of four cases
• Manassas Park: 641 cases, 57 hospitalizations, eight deaths; increase of two cases
• Prince William County: 13,912 cases, 984 hospitalizations, 223 deaths; increase of 80 cases and one hospitalization
• Fredericksburg: 582 cases, 51 hospitalizations, six deaths; one case removed
• Spotsylvania County: 2,389 cases, 151 hospitalizations, 50 deaths; increase of 22 cases
• Stafford County: 2,314 cases, 169 hospitalizations, 20 deaths; increase of seven cases and one hospitalization

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