This week, Governor Northam provided his first COVID-19 update of 2021. The health crisis remains critical with cases at the highest point since the first reported case in March 2020. According to statistical modeling conducted by the University of Virginia, cases will continue to rise through Valentine’s Day. The governor believes that broad immunization will be the key to getting Virginia past the crisis. He says Virginia needs a total of 17 million doses of the vaccine; that amount covers all 8.5 million Virginians, with two doses each. The current short-term goal for Virginia is to vaccinate 25,000 people per day, with a longer-term goal of 50,000 vaccinations.
Northam also announced his plan for prioritizing the administration of vaccines. The priority groups can be found online www.vdh.virginia.gov/covid-19-vaccine/.