All adult Virginians will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccine by April 18, Northam says

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) -- All Virginians ages 16 and older will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine appointment by April 18, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday.

Northam's office says nearly every Virginian in the highest risk groups for COVID-19 have received a vaccine so far, and said 21 of 35 local health districts (including some in Hampton Roads) are now in phase 1c of vaccinations. 1c includes more essential workers.

Starting on April 4, health districts who have offered an appointment to everyone in phase 1c may start offering appointments to those in the general public who have pre-registered, officials say.

That April 18 date is two weeks ahead of the federal goal of May 1 set by President Biden. Biden said this week that 90% of American adults will be eligible by April 19.

“The COVID-19 vaccine is the light at the end of the tunnel—and that light is getting brighter every day as more and more Virginians get vaccinated,” said Governor Northam. “We continue to work with diverse providers and community partners across the Commonwealth to distribute vaccines in a fair and equitable way and ensure those at the highest risk are vaccinated first. Expanding vaccine eligibility to all adults marks an important milestone in our ongoing efforts to put this pandemic behind us, and I thank all of the public health staff, health care workers, vaccinators, and volunteers who have helped make this possible.”

So far, more than 30% of Virginians have at least one dose and 16% are fully vaccinated. 3,850,838 shots in total have been administered, the Virginia Department of Health says.

To make sure you can get an appointment, pre-register through the Virginia vaccination portal at vaccinate.virginia.gov or call 877-VAX-IN-VA (877-829-4682 or call 877-VAX-IN-VA (877-829-4682.

For more information on the vaccine, visit WAVY's vaccination page.

from WAVY.com https://ift.tt/3fvwZun