COVID-19 Updates Archive - September 2021
- Sept. 28 Updates
- Sept. 24 Updates
- Sept. 20 Updates
- Sept. 16 Updates
- Sept. 10 Updates
- Sept. 7 Updates
Sept. 28, 2021 Update - 5 p.m.
Chesterfield Health District Offering Pfizer-BioNTech Booster COVID-19 Vaccines
The Virginia Department of Health’s (VDH) Chesterfield Health District (CHD) will offer COVID-19 vaccine boosters for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in accordance with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The booster vaccine can be obtained any time after six months from the date of a second Prifer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
The COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness decreases slowly at six months, but people still have strong protection again severe illness, hospitalization, and death,” said Alexander Samuel, M.D., MPH, CHD director. “It's recommended that the booster dose is given six months or more after the second shot. Individuals who do not receive a booster will still be considered fully vaccinated.”
According to the CDC, those eligible for a Pfizer-BioNTech booster dose include:
- people 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series;
- people aged 50–64 years with underlying medical conditions should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series;
- people aged 18–49 years with underlying medical conditions may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks;
- people aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks.
The Chesterfield Health District is one of many booster vaccine providers in this health district. The health district is operating the Rockwood Vaccination Center (RVC) located at 10161 Hull Street Road, Midlothian, which is open as follows:
- Mondays, 3 to 7 p.m.
- Tuesdays, 3 to 7 p.m.
- Thursdays, 3 to 7 p.m.
- Saturdays, 9 a.m. to noon
Walk-ins are welcome, but registering for a vaccination appointment is encouraged. You can sign up for appointments at Vaccines.gov. If you are coming for your booster dose, please bring your vaccine card to confirm the date and type of vaccine you received in your second dose.
In addition to the booster shots, the clinic will offer first and second doses of all the COVID-19 vaccines at no cost to the public. The Moderna vaccine and the single-dose Johnson & Johnson are available for anyone 18 and older. The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is available for anyone 12 and older. A parent or guardian must accompany anyone under 18.
Chesterfield Health District encourages all eligible persons to get their COVID-19 vaccine if they haven’t already done so. Everyone 12 or older is eligible to be vaccinated. To find free vaccines nearby, visit vaccinate.virginia.gov or call 877-VAX-IN-VA (877-829-4682, TTY users call 7-1-1). Assistance is available in English, Spanish and more than 100 other languages.
View additional information on the VDH Regional News Releases page.
Sept. 24, 2021 Update - 1 p.m.
Statement from Virginia State Vaccination Coordinator Dr. Danny Avula on CDC Recommendation of Pfizer-BioNTech Booster Doses
The following statement is from Virginia’s state vaccination coordinator Dr. Danny Avula, MD, MPH:
“Virginia welcomes the decision from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to support booster shots for certain people who previously received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) has been working with its vaccination partners — pharmacies, healthcare providers, hospitals and other institutions — to prepare for this rollout. We are confident that we will have enough supply and that access will be widely available.
“VDH is also establishing other vaccination sites to ensure eligible Virginians will be able to access a booster dose when it’s recommended. There is no need to rush to get your booster at six months and one day. VDH will provide information about accessing a booster dose on vaccinate.virginia.gov where you can search for and schedule a booster vaccination appointment.”
VDH’s top priority remains increasing vaccination rates in Virginia because those who are unvaccinated remain at the highest risk of severe illness and hospitalization due to COVID-19. Everyone 12 or older is eligible to be vaccinated. To find free vaccines nearby, visit vaccinate.virginia.gov or call 877-VAX-IN-VA (877-829-4682, TTY users call 7-1-1). Assistance is available in English, Spanish and more than 100 other languages.
View the full news release on the Virginia Department of Health Newsroom.
Sept. 20, 2021 Update - 9:15 a.m.
Statement from Virginia State Vaccination Coordinator Dr. Danny Avula on FDA Advisory Committee Vote on Pfizer-BioNTech Booster Doses
The following statement is from state vaccination coordinator Dr. Danny Avula, MD, MPH:
Friday “an advisory committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted in favor of recommending booster doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to Virginians 65 years and up and those at high risk for severe COVID-19. This is simply a recommendation at this point, and booster doses will not be available in Virginia until the FDA issues an updated authorization, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issues new guidance. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice is scheduled to meet Sept. 22-23, and we do not expect CDC to release recommendations before late next week at the earliest.
“The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) will continue its planning efforts with pharmacies, providers, hospitals and other partners as well as efforts to establish other vaccination sites to ensure that once the CDC issues guidance, eligible Virginians will be able to access a booster dose. VDH will provide information about accessing a booster dose on vaccinate.virginia.gov when more guidance is available.
“Those who are unvaccinated remain at the highest risk of severe illness due to COVID-19. Everyone 12 or older who lives or works in Virginia is eligible to be vaccinated. To find free vaccines nearby, visit vaccinate.virginia.gov or call 877-VAX-IN-VA (877-829-4682, TTY users call 7-1-1). Assistance is available in English, Spanish and more than 100 other languages.”
View the full news release on the Virginia Department of Health Newsroom.
Sept. 16, 2021 Update - 12:45 p.m.
Virginia Department of Health Announces Launch of QR Codes to Verify COVID-19 Vaccination Status
QR codes are secure and private for users, easy for businesses
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) has announced the addition of QR codes – a type of barcode that can be scanned with smartphones – to Virginia COVID-19 vaccination records.
QR codes – short for quick response – are commonly used in retail, logistics and other sectors. The technology allows anyone to show proof of vaccination with a digital or printed QR code instead of a paper card, and without the need for an app. As more and more employers and businesses respond to calls by President Biden and Governor Northam to require that employees and customers be vaccinated, QR codes will help improve the consistency and security of vaccination information while protecting individual privacy.
A person vaccinated in Virginia can visit vaccinate.virginia.gov to obtain their free vaccination record with QR code, which can then be saved to a phone gallery, printed on paper or stored in a compatible account.
QR codes contain the same information as paper records, but in a format that offers greater security and efficiency. Because the QR code is digitally signed by the Virginia Department of Health, it cannot be altered or forged. Information from QR codes is only available if and when the individual chooses to share it. Businesses and employers that choose to verify an individual’s vaccination status can scan QR codes with the free SMART Health Verifier App. Individuals do not need to download an app to use QR codes.
Virginia is now the fifth U.S. state to adopt the SMART Health format for QR codes, empowering individuals with trustworthy and verifiable copies of their vaccination records in digital or paper form using open, interoperable standards. The framework and standards were developed by VCI, a coalition of more than 800 public and private organizations – including The Mayo Clinic, Boston Children’s Hospital, Microsoft, MITRE and The Commons Project Foundation.
QR codes are available to anyone whose vaccination record includes a working phone number and is in the Virginia Immunization Information System (VIIS). Nearly all doses administered in Virginia are reported to VIIS, including pharmacies, physician offices, health department clinics, federally qualified health centers and community vaccination centers. Some doses administered outside Virginia to Virginia residents may be in VIIS. Doses administered directly by federal agencies such as the Department of Defense or Department of Veterans Affairs are not reported to VIIS. A person whose record cannot be retrieved automatically may call 877-VAX-IN-VA (877-829-4682, TTY users call 7-1-1) for assistance.
With more than 10.2 million doses of vaccine administered so far in Virginia, more than 58% of the population is fully vaccinated. Everyone 12 or older is eligible to be vaccinated now.
To find free vaccines nearby, visit vaccinate.virginia.gov or call 877-VAX-IN-VA (877-829-4682, TTY users call 7-1-1). Assistance is available in English, Spanish, and more than 100 other languages.
View the full news release on the Virginia Department of Health Newsroom.
Sept. 10, 2021 Update - 4:45 p.m.
Statement from State Health Commissioner M. Norman Oliver, MD, MA
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) applauds President Biden’s initiatives, announced Thursday, Sept. 9, to meet the growing challenge of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, which is now powering a surge in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the United States and in Virginia. With the U.S. averaging close to 150,000 cases and about 1,500 deaths per day, primarily attributable to the Delta variant, it is imperative we do all we can to beat back this surge.
Many Virginia employers from across the economic spectrum have already instituted one of the planks of the president’s response to the Delta surge: vaccination requirements for their employees. Leading the way has been the Commonwealth of Virginia following Governor Ralph Northam’s directive for all 120,000 state employees to be vaccinated or undergo regular testing for infection. The governor has called on local governments and other governmental entities to follow the Commonwealth’s lead, emphasizing that vaccination is the only sure way out of this pandemic and the only sure way to return to pre-pandemic normality. President Biden’s directive to employers with 100 or more employees to require their employees to be vaccinated will build more momentum for COVID-19 vaccination in the private sector. VDH echoes that call.
VDH has also taken the following steps in the Commonwealth’s COVID-19 response:
- Greatly expanded testing and screening opportunities for the general public, scheduling more than 170 Community Testing Events across the state in the month of September. Virginians in need of COVID-19 testing may call 877-VAX-IN-VA (877-829-4682), Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., for information about testing opportunities near them.
- Developed the Virginia School Screening Testing for Assurance (ViSSTA) program in conjunction with the Virginia Department of Education to provide free testing to K-12 schools, public and private, in the Commonwealth in an effort to ensure the learning environment is as safe as possible for students, teachers and staff. With pilot programs in place now, we anticipate the full program to go live later in October.
- Currently, more than 30 hospitals and medical centers throughout the Commonwealth have obtained monoclonal antibodies from the federal government for COVID-19 use. Over the last two months, VDH has launched a statewide educational and awareness campaign about monoclonal antibodies directed to physicians and healthcare providers. This effort will continue and information about these medications are being developed for distribution to the public.
For more information on COVID-19 in Virginia, visit the VDH Coronavirus website. Anyone age 12 or older can find free vaccination clinics near them by visiting Vaccinate.Virginia.gov or by calling 877-VAX-IN-VA (877-829-4682, TTY users may call 7-1-1).
View the full news release on the Virginia Department of Health Newsroom.
Sept. 7, 2021 Update - 3:30 p.m.
Virginia Department of Health Expanding Testing Across the Commonwealth
Testing expanded to meet community needs
In response to an increasing number of individuals seeking testing, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) is expanding testing events across the Commonwealth. The action comes as cases of COVID-19 are rising, due to the Delta variant, a more contagious variant than the others currently circulating throughout the state.
VDH has added more than 170 Community Testing Events (CTE) in September throughout the Commonwealth. Additional CTEs will be added based on community need and to reduce increasing stress on healthcare providers. For a list of all testing locations, visit the VDH website.
VDH recommends that the following people be tested for COVID-19:
- People with symptoms or signs of COVID-19 regardless of vaccination status.
- Most people who have had close contact with someone known or suspected to have COVID-19.
- Fully vaccinated people should be tested 3-5 days following a known exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, even if you don’t have symptoms.
- People who are not fully vaccinated should be tested immediately after an exposure and again at 5-7 days following exposure if the first test is negative.
- People who tested positive for COVID-19 within the past three months and recovered, do not need to get tested after exposure as long as they do not have symptoms.
- People who participate in activities that are higher risk for COVID-19 exposure (e.g., travel, attending large events where social distancing is not possible or being in crowded indoor settings).
- People who have been referred for COVID-19 testing by their healthcare provider or the state/local health department.
- People who plan to travel or who have recently returned from travel with some exceptions for fully vaccinated people.
- People who are not fully vaccinated and who plan to visit people at high risk of developing severe COVID-19.
While vaccination is the most effective strategy to protect individuals, their family and their community, testing remains an important tool to help identify individuals with illness and monitor trends in COVID-19 infection.
For more information about COVID-19 testing, call 877-829-4682, 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday-Saturday.
For more information on COVID-19 in Virginia, visit the VDH Coronavirus website. Anyone age 12 or older can find free vaccination clinics near them by visiting Vaccinate.Virginia.gov or by calling 877-VAX-IN-VA (877-829-4682, TTY users may call 7-1-1).
View the full news release on the Virginia Department of Health Newsroom.