Virginia Hospitals Announce More Than 102,900 COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Have Been Administered Since Mid-December as Part of Ongoing Vaccination Efforts

January 7, 2021

Hospitals and Health Systems Across the Commonwealth of Virginia Will Report their Aggregate Vaccination Totals on a Weekly Basis to Inform the Public About Progress on Vaccine Administration

RICHMOND, VA – In three weeks’ time, more than 102,000 doses of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines have been administered by Virginia hospitals since the first vaccine shipments arrived in Virginia. That figure reflects doses administered by hospitals as of Tuesday, Jan. 5. In keeping with its commitment to inform the public and policy makers about health care issues and Virginia hospitals’ central role in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response, the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA) will henceforth provide updated totals of vaccinations administered by hospitals on a weekly basis as a new feature on the existing Virginia Hospital COVID-19 Dashboard starting next week.

“Hospitals across the Commonwealth are working to vaccinate people in the initial priority population in a safe, effective, and expeditious manner and have made strong progress on that ongoing work,” said Carilion Clinic Chief Operating Officer Steven C. Arner, the Chairman of VHHA’s Board of Directors. “Moving ahead, we will share vaccination data with the public to help track the continuing progress of this critically important public health effort.”

Initial shipments of Pfizer vaccine doses arrived in Virginia during the week of Dec. 14 – some of the first doses were administered within a day of arrival. Since then, more than 269,000 doses of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine have been shipped to 67 Virginia hospitals. The Pfizer vaccine is administered in two doses 21 days apart, while the Moderna vaccine is administered in two doses 28 days apart. On Dec. 31, Virginia hospitals received 72,150 second doses of the Pfizer vaccine and have begun administering them.

Last month, hospitals in Virginia began administering vaccine doses to frontline clinicians at the greatest risk of exposure to COVID-19 before moving to vaccinate other eligible health care professionals in accordance with guidelines established by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and VHHA.

Meanwhile, the Pharmacy Partnership involving the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), VDH, and large commercial pharmacies (CVS and Walgreens), is overseeing vaccinations for staff and residents at long-term care facilities. Vaccinations for other health care professionals are to be facilitated by VDH and local health districts, with support from Virginia hospitals. Subsequent vaccination priority populations include essential workers such as police officers, firefighters, educators and childcare workers, grocery store and food processing plant employees, as well as older adults such as those in high-risk and vulnerable populations, and construction, utility, transportation, and food service workers.

“Administering nearly 103,000 vaccine doses during the greatest surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations Virginia has experienced to date is a testament to the unparalleled dedication of Virginia’s health care providers and their team members,” said VHHA President and CEO Sean T. Connaughton. “It is important to understand that in addition to responding to the current COVID-19 surge, Virginia hospitals are also leading the way on a complex vaccination process that involves many moving pieces, each of which require logistical coordination involving shipment and delivery under very specific temperature-controlled protocols, on-site storage in ultra-cold conditions, redistribution from delivery recipient sites to other health care facilities, and the scheduling of vaccination clinics and coordinating that with staff shifts as well as storage and thawing protocols. Even as Virginia hospitals work through this process, they are committed to keeping the public informed about the progress of this work.”

The sharing of weekly vaccination totals is a continuation of Virginia hospitals’ commitment to transparency. Other examples of this include publication of the Virginia Hospital COVID-19 Dashboard, the Virginia Licensed Nursing Facility COVID-19 Dashboard, the Virginia Hospital Patient Experience Data Dashboard, the Community Health Legislative Dashboards, the interactive Virginia Hospital Quality and Patient Safety Scorecard, and the Virginia Hospital Media Dashboard. Each of these data-informed tools are public facing and presented with the support of VHHA member hospitals and health systems to help advance community understanding about the health care delivery system in Virginia.

About VHHA: The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association is an alliance of 110 hospitals and 26 health delivery systems that develops and advocates for sound health care policy in the Commonwealth. Its mission is to achieve excellence in both health care and health. Its vision is through the power of collaboration to be recognized as a driving force behind making Virginia the healthiest state in the nation. Connect with VHHA through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Julian Walker
Vice President of Communications
(804) 297-3193 office
(804) 304-7402 mobile
jtwalker@vhha.com