NOTE: Feb. 9 announcement from VDH: CVS Pharmacy has begun registering Virginians age 65 and older who are within the Phase 1b eligibility guidelines for vaccinations as part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 Vaccination. As of today, eligible individuals can register at https://www.cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccine. CVS will begin administering vaccinations on Friday, February 12. Those without online access can contact CVS Customer Service at (800) 746-7287. Walk-in vaccinations without an appointment will not be provided.
The only changes to this weekly report will reflect new information. Most of the information (especially concerning the vaccination effort) remains the same, and will remain in the report.
Pandemic status: New case numbers continue to drop
- Case numbers across the states continue to drop, the new case count in the US is about 120,000 per day. 46/50 states report improving trends.
- Virginia has improved, new case rate at to 3478/day 7day average.
- Three Rivers is around 70 new cases/day.
- Our hospital systems remain fully capable and are not in danger of being overwhelmed.
Vaccination Program Update: Expect major delays
- This vaccination program will take many months, we expect it may be many weeks before everyone currently eligible and signed up can get an appointment
- Three Rivers Health District is in phase 1b. For details of vaccination phases, please visit this website: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/covid-19-vaccine/#phase1b
- This vaccine is much more complex than any vaccine we have ever administered. It is fragile, there are CDC requirements that must be met, and there is a mandatory observation period after administration of at least 15 minutes to watch for severe allergic reactions. Current vaccines require 2 doses several weeks apart. This slows everything down.
- There is a severe national vaccine shortage; we are getting less than 25% of the vaccine we are capable of administering every week. This is the current major limiting factor. We have been told to expect this to continue to last at least several weeks.
- The Three Rivers Health District, the hospital systems, physician practices, pharmacies, and free clinics are engaged in the vaccination effort. Local EMS personnel are also engaged. When we get more vaccine, we can move faster.
- Large vaccination events are planned at the state level when more vaccine becomes available.
- It may be weeks or longer before vaccination appointments become available for those who have registered for a vaccination.
- We constantly look for opportunities with our Three Rivers vaccination partners to accept patients from this list, but progress is very slow due to the shortage of vaccine.
- Available vaccine dosages will be allocated approximately equally between critical infrastructure workers (and people aged 16-64 with underlying medical conditions), and individuals who qualify on the basis of age.
- Second doses are allocated based on the first dose; if you get your first dose of vaccine, we will call you when it is time for your second dose.
- Despite these limitations, Three Rivers Health District jurisdictions compare very favorably with surrounding counties in vaccine doses delivered per 100,000 population. This data can be reviewed at this website: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine-summary/
- The Federal Retail Pharmacy Partnership phase 2 will begin very soon in Virginia. CVS is the retail pharmacy that will begin offering vaccinations in Virginia. CVS has told Virginia that they plan to start with vaccine going to 36 locations in the following localities: Abingdon, Alexandria, Arlington, Bedford, Blacksburg, Charlottesville, Chatham, Chesapeake, Danville, Dublin, Fairfax, Fredericksburg, Gainesville, Hampton, Harrisonburg, Leesburg, Lynchburg, Martinsville, Mechanicsville, Midlothian, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Richmond, Roanoke, Rocky Mount, Stafford, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, Warrenton, Williamsburg, Winchester, Woodstock. VDH has provided the following language to local health districts:
- CVS will be making the final decision on the locations and have used a model based on vulnerability, capacity and vaccine supply.
- As more information is available, CVS will provide details for vaccination sites at www.cvshealth.com.
- As more supply becomes available the company will expand to more locations and offer additional appointments.
- Virginia Department of Health will provide input and recommendations to CVS for future locations as they continue to expand beyond the initial 36 locations that will go live at the start.
We will follow this closely, and hope to obtain retail pharmacy vaccination support in Three Rivers as more vaccine becomes available.
- How to sign up for a vaccination appointment
- People eligible for COVID 19 vaccination in phase 1b seeking a vaccination appointment can contact their health care providers for initial consultation.
- Any eligible people who cannot receive vaccination through their health care system, or anyone with a COVID 19 related question, should call our Middle Peninsula COVID 19 resource center at 804-824-2733, or toll free at 888-202-5208, Monday through Friday 8:30 – 4:30. Northern Neck residents should call the Northern Neck Resource Center at 888-1204-5357, Monday through Friday 8:30 – 4:30.
- Eligible individuals can also visit our Three Rivers Health District website to access an online survey to give us contact information and request an appointment at: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/three-rivers/
- Your name will be added to our lists and we will call you as soon as vaccine appointments become available.
- We are sharing names on our waiting list with our community vaccination partners as they have availability in their systems to offer appointments.
- There many thousands who have registered with Three Rivers Health District for a COVID 19 vaccine, we will work through the list as fast as we can.
- The Virginia Department of Health is creating a very large central call center for COVID 19 related questions, and for vaccination pre-registration. This call center is expected to come on line this week.
- Vaccine development and virus update
- The Johnson and Johnson vaccine, a single dose product, is expected to be ready for FDA review and authorization within several weeks.
- The COVID 19 virus continues to genetically drift.
- The United Kingdom, South African, and Brazilian variants are all in the United States now
- They are more contagious and are expected to become the predominant strains in the future
- Vaccine effectiveness against these new strains is being evaluated. Proceeding with vaccination is recommended for all of us.
- Persons who have had COVID 19 disease can seek vaccination after their isolation period ends, and after their symptoms including fever, have resolved.
- After receiving COVID 19 vaccination, public health authorities are recommending we all continue masking, maintaining social distancing and avoiding crowded areas after being vaccinated.
- The vaccine may not prevent all COVID 19 infections
- Public health authorities will let us know when it is safe to relax protective measures.
- How to volunteer with the Three Rivers Health District
- The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), our volunteers, are absolutely critical to our efforts at all times
- We will need additional volunteers during the vaccine campaign, which will last for many months.
- If you are interested in becoming an MRC volunteer, or have family or friends that are interested, please visit www.vamrc.org to learn more.
- If you have questions about the process, please reach out to Johanna Hardesty, Three Rivers Medical Reserve Corps Coordinator at 804-758-2381 x 14. We welcome your help and participation in the fight against COVID 19.
- Testing, pandemic containment efforts
- Community testing and testing in response to vulnerable facility outbreaks can be requested by facilities and jurisdictions by using commercial firms on contract with the Commonwealth of Virginia or the Virginia National Guard.
- Our containment team has resumed investigation of all new cases with contact tracing of all high risk exposures.
- K-12 School Status: Three Rivers Health District continues vaccinating teachers and staff
- Our Three Rivers Nursing staff and our community partners are actively engaged in offering vaccinations to school faculty and staff. The vaccine shortage has forced us to prioritize our efforts to faculty and staff who are exposed to students and others in the line of duty. When we get more vaccine, we will vaccinate all school faculty and staff.
- Schools have been able to continue offering in-person education under a hybrid model, with mitigations in place.
- Three Rivers staff will continue to work closely with schools and school boards to help make the best decisions going forward.
- Three Rivers staff will continue to help with all school based COVID 19 infections and outbreaks.
Useful links
- The FDA fact sheets for recipients and caregivers for the Pfizer vaccine can be found here: https://www.fda.gov/media/144414/download
- The FDA fact sheet for recipients and caregivers for the Moderna vaccine can be found here: https://www.fda.gov/media/144638/download
- The Virginia Department of Health is maintaining COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboards, which are available here: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccines-received/ and here: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine-summary/
- The VDH COVID 19 outbreak dashboard can be found here: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/covid-19-data-insights/