Audio: Gov. Northam Says “Hopefully by early to mid-summer we’ll have everybody in Virginia vaccinated”; “My family and I plan on being there to take this vaccination as well”

Gov. Ralph Northam on NPR this morning:

“We are really excited about the vaccinations…this is a real breakthrough. I just would remind folks…we still have a few months where we have to remain vigilant and continue to keep that curve as flat as we can...We’ve been working on how to distribute this vaccination safely and equitably for a few months now. We have different phases that we’ll use following the CDC guidelines…One thing hopefully we can talk about…is the trust issue…that people are comfortable…that this vaccination is safe and it’s effective…It’s unfortunate that individuals are not following the guidelines…but I think the majority of people will [take the vaccine] because I think people…want to get this in the rearview mirror and get back to a near-normal life…My family and I plan on being there to take this vaccination as well…Hopefully by early to mid-summer we’ll have everybody in Virginia vaccinated…It’s absolutely important that we [distribute the vaccine in a way that’s equitable]…It is an equity issue, and we want to make sure everybody has access to the vaccination.”