| RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam today announced that Virginia now ranks 10th among all states for the percentage of its population fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and for the total number of shots administered. More than 82 percent of individuals 18 years and older have received at least one dose and 74 percent of adults are fully vaccinated. Nearly 6 million people have received vaccinations and nearly 12 million shots have been administered among the 8.5 million people who live in Virginia.
“We’ve reached the top ten because so many Virginians have worked so hard for so long,” said Governor Northam. “It’s something we can all be proud of. Vaccines will soon be available for children, and thousands of adults are getting boosters. This is all great news.”
The three available vaccines have proven to be enormously effective in reducing cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. Cases have declined to 1,500 per day as of October 26—a drop of 40 percent over the last two weeks and significantly lower than January’s peak of over 6,000 daily cases. Hospitalizations have fallen 42 percent over the last four weeks and are nearly two-thirds lower than pre-vaccine levels. Additional data on COVID-19 and vaccination efforts in Virginia can be found on VDH’s data dashboards.
Virginia is delivering strong progress in vaccinating eligible children, with more than two-thirds having been vaccinated. Health officials anticipate that the federal government will give final approval to vaccinations for 5- to 11-year-olds in the coming days. Virginia is home to more than 700,000 children ages 5 to 11.
Federal health officials have also recently approved booster doses for all three available COVID-19 vaccines, and more than 403,000 Virginians have received a booster so far.
Virginians who have not been vaccinated yet are encouraged to go to vaccinate.virginia.gov or call 877-VAX-IN-VA (877-829-4682, TTY users call 7-1-1) to find a nearby vaccination clinic. For answers to frequently asked questions or to learn more about vaccination for COVID-19 in Virginia, visit vdh.virginia.gov/covid-19-vaccine.
Click here for the ranking posted on the New York Times website.
Full Release
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