RICHMOND, Va. -- Nearly half-a-million doses of COVID-19 vaccine are expected to arrive in Virginia by the end of the year, the Virginia Department of Health announced Friday.
The initial doses of vaccine, provided by Pfizer and Moderna, will go to health care personnel (HCP) and people in long-term care facilities (LTCF).
“Vaccine will be provided to Virginians in a way that is fair, ethical, and transparent,” Virginia State Health Commissioner Dr. Norm Oliver wrote in an email. “We will focus initially on the groups that have been most at risk for severe illness from COVID-19 infections and those whose work puts them at greatest risk of contracting COVID-19 infections. Over time, as more vaccine supply becomes available, more Virginians will be able to get vaccinated, and we can look forward to a time when this pandemic will end.”
When the first shipment of vaccines arrives in mid-December, doses will be "distributed directly to geographically diverse health care systems with ultracold storage capacity, and will go to HCP. Health care personnel that directly care for COVID-19 patients will receive top priority among health care providers," according to the state.
As new shipments arrive, doses will be divided among healthcare workers and people in long-term care.
"The actual amount of vaccine received in Virginia is a moving target and dependent on when and how quickly vaccination doses are manufactured," an email from the state read.
This is a developing story.