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Virginia health officials say they’re confident the state has adequate COVID-19 vaccine supplies to support the new federal booster shot recommendations for older and other vulnerable people.
Dr. Danny Avula, state vaccine coordinator, said in a statement Friday that the Virginia Department of Health has been working with pharmacies, healthcare providers, hospitals and other institutions to prepare for this rollout. It is also establishing other vaccination sites to ensure eligible residents will be able to access a booster when it’s recommended.
“There is no need to rush to get your booster at six months and one day,” he said.
The health department will provide information about accessing booster doses on vaccinate.virginia.gov, where people can search for and schedule a booster vaccination appointment.
A day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed the doses for millions of older and high-risk Americans, President Joe Biden urged those now eligible for booster doses to get the added protection.
Broadening the U.S. strategy against the mutating coronavirus, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky endorsed several recommendations from a panel of advisers Thursday.
The advisers said boosters should be offered to people 65 and older, nursing home residents and those ages 50 to 64 who have high-risk health factors. The extra dose would be given once they are at least six months out from their last Pfizer shot.
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But Walensky threw a curve ball by including frontline workers, a proposal that the panel had rejected.
The panel had voted against saying that people can get a booster if they are ages 18 to 64 years and are health workers or have another job that puts them at increased risk of exposure. But Walensky disagreed and put that recommendation back in.
The category she included also covers people who live in institutional settings where outbreaks have been common, such as prisons or homeless shelters, as well as health workers.
In August, Avula said Virginia had about 3.5 million doses available, an amount he and other state health officials believed would be enough to meet booster demand.
During Virginia’s peak for vaccine administration, officials said the state could give about 520,000 doses through a combination of pharmacies, primary care providers, health departments and hospitals. The state health department also has recruited about 2,700 doctors’ offices to become vaccination sites that weren’t involved in the initial vaccination period.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Elisha Sauers, 757-839-4754, elishasauers@pilotonline.com