More Than 75 Percent Of Virginia Adults Fully Vaccinated: Northam

VIRGINIA — More than 83 percent of adults in Virginia have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 75.6 percent of adults in the state are fully vaccinated against the virus, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday.

Among the state’s entire population, 70.3 percent have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 63.1 percent are fully vaccinated, according to Virginia Department of Health data.

Virginia ranks 10th among all states and first in the South in the percentage of people fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

“The vaccine is more accessible than ever thanks to the hard work of medical professionals, with everyone ages 5 and above now eligible and booster shots available for adults,” Northam said in a statement Friday.

Researchers at the University of Virginia Biocomplexity Institute are seeing cases continue to decline or plateau across the state. But COVID-19 case rates remain high in some regions, particularly Southwest Virginia.

"So far, Virginia has not seen a repeat of increased transmission rates seen last fall. This reduces the expected impact of a potential holiday surge," the UVA researchers said. "Nevertheless, the model shows a large surge is possible under current vaccination rates."

As of Friday, 58,304 children ages 5 to 11 had received their first dose of the vaccine. On Nov. 2, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.

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About 723,000 children ages 5 to 11 in Virginia became eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine upon approval by the CDC.

This week, the VDH added the vaccination count for the 5-to-11 age group to its COVID-19 dashboard, along with the percentage of the population with at least one dose by age group.

“So far, we’ve seen high interest among parents of young children who want to get them protected from COVID-19,” Virginia’s state vaccination liaison, Dr. Danny Avula, said in a statement.

Across the state, 644,949 people have received a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine or a booster shot, according to the VDH.

As of Friday, a total of 11,653,636 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Virginia. In the state, 5,384,942 people are fully vaccinated.

The state is currently reporting a 7-day moving average of 1,138 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest since July 29. The 7-day average test positivity rate currently stands at 5.3 percent.

Everyone 5 and older is eligible to be vaccinated in Virginia. Residents can find local community vaccination centers and other providers that offer free vaccines at vaccinate.virginia.gov or call 877-VAX-IN-VA (877-829-4682).

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