VA Governor Releases COVID-19 Action Plan, Stressing Vaccinations

RICHMOND, VA — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin released a COVID Action Plan on Thursday that calls for issuing clear testing guidelines to prioritize the use of COVID-19 rapid tests and using state resources to encourage Virginians to get the vaccine.

The governor also declared a limited state of emergency on Thursday to provide hospitals, nursing facilities and other health care providers with greater flexibility and more resources to fight the pandemic.

“While many families have experienced tragedy over the last two years, Virginians have truly embodied the spirit of Virginia as they came together to fight a common enemy — COVID-19,” Youngkin said in a statement.

The governor said the action plan and executive order will strengthen hospital systems and “ensure a strong recovery as we encounter new challenges associated with the pandemic that has become part of our everyday life.”

In his executive order declaring the limited state of emergency, Youngkin said the increase in hospitalizations, combined with severe staffing shortages universally experienced across the state and nationwide, “is placing an unsustainable strain on our health care system and health care workforce.”

“Any and all measures are needed to expand the workforce, meet surge demand, and leverage other tools and technologies to respond to this crisis, provide relief for our overburdened frontline workers, and ensure their safety and that of their patients,” he said.

The state of emergency is scheduled to end on Feb. 21.

On Jan. 10, former Gov. Ralph Northam issued a 30-day emergency order to address hospital capacity and staffing in Virginia in response to record-high COVID-19 hospitalizations. That order was scheduled to expire on Feb. 11.

On Thursday, the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association reported a 7-day moving average of 3,871 hospitalizations of people with COVID-19, down from the record high average of 3,875 hospitalizations set on Wednesday.

Youngkin's emergency order will allow hospitals and nursing homes to rapidly expand bed capacity by temporarily waiving regulations; expand flexibility, overtime hours and availability for personal care workers; and provide flexibility for licensed out-of-state nurses and health care professionals to practice in Virginia.

The emergency order also redirects resources to assist with the access and availability of therapeutics and expanding the number of providers available to offer oral therapeutics, including allowing therapeutics to be distributed at hospitals without onsite pharmacies.

A major component of Youngkin's COVID Action Plan is what his administration is calling the "COVID-19 Vaccine Marshall Plan for Virginia." The vaccine plan is designed to encourage the nearly 1.6 million Virginians who are still unvaccinated to get the COVID-19 vaccine and booster. Data shows that people vaccinated from COVID-19 are four times less likely to be hospitalized than those who are not, according to the action plan.

The plan's other actions for getting more people vaccinated include:

• Directing the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to re-prioritize resources toward vaccine education and outreach, including expanded efforts in disproportionately unvaccinated communities.
• Plans to host 120 COVID-19 vaccine events across the state and direct the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to devote additional resources to future events.
• Deploying additional mobile vaccine units to rural communities.

In the testing component of his COVID-19 Action Plan, Youngkin plans to prioritize testing guidelines to mitigate supply-chain shortages.

The governor will discourage mass testing for the purposes of pre-screening, discourage asymptomatic individuals from testing, and urge healthy individuals with mild symptoms to stay home and use discretion on testing.

Youngkin also will direct the Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources to expedite pending orders of rapid tests and to work with the White House to speed the distribution of federally acquired tests to Virginia localities.

Unused tests at state agencies and other non-essential facilities will be redeployed to schools, hospitals and nursing facilities, according to the plan.

Youngkin also will direct the State Health Commissioner to issue new guidelines that prioritize the use of rapid tests for key categories, including:

• Students potentially exposed to COVID-19 who need to test to remain in school.
• Essential health care professionals and other essential workers who need to be tested to return to work.
• Vulnerable citizens including those in nursing facilities and over the age of 65.
• Those with serious medical conditions and their caregivers.
• Those who need to be tested after consultation with a healthcare provider.

RELATED: Record Hospitalizations Prompt State Of Emergency In VA