Health office sets vaccine priorities

Health care personnel and residents of long-term care facilities will be the first people in Virginia to get a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

Based on information provided Dec. 3 by the federal government’s Operation Warp Speed, Virginia is preparing to receive an estimated total of 480,000 doses of vaccine from Pfizer and Moderna by the end of December, according to a press release.

The health department estimates there are up to a half-million health care personnel and long-term care residents in Virginia.

The state is following a recommendation from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

Health care personnel who directly care for COVID-19 patients will receive top priority among health care providers.

“Health care personnel are defined as paid and unpaid persons serving in health care settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials,” the release states. “Long-term care facility residents are defined as adults who reside in facilities that provide a variety of services, including medical and personal care, to persons who are unable to live independently.”

For more information about VDH’s COVID-19 Vaccination Response Plan, visit: www.vdh.virginia.gov/covid-19-vaccine.