New group of Virginians can receive the COVID-19 vaccine from Monday

BLACKSBURG, Va. – The next phase of vaccination against COVID-19 in Virginia is imminent.

From Monday, parts of the Commonwealth will move to phase 1B of the vaccination plan. That opens the COVID-19 vaccine to people over 75 and workers in essential, high-contact occupations, including:

• First responders, including police officers, firefighters, and hazmat workers
• Employees in correctional facilities or homeless shelters
• Teachers and childcare workers
• Food and agricultural workers
• Supermarket employees
• Public transport employees
• Postal carriers, including both the US postal service and private postal services

“We want to be efficient and have large-scale vaccination rates,” said New River Valley health director Dr. Noelle Bissell. “There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s a long tunnel, so don’t get excited yet.”

While the list of people who can get the COVID-19 vaccine is relatively exclusive, Bissell hopes to make it accessible to everyone as soon as possible.

“Hopefully by the end of spring, our goal is to get everyone vaccinated, or at least into the summer,” said Bissell. “This is a real time thing; it is unbelievable that the vaccine is being rolled out so quickly. “

The new vaccinations come amid a wave of COVID-19 cases in Virginia. The state has registered more than 5,000 cases every day in the past five days, including a record 5,789 cases on Saturday.

“The vaccine is more important now than ever,” said Bissell. “If we can interrupt the transfer, we will see the end of the pandemic there.”

More information about the New River Valley vaccination plan is available at this link.