Virginia Coronavirus Update: Nearly 700,000 Vaccine Doses Given

VIRGINIA – Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam expressed empathy with residents statewide who are growing frustrated over the delay in actually pumping shots of the coronavirus vaccines into the arms of those who qualify under the state’s distribution plan.

But as the state approaches 700,000 administered doses of the vaccines, Virginia has surpassed its total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began last March. According to the Virginia Department of Health, 697,914 doses of the vaccines have been given out to those in the Phase 1a and 1b priority groups as of Friday. Northam said this week that the state is receiving 105,000 doses per week and that he is pressing hospital officials across Virginia to either use the doses they have available or distribute them to other medical facilities that can use them.

Northam and hospital officials have seen an increase of 20 percent in the number of vaccinations that have taken place this week alone. The uptick in vaccinations come at a time when 4,238 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus were announced by state health officials on Friday. According to the Virginia Department of Public Health’s coronavirus dashboard, 497,912 people have tested positive for the coronavirus and 6,397 people have died across Virginia as of Friday, including 151 over the past two days. In Northern Virginia, 46 people have died from coronavirus-related deaths in that time.

The number of cases was down from 5,121 on Thursday, and the state's seven-day average now sits at 4,880.1. The average peaked at 6,166.3 on Jan. 18. In Northern Virginia, 955 new cases were reported Friday, following 1,112 on Thursday. The region's seven-day average is 1,185.9, which is now down from peak of 1,628.4.

During a press conference earlier this week, Northam said that the state would be more transparent in the information it shares publicly about vaccinations taking place across the state. According to state health department data, 7 percent of Virginia’s population has been vaccinated with at least one dose (599,429) while 98,485 people on the Phase 1a and 1b priority lists have been fully vaccinated as of Friday.

According to state health officials, 450,260 of those vaccinated as of Friday are women while 233,079 are men. The largest percentage of vaccinations have been received by those between the ages of 50-59 with 124,137 people in that age range being vaccinated followed by 40-49 (116,342). Just more than 101,000 people between the ages of 60-69 have received vaccinations, state health officials reported.

Over the past month, local health departments across the state have reported significant disparities in the number of requests they have received for vaccination appointments as opposed to the doses of the vaccines they have available. Northam said at his weekly news conference that he understands the frustrations people have and state officials are working as fast as they can to increase the number of doses the state receives.

Virginia ranks 37th among U.S. states for vaccines with administered as a percentage of vaccines distributed, according to Becker's Hospital Review. The latest percentage was 50.74 percent as of Wednesday. The day before, Virginia ranked 49th among states with 45.15 percent of doses administered.

Hospitals across Virginia have administered 286,481 shots while another 186,753 have been given by local health departments. The state is averaging 28,457 vaccinations per day, according to health officials — a rate that Northam expects to increase as more doses of the vaccines become available. The increase in vaccinations have come less than three weeks after Northam set a goal of having 25,000 people vaccinated per day. The governor has said recently he would like to eventually see that number grow to 50,000 vaccinations per day, but said it will take time to get there.

"Hospitals have really stepped up. By shifting inventory around, we're going to be able to increase the number of shots this week by about 20 percent," Northam said Wednesday. "That's about 40,000 more shots by this Sunday on top of the 175,000 that were already planned."

Below are the latest coronavirus data updates for our coverage area from Thursday to Friday:

• Alexandria: 9,342 cases, 488 hospitalizations, 104 deaths; increase of 43 cases, two hospitalizations, one death
• Arlington County: 11,555 cases, 725 hospitalizations, 200 deaths; increase of 68 cases, two hospitalizations and three deaths
• Fairfax County: 58,835 cases, 3,257 hospitalizations, 782 deaths; increase of 334 cases, 11 hospitalizations and 10 deaths
• Fairfax City: 426 cases, 30 hospitalizations and 12 deaths; increase of six cases, one hospitalization and two deaths
• Falls Church: 288 cases, 19 hospitalizations, six deaths; increase of one hospitalizations.
• Loudoun County: 20,077 cases, 751 hospitalizations, 179 deaths; increase of 956 cases and 30 hospitalizations, six deaths
• Manassas: 3,658 cases, 154 hospitalizations, 33 deaths; increase of 39 cases, one hospitalization
• Manassas Park: 1,067 cases, 66 hospitalizations, eight deaths; increase of three cases
• Prince William County: 34,751 cases, 1,309 hospitalizations, 302 deaths; increase of 206 cases, four hospitalizations, and two deaths
• Fredericksburg: 1,503 cases, 74 hospitalizations, 14 deaths; increase of 22 cases and one hospitalization
• Spotsylvania County: 7,077 cases, 238 hospitalizations, 81 deaths; increase of 103 cases, one death
• Stafford County: 7,766 cases, 270 hospitalizations, 46 deaths; increase of 79 cases, two hospitalizations.