A new group of Virginians able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine from Monday

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

From Monday, part of the Commonwealth will move to Phase 1B of its vaccination plan. This opens up the COVID-19 vaccine to people over the age of 75 and workers in essential and high-contact occupations, including:

• First responders, including police, firefighters and hazardous materials workers
• Workers in correctional facilities or homeless shelters
• Teachers and educators
• Food and Agriculture Employees
• Grocery store employees
• Public transport employees
• Factors, which include both the United States Postal Service and private courier services

“We want to be effective and have large scale vaccination numbers,” said Dr. Noelle Bissell, director of health for New River Valley. “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 capable of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine is relatively exclusive, Bissell hopes to open it up to everyone as soon as she can.

“We’re hoping that by the end of spring we’ll be able to get everyone vaccinated, or at the very least, in the summer,” Bissell said. “It’s a real-time thing; it’s amazing 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 recorded more than 5,000 cases every day for the past five days, including a record 5,789 cases on Saturday.

“The vaccine is more important than ever right now,” Bissell said. “If we can stop transmission, that’s where we’ll see the end of the pandemic.”

More information on New River Valley’s vaccination plan is available at this link.