State-run Community Vaccination Centers to Begin Offering COVID-19 Vaccine to Adolescents on Friday
Posted by Staff | May 14, 2021 | News | |
(Richmond, Va.) Virginia’s state-run Community Vaccination Clinics (CVCs) will begin offering the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to adolescents aged 12-15 on Friday, following federal approval Wednesday of the vaccine for that age group.
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) announced to providers late Wednesday they could begin administering the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to 12- to 15-year-olds after the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) approved its use. The vaccine previously had been approved for use in those 16 and older. Two other COVID-19 vaccines are available for people 18 and older.
Vaccination providers around Virginia are now administering the Pfizer shot to anyone age 12 and older.
The state’s vaccine coordinator, Doctor Danny Avula, said it’s still important to get children vaccinated, even though they’re less likely to develop severe cases of COVID-19. The fact that they get mild or asymptomatic disease in some ways makes it more possible for them to spread COVID, Avula said during a call with reporters Thursday.
Credit AP Photo/Ron Harris
Avula said there are individual and community benefits to getting kids vaccinated because they’re less likely to contract or spread COVID-19. He also noted that fully vaccinated people don’t have to quarantine after an exposure to COVID-19. The fact that they don’t have to be out of school for 7 to 14 days, the fact that they don’t have to be out of sports teams or games for 7 to 14 days, all of those provide really practical benefits.
Cal OES announced that it has received a $1 million donation from technology company DoorDash through its Community Credits program to support broader vaccine access in underserved communities. This new partnership also aims to bolster the outreach efforts of Mobile Vaccination Clinics (MVCs) and Community Vaccination Clinics (CVCs).
“As a critical component in our fight against COVID-19, we have prioritized making these vaccines and our distribution points for the vaccines as equitable and accessible as possible,” said Cal OES Director Mark Ghilarducci. “Meanwhile, we recognize in this effort to reach all Californians equitably, we need our partners in the private sector, like DoorDash, to make this possible. Cal OES is extremely appreciative of this DoorDash partnership and their contribution to support vaccine distribution in our communities hit hard by COVID-19.”
VDH: Overhaul to state vaccine registration system in the works State health officials are weighing whether or not to ditch the current system being used. By Henry Graff | March 11, 2021 at 12:22 PM EST - Updated March 11 at 6:14 PM
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - An in-house solution to Virginia’s vaccine registration woes is around the corner. State health officials are weighing whether or not to ditch the current system being used. That’s because PrepMod has a flaw. People can share registration links, causing confusion and delays.
Recently, a new system called VASE was piloted to help schedule appointments for the first community vaccination clinics, which are scheduled to open next week.
Some slots remain deferred or empty, because vaccinated residents are getting notifications for appointments they don’t need.
“They’re sending invites to people who are already vaccinated,” said Jeff Katz, whose mother received an appointment after already being vaccinated. “Of course, they aren’t going to take the appointment, so it scares me those appointments aren’t being filled.”
The vaccinated population in D.C. may be overestimated in this map because some non-residents who work in D.C. are included in the totals.
Meanwhile, other appointment slots are being shared with people who are still ineligible.
“I clicked on the link and it let me go to the scheduling system,” Katz said. “I didn’t do it, cause I’m honest, but it’s there.”