What Virginia is doing to expand, speed up COVID-19 vaccinations "We want to do this as quickly and safely and effectively as possible." What Virginia is doing to expand access to COVID-19 vaccine and last updated 2021-01-13 13:34:58-05 RICHMOND, Va. -- The federal government said it will no longer hold back second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and is asking states to expand access to the vaccine to a larger portion of the population. At an Operation Warp Speed briefing on Tuesday, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said the change in the month-old vaccine rollout "reflects the urgency of the situation we face."