The head of Virginia鈥檚 vaccination program said Friday that the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has reached a new phase.
The commonwealth is at 鈥渢he other side of the supply-demand curve,鈥� Dr. Danny Avula said during a briefing.
Avula said 44% of the commonwealth’s population has had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and out of the eligible population (16 and older), that number jumps to 57%. And almost every health district is done with preregistration, Avula said: 鈥淚f you want an appointment, you can make it 鈥� in some cases the same day or the next day.鈥�
Whereas for the first few months of the year the job was to get enough vaccines to the people who wanted them, he said, 鈥淲e are pivoting all over Virginia鈥� to make it easier for people to get vaccinated, and to convince them of the importance of getting the shots.
Avula said efforts have already started, and will continue, to focus on neighborhoods, communities and primary care providers.
Surveys show people trust their own doctors, Avula said, and for example, Pfizer will soon make their vaccines, which come in packages of 1,170, into smaller increments that doctors鈥� officers and smaller providers would be willing to take on. 鈥淢ore providers will be willing to take small amounts of the vaccine and have it available.鈥�
He predicted that soon vaccinations would be happening at mobile centers, farmers markets, polling places and more. 鈥淐onvenience is such an important piece,鈥� Avula said; many people who haven鈥檛 gotten vaccinated 鈥渘ot because they don鈥檛 want to, but because of convenience.鈥�
Avula said the difficulty in getting vaccines to people has multiple causes: In the Black and Latino communities, he said, there was once 鈥渉esitancy over historical problems鈥� between those communities and the medical community, but that conscious unwillingness to get the vaccines went down between December and March. Problems in those communities are less about hesitancy and more about access.
Among 鈥渞ural, conservative-leaning people who identify as evangelical Christians,鈥� about 40% of whom say they won鈥檛 get vaccinated, Avula said, there鈥檚 more of a political hesitancy, which requires a different plan 鈥� a non-judgmental approach that leans on teachers, doctors and pastors. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard work.鈥�
J&J and young people
Use of the Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine has resumed in Virginia after the pause recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this month, and while it鈥檚 not known yet how much of an effect the pause had on Virginia鈥檚 vaccination numbers, or Virginians鈥� willingness to get the shots, he said it put a dent in the plans to get students at colleges and universities vaccinated before their classes ended.
That鈥檚 important, he said, because young, healthy adults generally think 鈥渋f they get it they鈥檒l be fine. And by and large they鈥檙e right.鈥� But the number of people vaccinated is what brings about herd immunity, and another surge 鈥渨ould be the worst.鈥�
Young people also have more risky behavior, he added, and that combined with the increased contagiousness of the variants is leading to a dominance of the newer strains.
Avula also said the CDC 鈥渃ontinues to affirm鈥� that the existing vaccines would be approved for children down to 12 years old by mid- to late May, probably giving authorities 鈥渁 real chance鈥� for in-school vaccinations before classes end for the summer.
鈥業 continue to be encouraged鈥�
鈥淭he work is just as important, and a lot harder鈥� now, compared with the early days of the rollout, when 鈥渆veryone was clamoring for it,鈥� he said. The job now is 鈥済oing to be slower and a lot more challenging.鈥�
Even so, Avula said, 鈥淚 continue to be encouraged by the way the guidance has been changing.鈥� After the new CDC guidance was announced, he鈥檚 seeing people outside without masks, and said, 鈥淚t feels like progress.鈥�
Avula was quick to point out that there have only been 9,200 鈥渂reakthrough infections鈥� in the more than 100 million people who have been vaccinated. Early reports in the development of the vaccine predicted an efficacy rate in the low 90s, and the reality has been more like 99.993%.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really astounding how effective vaccination has been,鈥� Avula said.
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