Federal approval for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for kids between five and 11 could come as soon as Tuesday.
And Doctor Noelle Bissell with the New River Health District says distribution of vaccine for that population has already begun – meaning shots could begin going into arms as soon as Wednesday.
Area school divisions recently asked parents if they were planning to get their children vaccinated to see how many shots are needed. And Bissell says the results of that survey were encouraging.
“57% of the parents are saying that they do want their children vaccinated and we’ve had almost 700 responses," she explains. "That’s better than what we’ve seen on national surveys, so we’re very hopeful that we’ll have good vaccine uptake in the New River Health District and further southwest.”
Bissell also reported 23 hospitalizations from the virus Monday – down about 40% from last week.
Statewide, the number of hospitalizations from the virus dropped below 1,000 over the weekend; the first time that has happened since mid-August.
Virginia added a little over 830 new COVID-19 infections to its overall tally Monday. That number is the state’s lowest since July 21st – according to data from the Virginia Department of Health.
The statewide positivity rate of 5.5% is one of the lowest since the end of July.
VDH's COVID-19 Dashboard also tracks levels of community transmission as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control. And a handful of localities across the state have dropped below the CDC's definition of "high" transmission.
They include the Charlottesville area, northern Virginia, Hampton Roads, Henrico County and the city of Petersburg.
