More and more Virginians are receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
On Monday, Virginia reached a milestone with 70% of Virginians 18+ having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
That’s the benchmark that President Joe Biden is looking to hit across America by July 4.
Virginia is the 16th state to hit the 70% mark.
“Virginia has reached a significant milestone in the fight against COVID-19,” said Gov. Ralph Northam. “Thanks to the millions of Virginians who have rolled up their sleeves to get vaccinated, the virus is in retreat, our economy is growing, and we are closer to putting this pandemic behind us. A statewide effort has brought us to this point, with strong partnerships in our communities, health systems, the private sector, and across all levels of government. Even as we celebrate this tremendous achievement, we will continue working together to vaccinate everyone who is eligible so our Commonwealth so can keep moving forward.”
Virginia continues to see a significant decline in new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.
New daily cases exceeded a seven-day moving average of 5,900 in early January and dropped under 250 by June 1. Deaths from COVID-19 reached a seven-day moving average of 83 in mid-January and fell below 7 by June 1.
White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeffrey Zients released the following statement regarding Virginia hitting this mark:
“In communities across Virginia, the deadly Coronavirus is in retreat thanks to the state’s progress on vaccinations.
From the day he took office, President Biden launched a whole-of-government, wartime effort to defeat this pandemic, and he called on every American to unite around a fundamental goal: Ending the death and devastation caused by COVID-19 and bringing back the American way of life.
Just five months later the results are clear in Virginia: Today, 70 percent of adults in Virginia have gotten at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot and the number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths have all dropped dramatically.
Virginia is starting to looking like Virginia again because of a vaccination program that made it easy and convenient for Virginia to get vaccinated, state and community leaders who worked hard at the local level, and millions of Virginians who rolled up their sleeves to get vaccinated.
For Virginians who not yet gotten vaccinated, we encourage you to make this a priority. The delta variant continues to pick up steam, and our vaccines remain effective at preventing death, hospitalizations, and severe disease. The best way to protect yourself and your loved ones is to text your zip code to 4-3-8-8-2-9 or go to vaccines.gov to find a shot today.”
White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeffrey D. Zients