MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va – Long-term care facilities in the New River Valley could start receiving the COVID-19 vaccines as early as next week. On Wednesday, the New River Health District received its first shipment of the Moderna vaccine. While plans are still being made for public distribution, New River Health Director Doctor Noelle Bissell said they are working as quickly as possible to get people vaccinated. The health department is going to be prioritizing one ad, where we get our EMS providers,” Bissell said. Bissell said the health district is considering a drive-thru distribution of the vaccine but can also accommodate people indoors if the weather gets bad.

RADFORD, Va – The city of Radford is ranked number five on the New York Times list of COVID-19 hotspots in the state of Virginia. The city has seen 97 new COVID-19 cases in the last week. Noelle Bissell with the New River Health District says most of the cases are from both the student population at Radford University and socialization of city residents. She warns of misconceptions that might come from data that isn’t coming directly from the health department. Bissell also says Radford might be quick to show up on a hot spot list because it has a population of less than 20,000.