As of 2 p.m. Jan. 15, 2021, more than 9,100 COVID-19 vaccinations have been administered on the Peninsula, 7 of which have been administered to City of Williamsburg residents. This statistic is based on the locality in which vaccinated patients live, not where the vaccine was administered. The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) reports that vaccine administrations may take up to 72 hours to be reported, and that 41,785 doses administered statewide have not been mapped.
The Peninsula Health District, which includes the City, is currently in Phase 1A of the phased distribution system established by VDH. Phase 1A includes healthcare workers and adults living in congregate housing.
The Peninsula’s city managers, county administrators and emergency managers are working with VDH to ensure vaccinations are available to residents as soon as possible.
The City of Williamsburg has posted its weekly vaccination update to the online hub that collects the latest coronavirus information and visual data. Updates include:
- City staff is working with Riverside, Sentara Healthcare, the Peninsula Health District, and nearby localities to stand up mass vaccination clinics to increase the number of vaccines administered locally.
- Peninsula Health District has committed to opening a secondary clinic in its Ironbound Road location; that clinic will likely open in the next couple weeks. As vaccine supply increases, it is expected that pharmacy chains and local doctors’ offices will be able to join the effort.
- As of this week, Phase 1A also includes Adult Protective Services and Child Protective Services workers, which encompasses all employees in the City’s Human Services Department. The City is working to schedule the first dose of the vaccination for any Human Services employee who wishes to receive it. Previously, employees in the Williamsburg Fire Department who opted to receive the vaccine were vaccinated at Riverside Doctors’ Hospital.
- Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday, Jan. 14, that he is moving people 65 and older into Phase 1B in accordance with the revised guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).
- An initial group of Williamsburg Fire Department paramedics have received training to administer the vaccines. WFD personnel will soon be trained on the state’s scheduling and management program for the vaccination process.
- In conjunction with James City County, the City is working to vaccinate interested city and county employees who fall under the appropriate phased categories in the coming weeks.
- Riverside announced this week that it will begin to vaccinate its primary care patients who are 75 years or older; Riverside will reach out to patients through email, text, and Riverside MyChart to schedule an appointment.
- VDH created a questionnaire to help people learn which category of the phased distribution system they fall under. Though there is no timeline for when Virginia will move from phase to phase, the governor directed VDH to allow health districts to move through the phases at their own pace. A chart has been created to allow citizens to see where each health district currently stands.