Category Archives: Public safety & health

by James A. Bacon

Virginia has done a much better job in recent days in administering the COVID-19 vaccine. Out the nearly 1.4 million vaccine doses received from the federal government, according to the Becker Hospital Review, 68.7% have been given as shots. But the criteria for distributing the vaccine within the state has not been clear.

According to data published yesterday on the Virginia Department of Health COVID-19 dashboard, vaccines have been distributed unevenly across the state. At one extreme, the Norfolk Health District has received 81,300 doses. Using the VDH’s population estimates for its health districts, that translates into 33.2 vaccines delivered for every 100 population.

At the opposite end of the scale, the Hampton Health District has received only 7,075 doses, or 5.2 doses per 100 population.

“Vaccine distribution within the Commonwealth is opaque,” wrote Virginia Beach City Manager Patrick Duhaney in an email that a third party shared with Bacon’s Rebellion. “[I] cannot find anything that talks in any manner as to the decision process of who gets what percentage of vaccine received from the Federal Supply Chain and who/how those decisions are made.” Continue reading →

by James A. Bacon

After an abysmal start in vaccinating its population, Virginia has risen to 10th best in the nation ranked by the percentage of COVID-19 vaccines that have been administered. According to the Beckers Hospital Review database, Virginia has given 68.7% of the vaccine doses supplied by the federal government.

I don’t know what kind of whip Northam applied to his health care bureaucrats since Virginia ranked 50th in the nation a couple of weeks ago, but something is working. The system for giving shots in the Old Dominion has relied primarily on hospitals and secondarily upon local health departments. Doctors’ offices, community health providers and pharmacies have been tertiary players in the effort.

The Northam strategy faces a new test, however, as the state prioritizes local health departments. In the past week, health departments have been supplied with 81,550 new “first” doses compared to only 16,650 for hospitals, according to the Virginia Department of Health vaccine dashboard. (The distribution of “second” doses has been more even.) Continue reading →

First doses administered

The Northam administration appears to have made a solid recovery from its disappointing performance in giving Virginians the COVID-19 vaccination. After falling to dead last a week ago among the 50 states in the Becker’s Hospital Review ranking of percentage of COVID-19 vaccines administered, the Old Dominion stands today at 21st. Some of this whipsaw change in rankings  likely is due to data reporting delays and catch-ups, but it seems safe to conclude that the situation in the real world is less dire than appeared to be a week ago.

The Virginia Department of Health has published a new view of the vaccine data that gives some insight into what is going on. Hospitals have been the primary channel for administering the vaccine, and they likely will continue to be so for a while because they also have the largest unused inventory. Continue reading →

Credit: Virginia Department of Health

Regional disparities. The Virginia Department of Health COVID-19 portal has added a statewide map showing where the most vaccine doses per capita have been administered. What stands out is that a significantly higher percentage of the population of western Virginia localities have received the vaccine. Click here to view the numbers for individual jurisdictions.

Washington County on the North Carolina border has administered 11,775 shots per 100,00 population. Surry County: only 2,881.

Question: Why the regional disparity? Why is rural/small town western Virginia faring so much better than metropolitan Virginia and Southside? Are western Virginia health districts getting more vaccines? Have they developed more efficient means of delivering the vaccine? It bears looking into.

Rebound or dead cat bounce? A few days ago, Bacon’s Rebellion highlighted the fact that Virginia ranked dead last among the 50 states in the Becker’s Hospital Review ranking of the states by percentage of vaccines vaccinated. I noted that any results should be viewed cautiously due to coding issues and reporting lags. Well, today Virginia has leaped up to a mere 27th worst in the country. Here’s the latest data: Continue reading →

Governor Northam. Credit: Richmond Times-Dispatch

by James A. Bacon

Governor Ralph Northam feels your pain — and your exasperation — about the slow progress of the COVID-19 vaccination rollout. “I feel the frustration out there,” he said at a press conference yesterday. “I also, as a medical provider, feel the urgency. We are doing everything that we can to save lives.”

To facilitate the rate at which Virginians get the vaccine, he has directed the Virginia Department of Health to to create a single, statewide vaccination registration system.

As the Associated Press dryly notes, when state officials announced earlier this month that Virginia was expanding the pool of people eligible to get the shot, it “created confusion about where and when to sign up.” Northam acknowledged the problem yesterday. “That confusion is justified because the answer has not been clear.” Continue reading →