Twenty-nine Virginia health organizations representing hundreds of thousands of professionals across the state on Wednesday issued a statement strongly encouraging people in the commonwealth to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The statement said that the past 18 months of dealing with the pandemic “has been one of the most challenging circumstances we have ever faced,” noting that more than 600,000 Americans have died from COVID and nearly 34 million have contracted the virus with more feeling its impacts either economically, medically and through mental health effects.
So far, more than 4.5 million Virginians are fully vaccinated – about half of the state’s population. The statement said “there is still more work to be done.”
Virginia and other states have started to see a rise in COVID-19 infections and hopsitalizations as people venture back into public spaces. The Delta variant is said to be responsible for the majority of recent infections.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now describe COVID as a “pandemic of the unvaccinated.” Virginia Health Department data show that since January, when vaccines became available, 99.4 percent of cases, 99 percent of hospitalizations and 99.3 percent of deaths have occurred among those not vaccinated.
More information about COVID-19 vaccination appointments and locations can be found at https://vaccinate.virginia..”
