Gov. Northam: $22 million in CARES Act funding heading to creation of statewide vaccine distribution program

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is setting aside $22 million in CARES Act funding to create a statewide COVID-19 vaccine distribution program.

The Governor announced Friday that this funding will support the state’s department of health vaccine prep and planning through the end of the year, with the state planning to examine additional funding sources to continue the vaccination program’s support in 2021. VDH estimates the program will cost approximately $120 million.

The state’s draft vaccination plan has already been submitted to the CDC. Below are some of the state’s key components for their draft vaccination plan:

-Assumptions, variables, and scenarios that can impact vaccine planning
-Measures to identify and estimate critical populations and establish vaccine priority groups
-Measures for provider recruitment, enrollment, and training
-Process for vaccine allocation, ordering, distribution, inventory management, and reporting doses administered
-Guidelines for appropriate vaccine storage and handling
-Methods for second dose reminders to ensure compliance with vaccine dosing intervals (most COVID-19 vaccines require two doses separated by 21 or 28 days) and achieve optimal vaccine effectiveness
-Systems for vaccine safety monitoring
-Procedures for vaccination program monitoring, including online dashboards
-Efforts to build confidence and inform the public about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, working with trusted community partners

Photo Courtesy: Seal of Virginia