STATEWIDE — The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) has announced it has added a new section to its COVID-19 Dashboard to show data regarding children ages 5-11 years old.
On Nov. 2, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was approved for children in this age group.
The VDH’s Vaccine Demographics Dashboard has been altered to reflect this newly-eligible age group. It now denotes data for total vaccinations and percentages for Virginia residents ages 5-17 years old, 18 to 64, and 65 and older. The data provided through the dashboard is updated daily.
Additionally, WYDaily provides a COVID-19 tracker each Tuesday with data compiled from both VDH and the local school districts regarding how COVID-19 is impacting the Historic Triangle.
“So far, we’ve seen a high interest among parents of young children who want to get them protected from COVID-19,” said Virginia’s State Vaccination Liaison Danny Avula, M.D., M.P.H. “This is an important step in keeping our children safe from severe disease. It also helps decrease disruptions at school because children wont have to be pulled out of classes for quarantine if they are fully vaccinated.”
A Nov. 10 release from VDH states that the department’s top priority remains on increasing vaccination rates in the Commonwealth as those who remain so are at highest risk of severe illness and hospitalizations.
Residents are encouraged to call their child’s primary care physician or schedule an appointment through a nearby healthcare provider or through the website, Vaccinate Virginia.