Gov. Glenn Youngkin is pledging to dedicate state resources to convince a lot of the folks who put him in office to finally get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The Republican today announced a COVID Action Plan that includes clear testing guidelines to prioritize the use of COVID rapid tests along with directives to marshal state resources to encourage Virginians to get the vaccine.
A year into the vaccine mobilization, there are still 1.6 million Virginians who are still unvaccinated, largely the result of continued misinformation efforts led by a number of prominent players in the conservative media.
Youngkin himself is fully vaccinated and has received COVID vaccine booster. Former president Donald Trump is as well, and like Youngkin has made that public, and has come under fire from anti-vax critics for his effort, illustrating the problem that Youngkin faces with his plan.
“While many families have experienced tragedy over the last two years, Virginians have truly embodied the spirit of Virginia as they came together to fight a common enemy—COVID-19,” Youngkin said, by way of trying to put a good face on what he’s trying to do.
Youngkin isn’t without blood on his hands on the vaccine issue. He announced last week the appointment of a medical advisory group that is being led by a Fox News contributor who has been a vocal critic of vaccine mandates and has downplayed the threat of COVID to children.
The governor also made a splash on the day he took office with an executive order declaring that parents can make decisions on whether their child wears a mask in school beginning next week.
Several local school divisions, including those in Waynesboro, Staunton, Charlottesville, Harrisonburg and Albemarle County, have indicated this week that they will continue with masking requirements, citing a state law requiring that school divisions provide in-person instruction for students while adhering to the CDC masking requirements for schools that remains in effect until August.
The sum of this is, the push for the unvaccinated to get the shots is admirable, the problem here being, mixed messaging.
Youngkin is pledging through his action plan to re-prioritize resources toward vaccine education and outreach, including expanded efforts in disproportionately unvaccinated communities, which were the ones you saw colored red by the TV networks on Election Night.
Will it work?
We can only hope so. A press release from the governor’s office announcing his COVID Action Plan notes that people vaccinated from COVID-19 are four times less likely to be hospitalized than those who are not.
“Today’s announcements are designed to give Virginians the tools and resources needed to make the best decisions for their families, strengthen our hospital systems, and ensure a strong recovery as we encounter new challenges associated with the pandemic that has become part of our everyday life,” Youngkin said.
With respect to the healthcare system, the executive order builds off an action from Youngkin’s predecessor, Ralph Northam, a Democrat, who last week issued a limited 30-day order to expand the number of available hospital beds, increase staffing capacity at hospitals and nursing homes, and allow public health agencies greater flexibility in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Youngkin order also builds off a call issued by the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association last month that urged healthy individuals with mild symptoms to stay home and use discretion on testing.
Youngkin’s directive will prioritize testing guidelines to mitigate supply-chain shortages for COVID-19 tests, with the push to hospitals to discourage mass testing for the purposes of pre-screening and discourage asymptomatic individuals from testing.
According to the Virginia Department of Health, Virginia has reported 103,621 COVID cases in the past seven days, down from the 129,444 cases for the week ending Jan. 13, which was a high in the Commonwealth for the duration of the nearly two-year pandemic.
The VHHA COVID dashboard reports that there are 3,868 people with COVID in Virginia hospitals today, down from the pandemic high of 3,948 registered two days ago.
Before the recent omicron surge, the high was 3,201 patients with COVID in Virginia hospitals on Jan. 13, 2021.
Story by Chris Graham
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