December 28, 2020
Media Contact: Larry Hill, public information officer, larry.hill@vdh.virginia.gov
Central Shenandoah Health District Begins Closed POD Vaccination Clinics
(STAUNTON, Va.) – Central Shenandoah Health District (CSHD) began conducting closed “point of dispensing” (POD) COVID-19 vaccination clinics on December 21 specifically for “Phase 1a” priority groups. These are the first who are eligible to receive the vaccine, and include health system personnel with direct contact or a high risk of contact with COVID-positive patients. Phase 1a includes emergency medical services, health care workers in dialysis units, health care workers in jail settings and residential care facility staff. Phase 1a also includes long-term care residents and staff that are being vaccinated through a federal partnership with CVS and Walgreen’s. Phase 1a hospital based health care workers and practices that are part of a hospital-based system will be receiving their vaccines through the health care systems in which they work.
In addition to these priority groups, health care workers in other settings are also part of the “Phase 1a” group, including home health and hospice workers, ambulatory surgery centers, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC’s), patient facing public health workers, community services boards, primary care and dental practices, among others. CSHD will be working with these facilities and with other community partners to plan for vaccine POD’s to reach these groups over the coming weeks.
“We are pleased to provide a safe and effective vaccine to health workers in our community,” said Laura Kornegay, M.D., director of the Central Shenandoah Health District. It is important to remember that while vaccination will ultimately be the most important mitigating step in addressing the pandemic, we are not there yet. It will be months before vaccine is widely available publicly, so it is extremely important that we all continue to practice the things that we know work to reduce risk. Wear a face mask, don’t gather in groups outside your household members, stay six feet away from people that do not live in your house, indoors and out, and wash your hands thoroughly and often.”
Vaccination planning teams are reaching out to health care providers in the health district. Phase 1a health care providers who have questions regarding the vaccine distribution can contact the district via email at cshd_esf8@vdh.virginia.gov. Our team can respond back with an email or phone call.
Vaccine supplies are allocated weekly, and priority groups are designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. VDH works to identify and vaccinate everyone who wishes to receive the vaccine, in order of the priority groups.
For more information on COVID-19 and vaccine, visit www.vdh.virginia.gov/covid-19-vaccine and www.cdc.gov.
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