Gov. Ralph Northam announced his intentions to speed up the pace of vaccine delivery for Virginians in his conference that took place on Jan. 7.

Northam began his coronavirus briefing by stating that in order to have everyone vaccinated, it starts with healthcare providers, health departments, hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies. 

“You use it or lose it. I want you to empty those freezers and get shots in arms. I want you to give out shots until they’re gone,” said Northam.

As of Jan. 19, about 370,650 healthcare workers in the 1A phase received the vaccine. These phases represent the different groups and at what stage one can get vaccinated. Want to know your phase? More information can be found at https://www.vdh.virginia.gov

Currently, those part of  the 1B phase are in the vaccination process. This group consists of essential workers and civilians 75 years and older.

“I got it because I wanted to protect myself, my family, and the children I work with,” said Vicki Dixon, mother of senior Emily Dixon.

The next groups eligible for the vaccine would be those in the 1C and 2 phase. This group is composed of civilians with high-risk medical conditions and those 16 years and older. Civilians are required to have one dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna vaccines, which must be administered 28 days apart prior to returning back to work.

“I have been waiting for the COVID-19 vaccine to be available, because not only am I a teacher, I am also older and want to guard against getting a virus that is harmful to me and others around me. I signed up the minute I got the email from the department of health saying that teachers were now eligible,” said English teacher Anne Gregory.