Joint Statement from Virginia Health Care Organizations Encouraging People to be Vaccinated Against COVID-19

July 21, 2021

Joint Statement Endorsed by the Medical Society of Virginia, the Richmond Academy of Medicine, the Richmond Ambulance Authority, the Virginia Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists, the Virginia Association of Community-Based Providers, the Virginia Association of Community Services Boards Inc., the Virginia Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, the Virginia Association for Hospices and Palliative Care, the Virginia Association of School Nurses, the Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Virginia Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, the Virginia Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, the Virginia College of Emergency Physicians, the Virginia Community Healthcare Association, the Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners, the Virginia Counselors Association, the Virginia Dermatology Society, the Virginia Health Care Foundation, the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association, the Virginia Network of Private Providers Inc., the Virginia Nurses Association, the Virginia Orthopaedic Society, the Virginia Pharmacists Association, the Virginia Podiatric Medical Association, the Virginia Radiological Society, the Virginia Rural Health Association, the Virginia Section of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Virginia Society of Anesthesiologists, and the Virginia Society of Rheumatology 

 RICHMOND, VA – The undersigned Virginia health care organizations, which collectively represent hundreds of thousands of health care professionals in the Commonwealth, have issued the following statement to strongly encourage unvaccinated Virginians to make a plan to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

“As a nation and a Commonwealth, living through the past 18 months while confronting the deadly serious COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the most challenging circumstances we have ever faced. More than 600,000 American lives, and counting, have been lost. Nearly 34 million people have contracted the virus, and many more have experienced economic, medical, and mental health hardship as a result of the pandemic.”

“While significant progress has been made in vaccinating the public – more than 4.5 million Virginians have been fully vaccinated, representing more than half the state’s population – there is still more work to be done to increase vaccinations and protect vulnerable Virginians. That’s why it’s so important for unvaccinated Virginians to make a plan to be vaccinated against COVID-19, particularly as Virginia and other states have begun to experience a rise in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations. Those developments are coinciding with more people venturing back in public and the emerging prominence of viral mutations such as the delta variant that is now said to be responsible for the majority of new infections.”

“COVID-19 continues to pose the greatest health risks to people who have not been vaccinated, with officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now describing it as a ‘pandemic of the unvaccinated.’ Virginia Department of Health data likewise shows that since late January when vaccines first became available to the general public in the Commonwealth, the vast majority of cases (99.4 percent), hospitalizations (99 percent), and deaths (99.3 percent) have occurred among people who have not been vaccinated.”

“Being vaccinated against COVID-19 represents a path to a healthier post-pandemic world by offering the best available protection for people against serious illness, the spread of infection, hospitalization, or worse health outcomes. Getting vaccinated offers protection to those who have been inoculated as well as the people around them in their personal and professional lives. So please make a plan to get vaccinated if you haven’t done so already for the health of you, your loved ones, and your community. More information about COVID-19 vaccination appointments and locations can be found at https://vaccinate.virginia.gov/.”

Download the statement here.