RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia has become the 16th state to reach President Biden’s goal of having 70% of the adult population vaccinated.
Gov. Ralph Northam made the announcement in Richmond Monday, saying that “we have not only met that goal; we have beaten it.” Northam credited a statewide effort to get more people vaccinated, coupled with strong partnerships in local communities. Nearly three-fourths of the adult population in the Commonwealth has now received at least one shot.
The announcement comes as Virginia continues to see a significant decline in new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. New daily cases exceeded a seven-day moving average of 5,900 in early January and dropped under 250 by June 1. Deaths from COVID-19 reached a seven-day moving average of 83 in mid-January and fell below 7 by June 1.
The good news was tempered with word from the Virginia Department of Health that Danville and Martinsville each recorded another death from the pandemic.