69% to 75% of adults in Charlottesville and Albemarle County have gotten one dose of vaccine

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - University of Virginia doctors say more than half of the adults in the area are fully vaccinated and the numbers keep climbing.

About 69% to 75% of adults in Charlottesville and Albemarle County have received at least one dose of vaccine. In about two to three weeks, the vast majority of people in the county or city will be fully vaccinated.

“At least in Charlottesville and Albemarle, if you take a look at people 18 years of age and older, people that have received at least one dose of vaccine is on the order of around 69% to 75% and people that have received two full doses is 50% to 55%” Dr. Costi Sifri, UVA Health epidemiologist said.

Dr. Sifri says hope is on the horizon.

“In our immediate area, we’re doing a pretty good job,” he said. “There is more work to be done, but we are on track and meeting the goals that we’ve heard that the White House has set out for vaccination.”

UVA Health has administered 104,606 doses as of May 7. Dr. Sifri says those numbers could go way up if the FDA gives the green light on children ages 12 and up getting the Pfizer vaccine.

“I think we are looking next week for the EUA authorized use for this vaccine in 12-to-15-year-olds. We at UVA are poised and ready to do that,” Dr. Sifri said.

The team of health experts and modelers at UVA continue to dig into the trajectory of COVID-19 cases and vaccinations.

“We have a fantastic group here at UVA in the Biocomplexity Institute and their work is helping inform that for, not only the governor, but the CDC,” Dr. Sifri said.

As COVID-19 cases drop, so do the hospitalizations at UVA Medical Center.

“We’re seeing a steady decrease in cases,” Dr. Reid Adams said. “We’re now hovering just below 20 patients hospitalized at any one time so making slow improvement and we anticipate that will continue to improve as more people get vaccinated.”

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