Health department working to bring vaccines to businesses, churches

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - As Virginia becomes the latest state to vaccinate 70% of adults with at least one vaccine dose nearly two weeks before the Biden Adminsitations Independence Day deadline, Cat Long with the Richmond Henrico Helth District said different pockets of the state have not met that same threshold and that the pressure is still on to get doses to the unvaccinated.

“A lot of adults still haven’t had that opportunity and that many communities including Richmond have not reached that 70% goal,” Long said. “Our prerogative really is to make sure that every individual has access to vaccines and all the information they need.”

The state has largely done away with large-scale vaccination sites, but with vaccine supply still so high, Long said the health district is going for a more targeted approach.

“People can actually request us to come to an event or at their business,” Long said. “Folks can request a cool crew cube which is a crew of nurses and other folks who can come out and give vaccines.”

To achieve that Long said the Virginia Department of Health has partnered with companies like VaccineHere.com and TestHere.com to help the shots go mobile.

“We’re allowed to work with them directly to help reach out to different opportunities or events such as the Juneteenth event which we were at. We also work directly with businesses,” said TestHere VA President, Mike Damon.

Damon said churches, workplaces, even concert venues can request Vaccine Here to administers doses at their event. The company has access to all COVID-19 vaccines. These and other services are all offered for free.

“We can either have them come to our site, or we can come to them and help with all those different solutions, both vaccinating antibodies, and all those different solutions,” Damon said.

Long said these efforts are especially important as more resilient and transmissible strains, like the Delta Variant, become more common.

“The more that we all get vaccines the fewer variants of concern are likely to pop up,” Long said.

Anyone who would like to schedule a vaccine, even at their business, can sign up HERE.

Copyright 2021 WWBT. All rights reserved.

Submit a news tip.

Want NBC12’s top stories in your inbox each morning? Subscribe here.