Friends,

I know that many are anxiously awaiting the opportunity to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The reality of supply versus demand continues to challenge every state in its ability to deliver the vaccine to all who are awaiting its administration. As of yesterday, Virginia’s rank is 11th out of the 50 states in terms of vaccine administration, and we have administered over 1.1 million vaccines:

Virginia
Doses distributed to state: 1,544,150
Doses administered: 1,161,590
Percentage of distributed vaccines that have been administered: 75.23
 

COVID-19 Vaccines in Central Virginia
Here are the vaccine interest forms and contact information for each of the health districts within Central Virginia. Call Centers will have the most up-to-date information, but please note that the high call volume right now sometimes makes it a challenge to get through. Responses to inquiries are also delayed because thousands of people continue to submit these interest forms, and each submission is recorded and placed in its respective priority phase.

Richmond or Henrico:
Richmond/Henrico COVID Vax Inquiry Form
Phone: 804-205-3501
Email: [email protected]

Chesterfield (Chesterfield, Powhatan, Colonial Heights):
Chesterfield COVID Vax Inquiry Form
Phone: 804-318-8207
Email: [email protected]

Chickahominy Health District (Goochland, New Kent, Hanover, and Charles City):
Chickahominy COVID Vax Inquiry Form
Phone: 804-365-3240
Email: [email protected]

Crater Health District (cities of Emporia, Hopewell and Petersburg and the counties of Dinwiddie, Greensville, Prince George, Surry, and Sussex):
Crater COVID Vax Inquiry Form
Phone: 804-862-8989
Email: [email protected]

As federal distribution of the vaccine increases, the rate of administration will grow as well. We still have millions of Virginians to vaccinate, and so we can anticipate that this effort will continue well into the late summer and early fall.

Special Session
The Virginia General Assembly has officially reached crossover.

Last Friday marked the end of the 2021 General Assembly, and all of the bills that passed the Senate Floor are now in the House of Delegates. Throughout these next few weeks, those bills will be once again reviewed in committees and will, hopefully, be read on the House Floor and pass with a House vote as well. Similarly, House bills are now in the Senate for review and votes.

Because this year’s General Assembly was limited to 30 days, Governor Northam has extended the timeline by 15 additional days. We began the 2021 Special Session yesterday, Wednesday, February 10. This Special Session allows us to complete the work of reviewing and passing legislation, and agreeing on the budget.

Legislative updates
I’m pleased to share updates on several bills for which I am Chief Co-patron, as well as legislation that I touched upon in last week’s newsletter that is now on its way to the House. These various legislative actions are meant to expand access to resources for residents across the Commonwealth.

SB 1225: This legislation enables private providers to also partner with schools in an effort to bring broadband resources to communities in need. This effort will help schools have greater support and resources for essential broadband services.

SB 1387: This bill ensures that students who meet the criteria to be deemed eligible for in-state tuition regardless of their citizenship or immigration status shall be afforded the same educational benefits, including financial assistance programs. This legislation emerged from requests made by college presidents and institutional leaders.

SB 1442: This legislation establishes a public defenders office for Chesterfield County and was filed at the request of many attorneys and constituents of the county.

These last few bills of mine succeeded in securing votes on the Senate Floor and have now been delivered to the House:

SB 1396, the Equity in Wastewater Treatment Act, establishes equitable access to wastewater treatment as Commonwealth policy.

SB 1318, the Environmental Justice Act, establishes an interagency working group that is focused on issues of environmental justice in policy-making decisions.

SB 1319 calls for a study to evaluate the regulations that govern solid waste management in Virginia. The task force will study available options to divert the following from Virginia’s landfills: food residuals, organic waste, and baseline recyclables generated or originating from outside of the Commonwealth.

All bills are a part of the public record and available for you to track at home. You can search for legislation two ways: 1) select Bills and Resolutions to search a bill by the specific number or keyword; or 2) select General Assembly Members to track a specific piece of legislation filed by the Member.

Upcoming COVID-19 Town Hall:
On Saturday, February 13, I will join the Richmond Delegation for a virtual town hall on COVID-19 vaccination plans. Dr. Danny Avula (Virginia COVID-19 Vaccine Coordinator and Director of Richmond & Henrico Health District), Ruth Morrison (Policy Director and COVID-19 Vaccine Coordinator for Richmond & Henrico Health District), and Amy Popovich (Nurse Manager for Richmond & Henrico) are our special guests, and they will answer questions about the administration of vaccines in Central Virginia.

The town hall will take place this Saturday, February 13, at 2:00PM, and I hope you will be able to join. You can find details here, and the invitation is below.

As always, if you need assistance, or if you want to schedule a Zoom or phone call with our team, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office. Email is the best way to contact us. We can be reached at [email protected].

— Ghazala Hashmi