FEMA awarding $37 million for Virginia mobile vaccination effort

(The Center Square) – Virginia is receiving more than $37 million in federal funds to create mobile vaccination units in areas with vulnerable populations, according to an announcement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The mobile units will help the commonwealth provide vaccines to priority residents before providing them to the general public. The units will be able to administer about 250 vaccinations daily. Federal funding will cover the cost of the units, personal protective equipment, emergency medical supplies, medical storage equipment and support costs.

“We are thankful for this award from FEMA that assists with establishing mobile vaccination units to support vulnerable population areas all around the commonwealth,” Curtis Brown, the state coordinator for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management said in a statement. “Throughout the pandemic, we have prioritized health equity, beginning with personal protective equipment and now with our vaccination efforts.”

Before the announcement, FEMA had already provided the state more than $185 million to assist with vaccination efforts.

According to Bloomberg News, 14.5% of white Virginians have been vaccinated, but numbers were lower for ethnic minorities – 9.3% of black Virginians received the vaccine, as did 8.2% of the Asian population and 8.1% of the Hispanic population.

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