Loudoun Vaccine Clinic Extends Operations By One Week

Leesburg VA

25 August, 2021

3:16 PM

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LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — Loudoun County's vaccination site at Dulles Town Center will stay open for one more week, officials said. The clinic plans to administer its final coronavirus vaccines on Friday, Sept. 3. The clinic was originally supposed to cease operations this week, officials said. However, they extended its operations to act as a bridge before a new clinic is opened. "The extension of services at the Dulles Town Center clinic will provide a bridge to the planned opening of an alternate, smaller vaccination clinic in early September," officials said in an update. The health department has not said where the new clinic will be located, but they noted that another update would be released soon. The decision to prolong the Dulles clinic's operations comes just after the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine received full approval from the FDA. Virginia health officials like Dr. Danny Avula were pleased with the FDA decision. "We at the Virginia Department of Health are pleased that the Food and Drug Administration decided to grant full licensure to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for persons ages 16 years and older," Dr. Avula said in a statement. "The science is clear that this is a safe and effective vaccine that is highly effective in preventing infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and subsequent variants, and in preventing serious illness that could result in hospitalization and/or death." The Pfizer vaccine can still be administered to children as young as 12 due to an emergency authorization. In Loudoun County, 79.3 percent of eligible children have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Students in Loudoun County are scheduled to return to classrooms on Thursday, Aug. 26. Students, teachers and visitors will all be required to wear masks in schools. Read more: Masks Required To Start The School Year In Loudoun County The CDC has also outlined several precautions that individual students can take to protect themselves from COVID-19. Officials recommended students stay up to date on all their vaccinations and immunizations, wash their hands regularly, and take the pandemic and mitigation measures seriously.