Joe Morrissey Pushes For Vaccinations for 16-Year-Old Girls

FILE- In this Jan. 20, 2015 file photo former delegate Joe Morrissey, D-Henrico, watches the proceedings during the House of Delegates session at the Capitol in Richmond, Va. Morrissey has struck fear into the hearts of the Richmond establishment as he’s opened up an almost insurmountable lead in his run for Richmond mayor, drawing the support of Black voters and members of underserved communities who he has championed for years as a public official and attorney. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

RICHMOND, Va. — Citing the importance of Virginia’s adolescents to get vaccinated as soon as possible, Sen. Joe Morrissey, D-16th, has called for COVID-19 vaccination efforts to focus on 16-year-old girls, sources confirmed Wednesday.

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“It’s imperative that we get our female youths fully vaccinated so we can get them back to a sense of normalcy,” a representative from Morrissey’s office said in a statement, adding that many late teen women hold seasonal internships — ranging from insurance companies to law firms — that may be threatened if a fourth wave of the virus affects Virginia.

“It’s not just the schooling aspects or potential careers that are at stake, but many of these young ladies need to be able to get out, enjoy themselves, maybe meet a few people, in a safe manner without risk of infection. We’re calling upon the Virginia Department of Health to help accelerate vaccine distribution towards girls at the 16, maybe even 17, age level so we can finally beat this pandemic and get back to our normal lives.”

The statement also noted that Morrissey was in the process of organizing vaccine distribution sites at various high schools throughout the commonwealth.