Virginia
VHD report: Fewer kindergarteners are vaccinated
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/BV2ZOFSQ7VDLTMB2CL6UTJNOUQ.jpg "VHD report: Fewer kindergarteners are vaccinated")
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) – Fewer parents are getting their kids vaccinated, according to a report from the Virginia Department of Health.
The report says vaccination rates for kindergarteners was around 89% last fall, which is less than it was before the coronavirus pandemic. Rebecca Epstein with Project Immunize Virginia believes this could be due to misinformation.
“I definitely think there has been an increase in fear. We live through a very scary time, but I think it’s important to look back at that history and remember we’re building on decades and decades, centuries of research and practice that has led us to where we are with our vaccine development research,” she said.
Epstein says if vaccination rates get too low, then we could start to see outbreaks for other diseases: “Things like measles, polio, pertussis, which is whooping cough,” she said.
Project Immunize Virginia keeps track of student vaccination rates for this very reason.
“We’re always looking at these immunization rates, especially for kids in kindergarten, seventh grade, and 12th grade because this is when they receive really important immunizations to diseases that are easily spread,” Epstein said.
VDH Director of Immunization Christy Gray says it is important to note the data from this recent report only accounts for the start of the school year.
“It’s looking at what is the status of the student on day one. That doesn’t mean that the student doesn’t get their vaccine the next day or even that day or several weeks later, it just means that on day one this is where the students are in Virginia,” Gray said.
Gray also says any questions or doubts about any vaccine are normal, and the best way to learn more is to simply ask.
“VDH supports parents wanting to seek out information about how to make the best health care decisions for their children. And a great resource for that is your child’s pediatrician,” Gray said. “We really encourage parents to have those conversations.”
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RICHMOND, Va — Rain will continue to develop and move into Virginia today, with some embedded thunder possible. The high will be in the lower 70s. An additional 1 to 3 inches of rain is possible through Wednesday. The low will very slowly move eastward, keeping the Commonwealth in a broad area of lift through Wednesday. A flood watch will remain in effect until late Tuesday for all of the Piedmont and Tidewater, except for the Northern Neck.
The low will move through the area by midweek, with strong upper-level ridging moving into the eastern U.S. Highs will approach 90 degrees in some areas of central Virginia on Friday and Saturday. Isolated thunderstorms will be possible both days. A cold front will move through the area late Sunday, with dry and mild weather expected early next week.
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The Hokies earned their spot in the tournament with an at-large ACC conference bid to take on the competition in the Tuscaloosa Regional.
Filling out the rest of the region are the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Jackson State Tigers, and the Belmont Bruins.
Tech is now a perfect six-for-six in making the NCAA tournament under the tenure of head coach Pete D’Amour, with the 2020 season not having a tournament. D’Amour has a regional tournament record of 12-7 in his six trips.
The Hokies dropped to an at-large placement with a loss in the ACC semifinals against the ultimate champions, the Clemson Tigers.
The Hokies are no strangers to Tuscaloosa, picking up a win against the Crimson Tide during the last week of February.
Headlining the Hokies’ offense is ACC Player of the Year Cori McMillan, who, alongside her teammate Emma Lemley, was selected in the first round of the Inaugural AUSL Draft.
Tech and Belmont open the Tuscaloosa Regional with a 3:30 p.m. EST matchup in Rhoads Stadium. Coverage will be available on ESPN+ as the Hokies look to return to the Supers for the third time in four seasons.
The Bruins earned their bid by winning the Missouri Valley Conference tournament–getting the automatic bid for doing so.
Following the matchup between the two-and-three seeds, the Tigers will step into the jungle of Bama at 6 p.m. EST.
Competition in the regionals can be cutthroat, with one team advancing out of a double-elimination pool of four top national programs.
Get to know the Hokies’ opponents:
Record: 37-21 (12-12 SEC)
Head Coach: Patrick Murphy
Notable Wins: Washington (5-1 on February 7, 7-3 on February 8), Virginia Tech (9-1 on February 23), Mississippi State (7-4 on March 14), Texas A&M (2-1 on March 22), Georgia (5-4 on March 29, 8-5 on March 30), LSU (8-5 on April 6), Oklahoma (6-1 on April 13, 2-1 on April 14), Florida (7-4 on April 17), South Carolina (13-1 on May 1).
Ace in the Circle: Jocelyn Briski
Alabama packs a tough 1-2 punch in the circle, but the sophomore Briski takes the ace role over the two-way Ole Miss transfer Catelyn Riley. Both have impressive pitching lines themselves, but where Briski shines is the strikeouts, nearly doubling Riley’s count with 110 K’s on the season. With a K rate of 18.5% and an opponent batting average of just .239–Briski is a good arm to sit behind in a regional.
Standout Slugger: Kali Heivilin
Heivilin, the senior, leads the Crimson Tide in most of the major slugging categories. First in team OPS (1.183), home runs (13), RBIs (42), and slugging percentage (.724). When Heivilin’s teammates reach base successfully in front of her, she looks to increase Alabama’s score with one swing of her scorching bat.
Record: 29-23 (15-9 SWAC)
Head Coach: Kevin Montgomery
Notable Wins: Bethune-Cookman (4-1 on March 7, 6-1 on April 26, 4-2 on May 4, and 8-0 on May 7), Alabama State (9-4 on March 21, 9-8 on March 22, 10-2 on April 12, and 2-1 on May 8), Florida A&M (5-4 on April 4, and 3-1 on May 11)
Ace in the Circle: Brooklyn Morris
Another solid duo in the circle puts another sophomore ahead as the ace. Morris leads the Tigers’ pitching squad in almost every category: ERA (3.53), WHIP (1.41), complete games (15), K’s (49), and opponent batting average (.286).
Standout Slugger: Jace Jackson
On the opposite side of the action for the Tigers, Jackson and her sophomore teammate Ka’Liyah Gipson square up evenly in all but one statistic, slugging. Where Gipson slaps around singles to get herself aboard, Jackson has more than double the home runs hit by any of her teammates. Showing her true slugging prowess, along with cracking triple digits for total bases on the year, a perfect 100 for a .671 slugging percentage.
Record: 40-14 (20-7 MVC)
Head Coach: Laura Matthews
Notable Wins: Arizona State (5-1 on February 15), Maryland (3-0 on February 28, and 9-1 on March 1), Southern Illinois (5-0 on March 28, and 6-2 on May 10), Bradley (8-3 on May 8), Northern Iowa (7-5 on March 9)
Ace in the Circle: Maya Johnson
The truest ace in the regional comes from the Bruins in the redshirt junior Johnson. Almost quadrupling the workload of the other arms besides her, it is clear why she leads Belmont in every pitching statistic. ERA (1.24), WHP (.62), complete games (23), K’s (355), and opponent batting average (.149).
Standout Slugger: Nicole Hughes
Being with the Bruins for three seasons now, Hughes offers the most balanced approach in the lineup. Leading the team in batting average (.359) and OPS (.947) while also notching a dozen doubles with a few home runs.
Related Links
Virginia Tech Softball: Hokies Earn The No. 2 Seed In The Tuscaloosa Region
NCAA Softball Tournament: Bracket Setup for Round of 64
ACC Quarterback Rankings: Where is Virginia Tech QB Kyron Drones in the New 247Sports Rankings?
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) – The Central Virginia Chapter of the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association is holding its second annual family day picnic on May 18 at Chris Greene Lake Park.
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, or CMT, is a genetic nerve disease that affects muscle strength and coordination. According to the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association, the disease affects one in 2,500 people.
It often causes issues with walking, balance, or fine motor skills.
The picnic will encourage families to share support, raise awareness, and connect with others affected.
For more details about the event and the condition, you can click here.
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Copyright 2025 WVIR. All rights reserved.
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