‘There’s no question that the vaccines are protective’: Area VDH leader urges students to get COVID-19 vaccine

While they’re not perfect, she says they can save millions of lives each year

One local health leader is still encouraging students to get the COVID-19 vaccines, despite a battle over whether to mandate it in schools.

Dr. Noelle Bissell with the New River Valley Health District said Monday that while we’re not seeing a COVID-19 spike in colleges and universities, it makes sense to encourage mandating the COVID-19 vaccines in high-risk populations of spreading.

“We need to realize that there will be future variants; and how do we address those? And how do we live with those? And I think there’s no question that the vaccines are protective. They’re protective against hospitalization and against death,” said Dr. Bissell.

She says the vaccines aren’t perfect, but they can save millions of lives each year.


About the Author:

Tim Harfmann joined the 10 News team in September 2020 and works at the station's Lynchburg bureau.