From the mayor’s office:
Today, Mayor Bowser and DC Health announce a new partnership to establish three CFS pharmacies that will focus on vaccinating teachers and school personnel, child carers, health workers and residents of DC 65 and older. Eligible individuals will still pre-register through vaccinate.dc.gov, but will be asked to schedule their appointment directly through the CVS website. 3,510 doses will be made available for this partnership over the next 7-10 days. Two of the CVS pharmacies are located in Ward 7 and one in Ward 5.
Since the launch of the pre-registration system, approximately 28,236 people have already pre-registered, received an invitation and made an appointment. To date, approximately 202,824 individuals have pre-registered and are waiting for an appointment. At this time, all residents and district workers who have not yet been vaccinated are encouraged to pre-register regardless of whether or not they are currently eligible.
This week, DC will receive 27,140 doses of vaccine – 14,400 doses for vaccinate.dc.gov; 5,610 doses for hospitals and health centers; and 7,130 doses for special initiatives (including the CFS partnership).
Beginning next week, the week of March 29, all key workers in Phase 1C, Level 2, will be eligible for the vaccine. This includes persons employed in non-public transport transportation services (ie for rental vehicles, ride share); persons working in logistics / delivery / courier services; and key contributors working in the media and mass communications. All essential employees must work personally in Washington, DC.
To make the pre-registration system more accessible, a Google Translate widget was added to the site last week. In addition, guides have been uploaded explaining the pre-registration process; those guides are available in English, Spanish, Amharic, French, Korean, Vietnamese, and Chinese (simplified).
The new pre-registration system allows individuals to register online at any time and any day at vaccinate.dc.gov, or register by phone by calling the call center at 1-855-363-0333, Monday through Friday from 8:00 am . hours to 7 p.m. or on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Language translation services are available through the call center. Call center personnel can also take calls from 711, a free video relay service from the FCC that allows individuals to sign with a hearing interpreter who is then on the phone with a caller.
Currently eligible persons include: DC residents aged 65 and over; DC Residents 18-64 with a qualifying medical condition; and members of an eligible workforce. This week, DC Health expanded eligibility to include all essential employees in Phase 1B Tier 3 and Phase 1C Tier 1 who work in person (teachers, childcare workers, and school personnel are eligible, regardless of whether they are currently working in person). Personal employees who were eligible this week include: staff working in courts and individuals providing legal services; first-line employees of public (mass) transport; employees of the US Postal Service; staff working in food service; key employees at local government agencies; essential employees of public utilities; key workers in health, human and social services organizations / agencies who are not vaccinated as emergency workers; persons working in the maintenance of commercial and residential properties and environmental services. Find out more about who is eligible at coronavirus.dc.gov/vaccine.
Invitations are sent out every week:
Thursday at 10 am
Sunday at 10 a.m.
And only if appointments still have to be made, Tuesday at 10 a.m.
Anyone who signs up at 11:59 p.m. tonight and is currently eligible for the vaccine in DC will be part of the randomized selection process tomorrow morning. Once the invitations are sent, individuals have 48 hours to make their appointment. If a person does not book their appointment, their name goes back into the pre-registration system (after three unanswered invitations, a person has to re-register in the system).
Eligible individuals are selected through a process that randomizes those who have pre-registered based on the following breakdown:
20% goes to DC residents with priority zip codes aged 65 and over
20% goes to DC residents in any zip code age 65 and older
20% goes to DC residents with priority zip codes aged 18-64 with a qualifying medical condition
20% goes to DC residents in any zip code who are 18-64 years old with a qualifying medical condition
10% will go to DC residents with priority zip codes who are members of an eligible workforce aged 18 and over
10% goes to members of an eligible workforce aged 18 and over, regardless of residential address
The current list of priority postal codes includes: 20422, 20011, 20017, 20018, 20002, 20003, 20019, 20020, 20032, 20593. Priority zip codes are determined by identifying areas where residents are disproportionately burdened by COVID-19 and areas lagging behind from COVID-19 vaccination Coverage.
Mayor Bowser’s three working principles for the new registration system are: 1) equitable distribution of the vaccine; 2) a consistent planning rhythm, so that residents know what to expect; and 3) a shared responsibility, across our community, to pre-register people.
Eligible medical conditions include: Asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other chronic lung disease; Bone marrow and solid organ transplant; Cancer; Cerebrovascular disease; Chronic kidney disease; Congenital heart disease; Diabetes; Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies; HIV; Hypertension Immunocompromised state; Hereditary metabolic disorders; Intellectual and developmental disorders; Liver disease; Neurological disorders; Obesity, BMI ≥ 30 kg / m2; Pregnancy; Serious genetic disorders; Sickle cell disease; and thalassemia. Residents who are unsure of their eligibility for the vaccine based on a qualifying medical condition should contact their healthcare provider.
Currently, individuals 18 and older must pre-register through vaccinate.dc.gov or the district call center. Neighborhood residents who are 16 or 17 years old and have a qualifying medical condition and are not an existing patient of the Children’s National Hospital or HSC can pre-register for a vaccination at Children’s National Hospital by following the link on coronavirus.dc. government / vaccine.
DC still needs more vaccine, and we will continue to advocate for additional doses so that we can save lives and meet the demands of our community. “