January 8, 2021

Coronavirus Update: Vaccine Registration to Expand Next Week

Dear Neighbors,

As noted in[1] yesterday's newsletter, the work of local Washington must
continue. And a central focus for the District in the upcoming weeks will
be the distribution of coronavirus vaccines. Early healthcare provider
reporting data indicates that over 16,989 people have received the vaccine
in the District. As vaccine manufacturing is limited, the federal
government is unable to provide us with a consistent delivery schedule or
regular dose allotment. This obviously presents planning challenges.
However, the District expects to receive new shipments about once a week
and has already received about 40,000 doses. There is so much new
information to cover with the [2]distribution plan, so I hope the
information below is helpful:

The vaccine is free for District residents.

DC Health has launched [3]vaccinate.dc.gov to help coordinate the
District's Vaccine Distribution Plan. Currently, only those in the Phase 1a
population group are asked to register for a vaccine through this online
portal, but DC Health hopes to expand registration access in the upcoming
weeks.
* [4]Vaccinate.dc.gov is only for scheduling your first dose, you will
need to coordinate directly with the provider who administered your first
vaccine to schedule your second dose

DC Health expects to open vaccination registration to those ages 65 and
older by next week. DC Health has set target dates for expanding
registration access for additional priority groups, but it is important to
note that this schedule may change:
* Week of January 11th: DC residents who are 65 years old and older
* Week of January 25th: Specific categories of essential workers,
including public safety workers, grocery store workers, workers in pre-k
educational and childcare settings
* Week of February 1st: DC residents with chronic medical conditions

If you registered early for a vaccine, you will need to register again when
it is your group's turn. While the anxiety to receive a vaccine and desire
to be proactive is understandable, early registrations will not be
recognized. To help clarify this point, DC Health has added a banner to
[5]vaccinate.dc.gov indicating who is eligible to register.
* To sign up for automatic updates when registration access is expanded
to new groups, submit your email or phone number: [6]here

The District's COVID-19 call center will be able to coordinate vaccine
registrations by phone beginning on Monday, January 11th. For District
residents who do not have internet access or prefer a language other than
English to communicate (including American Sign Language), you will be able
schedule an appointment through the District’s coronavirus call center
(855-363-0333).

Yes, a small number of residents who are not in the Phase 1a priority group
have received a vaccine, but this is due to DC Health's policy that no
vaccine dose be wasted. All vaccines expire, but these [7]mRNA coronavirus
vaccines have very specific storage and thawing requirements. In fact, once
a batch has thawed, administrators have mere hours to use it before it
expires. In instances where someone misses an appointment, for example,
vaccine administrators have been rightfully instructed to provide the dose
to other workers or nearby patients who are interested in receiving a
vaccine (you may have seen [8]this story in the news of such an event).
Anyone available to be vaccinated, should be vaccinated. And this policy
ensures that we do not waste any dose of vaccine if we can help it.
* Please do not linger or line up at your pharmacy in the hopes that an
unused vaccine will become available to you. The odds of receiving an extra
vaccine are quite low, and it is not worth your exposure risk. Moreover, as
the groups eligible for the vaccine increase, the chances of randomly
getting a vaccine will become almost negligible.

I have asked DC Health to consider providing vaccination events at our
larger apartment buildings (especially those with high concentrations of
senior residents). But, at least at this time, it appears that DC Health is
not able to guarantee that they will have the resources to mobilize that
type of targeted distribution. Director Nesbitt has noted that the best
planning strategy is to prioritize permanent, centrally-located vaccine
distribution sites that can also administer vaccines to between 400-800
people. The agency will examine how they may be able to reach specific
subsets of seniors and vulnerable residents, but, at the moment, they are
working with larger community partners and healthcare administrators.

Regards,

Mary

Please see [9]coronavirus.dc.gov for the latest District updates &
resources on COVID-19

The Public Emergency is active through January 21st and the Public Health
Emergency has been extended through March 31st

If you know someone who would like to receive these updates directly, he or
she may sign up through [10]marycheh.com

Registering for a Vaccine

What You Need for Registration - The week of January 11th, the District’s
vaccine registration portal, [11]vaccinate.dc.gov, will be available for
District residents ages 65 and older.
* The portal includes a questionnaire that takes about 5 minutes to
complete
* You will be asked to provide demographic information (i.e., race,
gender, age), medical history, COVID-19 history and contact information
* Once completed, you will receive a confirmation code that you should
take with you, along with your photo id, to your appointment

Reminder: The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are given in two shots, spaced at
least three weeks apart. [12]Vaccinate.dc.gov is only for scheduling your
first dose, residents will need to coordinate with the provider who
administered their first vaccine to schedule the second dose.

Prepare for Your Appointment

During Your Appointment - The vaccine provider/administrator will validate
your identification information.After your vaccination, you should receive
a vaccination card or printout that tells you:
* What COVID-19 vaccine you received
* The date you received it
* Where you received it
* When you should receive your second shot

You should also receive a paper or electronic version of a fact sheet that
tells you more about the specific COVID-19 vaccine you are being
offered/have received.

After you receive your vaccination, be prepared to stay for 15 to 30
minutes for observation.

Your healthcare provider will also provide you with a v-safe information
sheet. This sheet provides instructions on how to register and use v-safe
(details below).

V-Safe: The After Vaccination Health Checker

Post-Vaccination Reporting - V-safe is a smartphone-based tool launched by
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that uses text
messaging and web surveys to provide personalized health check-ins after
you receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

Through v-safe, you can quickly tell CDC if you have any side effects after
getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Depending on your answers, someone from CDC
may call to check on you and get more information.
* V-safe will also send reminders to schedule your second COVID-19
vaccine dose

For more information on this program, please see:
[13][link removed].

Potential Side Effects of the Vaccine

Vaccination Awareness - One aspect that everyone should be prepared for is
that some recipients of the vaccine experience unpleasant temporary side
effects, such as fatigue, body aches and pains, mild fever, and headache.
In Councilmember Cheh's case during her experience in the Moderna vaccine
trial, her reaction lasted around 36 hours.

Physicians have noted that these effects are [14]evidence of one's immune
system at work, and it should absolutely not deter anyone from receiving
the initial vaccine or the follow up dose.
* Moreover, many who received the vaccine experienced only minimal
effects, such as redness or soreness at the injection site
* For most people, these side effects will last no longer than a day or
two

As with any medicine, it is rare but possible to have a serious reaction,
but if you do, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

It may not be your turn for the COVID-19 vaccine, but you are able to
sign-up at [15]coronavirus.dc.gov/vaccinatedc for immediate updates when
the District's registry opens for additional priority groups.

Our Office is Open!

Connect with our staff - While Councilmember Cheh's physical office is
closed during the public health emergency, she and her staff are
teleworking and will remain accessible for residents.

You may continue to reach us via phone through our main line at (202)
724-8062 with legislative ideas, budget requests, and constituent services
requests.

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FOLLOW MARY

References

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2. [link removed] Vaccination Plan 11.27.pdf
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Mary Cheh
Mary Cheh Ward 3
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NWSuite 108
Washington, DC 20004
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