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Coronavirus Update: Vaccine Registration to Expand Next Week
Dear Neighbors,
As noted in 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 distribution plan, so I hope the information below is helpful:
The vaccine is free for District residents.
DC Health has launched 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.
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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 vaccinate.dc.gov indicating who is eligible to register.
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To sign up for automatic updates when registration access is expanded to new groups, submit your email or phone number: 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 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 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.
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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
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Please see 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 marycheh.com
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Registering for a Vaccine |
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What You Need for Registration - The week of January 11th, the District’s vaccine registration portal, 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
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Reminder: The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are given in two shots, spaced at least three weeks apart. 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. |
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Prepare for Your Appointment |
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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).
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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: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/vsafe.html.
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Potential Side Effects of the Vaccine |
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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 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
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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. |
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It may not be your turn for the COVID-19 vaccine, but you are able to sign-up at coronavirus.dc.gov/vaccinatedc for immediate updates when the District's registry opens for additional priority groups. |
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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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