Coronavirus Update: Seniors, Teachers, & Childcare Staff

Dear Neighbors,

In just a week's time, many changes have been made to the District's vaccine distribution plan. While I was told that there would be a one-time, special vaccination opportunity for residents in select Wards, DC Health has determined that the most equitable path forward—one that targets our vulnerable senior neighbors in zip codes with the greatest risk of infection and death—is to release two batches of vaccine appointments each week: one batch at 9:00 am on Thursdays for residents in high priority zip codes and one batch at 9:00 am on Fridays for all seniors and the remaining healthcare workers yet to be vaccinated.

In addition to vaccinate.dc.gov and the COVID-19 hotline (855-363-0333), there are now opportunities to sign up for a vaccine through the District's hospital system. Please visit the hospital website where you are a patient, i.e. seen by the hospital in an outpatient clinic within the past two years, for instructions on how to register for an available appointment (please note that these appointments are also limited, but senior residents may find this registration method to be a better experience):

Howard University Hospital
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
MedStar Washington Hospital Center
The George Washington University Hospital
Sibley Memorial Hospital
United Medical Center
Kaiser Permanente members should visit kp.org/DCvaccine

DC Health has also prioritized vaccinating DC Public and Charter School teachers and staff. This will be especially important as DC Public Schools is aiming to significantly expand in-person learning options in Term 3 and expects about 4,900 prek-5 students, 2,000 students in grades 6-12, and 4,200 staff (including 2,200 teachers) to return for in-person learning. I have joined school readiness tours of Deal Middle School and Wilson High School (as I did with our Ward 3 elementary schools in the fall) and believe that our school leaders have taken the necessary steps and implemented strong protocols to reopen as safely as possible. And vaccinating our educators and school staff as soon as possible is a critical component to building-wide safety. It should also be noted that teachers are using a separate appointment scheduling process, so seniors will not be competing against educators in signing up for available appointments through the website or hotline.

The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) is also now in the process of alerting all licensed early childcare providers that vaccination opportunities will become available for in-person staff in February. Including childcare providers in this early stage of vaccinations is especially important as many have already returned to providing in-person care. To help narrow down the the vaccine allocation needs, OSSE has asked that facilities send a list of eligible staff to [email protected] by Thursday, Jan 28th, at noon.

Changes to the distribution plan are developing very quickly, and DC Health seems to have adopted the approach that spreading vaccinations across multiple demographics and priority groups is the best public health strategy moving forward (as opposed to finishing priority groups in succession). I hope to gain further clarity on the agency's strategy and will push for greater transparency and better communication from them on the Council's weekly conference call with the Executive this afternoon.

Regards,

Mary