Coronavirus Update: Pre-Registration Now Open to Everyone

Dear Neighbors,

Pre-registraion is now open to all District residents, not just for those who are currently eligible for the vaccine. Current eligibility remains limited to seniors, certain workers, those with qualifying medical conditions, and now restaurant/bar/coffee shop staff, but it is important that everyone pre-register now so you're in the system come May 1st when eligibility will expand to all District residents per President Biden's directive. Residents may pre-register through vaccinate.dc.gov or by calling the coronavirus call center at 1-855-363-0333.

I've heard largely positive feedback since the pre-registration portal's launch last week, but there are still some important updates that need to be made to the system. DC Health is working on adding text notifications to the portal and is aiming to launch a drop down menu for additional language options within the next ten days. In the meantime, they have created this guide for Spanish-speaking residents. For those who have already registered, please know that indicating a location preference or vaccine preference will not limit your likelihood of being selected for an appointment, these questions are merely for data collection purposes. And on vaccine preferences, we know that DC Health is prioritizing the single shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine for our neighbors experiencing homelessness, so it is more likely that you will be scheduled for the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. Of course, the number of appointments available is going to be limited by the amount of vaccine the District receives each week.

Should you need to update your information in the portal (in the case of a new medical diagnosis or in-person work requirement, for example) please call the call center or email [email protected] to request the change. This will be the same process if you would like to be removed from the portal in the event of receiving a vaccine through a healthcare provider or other jurisdiction. DC Health is working on upgrading the functionality of the portal to enable residents to make these changes directly online.

Vaccine eligibility is going to expand in the coming weeks. Here are some important dates to keep in mind:

Beginning March 15th (this week) - Those in Phase 1B Tier 3 & Phase 1C Tier 1 will become eligible for the vaccine.

This includes: staff working in Courts, individuals providing legal services, US Postal Service employees, essential employees in local government agencies, public transit workers, staff working in food service, and staff in health, human, and social services.

Beginning March 29th - Those in Phase 1C Tier 2 will become eligible for the vaccine.

This includes: individuals working in non-public transit services (i.e. for hire vehicles and ride share), residents working in delivery/courier services, and essential employees in media and mass communications.

Beginning April 12th - Those in Phase 1C Tier 3 will become eligible for the vaccine.

This includes: essential employees within higher education, those working in construction, essential employees in federal government agencies, and those working in commercial/residential property management.

Beginning May 1st - The District will move into Phase 2 of vaccination eligibility, which effectively includes everyone 16 years of age and older who were not previously eligible.

Many residents have questioned why the District's vaccination rate is so much lower than other jurisdictions and are dismayed by the state by state comparison maps (like this one in The Washington Post) that depict the District as being among the worst performing jurisdictions in the percentage of vaccinated residents. What these types of trackers are not able to capture is the nuance that our workers in the first priority groups (our healthcare workers, firefighters, police officers, essential workers, etc.) often do not live in the District. The District needs our frontline workers to be vaccinated, for their safety and ours, so the initial weeks of vaccine deliveries were administered to a commuter workforce. This is why the federal government's vaccine allotment formula, which is based on total population, does not work for jurisdictions like ours. And now that vaccination eligibility is expanding, the rate of vaccinated residents will most certainly improve.

Unquestionably, we need more vaccine, but we also need to ensure that the vaccine we do receive is distributed efficiently and expediently. There have been some reporting discrepancies in our vaccine data and, after a conversation with the Council this week, the Executive will be furnishing a written explanation as to why DC's distribution numbers may be low relative to other states. And I will share that rationale (and, ideally, the Executive's plan to address this problem) once I receive it.

Regards,

Mary