COVID-19 Vaccine
Beginning Monday, April 19, all DC residents 16 and older will become eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Washington, DC. To ensure that DC is able to get the vaccine out as efficiently as possible, the Mayor is calling on all DC residents to pre-register for a vaccination appointment by going to vaccinate.dc.gov or calling 1-855-363-0333.
Individuals who previously pre-registered for an appointment through the portal and who have already received their vaccination elsewhere can email vacci...@dc.gov or call 1-855-363-0333 to have their information removed from the pre-registration list.
Eligible DC residents are also reminded of other ways to make an appointment, including:
- Directly through their health care provider
- Veterans and veteran spouses can get vaccinated through the VA Medical Center and can learn more by calling (202) 745-4342
- DC residents 65 and older, teachers and school staff, child care workers, and health care workers can book appointments through the CVS site (when appointments are available)
On Monday, April 12, essential workers in Phase 1C Tier 3 become eligible for the vaccine. This includes all essential employees of institutions of higher education; individuals working in construction; all essential employees working in information technology; essential employees working in federal government agencies; and individuals working in commercial and residential property management. Essential workers must be working in person in Washington, DC.
Currently, eligible individuals include: DC residents 65 and older; 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 workers in Phase 1B Tier 3 and Phase 1C Tier 1 who are working in person (teachers, child care workers, and school staff are eligible regardless of whether they are currently work in person). In-person workers who became eligible this week include: staff working in courts and individuals providing legal services; frontline employees of public (mass) transit; employees of the U.S. Postal Service; staff working in food service; essential employees in local government agencies; essential employees of public utilities; essential employees in health, human, and social services organizations/agencies who were not vaccinated as outreach workers; individuals working in commercial and residential property maintenance and environmental services; individuals working in non-public transit transportation services (i.e. for hire vehicles, ride share); individuals working in logistics/delivery/courier services; and essential employees working in media and mass communications. Learn more about who is eligible at coronavirus.dc.gov/vaccine.
With the new pre-registration system, individuals can register online at any time on any day via vaccinate.dc.gov, or register by phone by calling the call center at 1-855-363-0333, Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. or on Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Language translation services are available through the call center. Call center staff are also able to take calls from 711, a free video relay service from the FCC that allows individuals to sign with a hearing interpreter who is then talking on the phone with a call taker.
Each week, invitations are sent:
- Thursdays by 10:00 a.m.
- Sundays by 10:00 a.m.
- And, only if any appointments still need to be filled, Tuesdays by 10:00 a.m.
Anyone who registers by 11:59 p.m. tonight and who is currently eligible for the vaccine in DC will be part of the randomized selection process tomorrow morning. Once invitations go out, individuals have 48 hours to book their appointment. If an individual does not book their appointment, their name will go back in the pre-registration system (after three unanswered invitations an individual will need to register in the system again).
Eligible individuals are selected through a process that randomizes those who have pre-registered, according to the following breakdown:
- 20% go to DC residents in priority zip codes who are 65 and older
- 20% go to DC residents in any zip code who are 65 and older
- 20% go to DC residents in priority zip codes who are 18-64 with a qualifying medical condition
- 20% go to DC residents in any zip code who 18-64 with a qualifying medical condition
- 10% go to DC residents in priority zip codes who are members of an eligible workforce who are 18 and older
- 10% go to members of an eligible workforce who are 18 and older, regardless of home address
The current list of priority zip codes includes: 20010, 20011, 20017, 20018, 20002, 20003, 20019, 20020, 20032, 20422 and 20593. Priority zip codes are determined by identifying areas where residents have been disproportionately burdened by COVID-19 and areas that are lagging in COVID-19 vaccination coverage.
Qualifying medical conditions include: Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and other Chronic Lung Disease; Bone Marrow and Solid Organ Transplantation; Cancer; Cerebrovascular Disease; Chronic Kidney Disease; Congenital Heart Disease; Diabetes Mellitus; Heart Conditions, such as Heart Failure, Coronary Artery Disease, or Cardiomyopathies; HIV; Hypertension; Immunocompromised State; Inherited Metabolic Disorders; Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities; Liver Disease; Neurologic Conditions; Obesity, BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2; Pregnancy; Severe Genetic Disorders; Sickle Cell Disease; and Thalassemia. Residents who are unsure whether they qualify for the vaccine based on a qualifying medical condition should contact their health care provider.
For additional vaccine updates and information, follow @_DCHealth and @MayorBowser on Twitter and facebook.com/dchealth.dc.gov and facebook.com/MayorMurielBowser on Facebook.
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