This article was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partner InsideNoVa.com. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
This article was written by WTOP’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
The Prince William Health District has begun registering residents over the age of 75 for COVID-19 vaccination clinics at George Mason University’s Manassas campus that will begin Tuesday, Jan. 19.
As the county has now moved into the second phase of vaccinations, residents who are age 75 and older can register for the vaccine with the health district online here.
Once the health district has a list of individuals 75 years old and older, it will be uploaded into an electronic scheduling system that will instruct them how to schedule an appointment. An email address is required to register, but the health district said in a news release it is working with local emergency management partners to ensure that those who do not have access to email can schedule appointments as well.
The health district will have capacity to administer 540 vaccines a day at the GMU campus. Appointments will be available Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. until 4 p.m. The health district will assess holiday closures based on progress at that time. Any closures will be announced through its media platforms. The district said it has reserved the GMU site until April 30.
Walk-in vaccines will only be administered at the end of the clinic if doses are available.
The health district includes Prince William County as well as the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
The health district said that priority groups listed in Phase 1b and Phase 1c that are part of an employer (school staff, grocery store workers, postal workers and the like) cannot sign up for an appointment until the health district or local jurisdiction has coordinated with their employer. The employer will be contacted to provide a list of employees’ names and email addresses. When they are in the correct priority group, these lists will be uploaded into an electronic scheduling system and the employee will be provided information about how to schedule an appointment.
The health district said it must complete the employment groups in the order that they are listed in Virginia’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign. For example, the health district cannot vaccinate corrections and homeless shelter staff before it vaccinates law enforcement since law enforcement is prioritized to be vaccinated first in 1b.
The health district said the space at George Mason will give it the ability to vaccinate more people while allowing for safety measures such as social distancing. It also offers adequate space for the 15 minutes or more of observation time that is needed for people who have been vaccinated.
“This massive undertaking to vaccinate the greater public requires a community effort,” the district said in its release. “Therefore, it is wonderful to see in this time of crisis, GMU is helping the community.”
