The Virginia Department of Health said 11 health districts in the state will begin Phase 1b coronavirus vaccinations Monday.
The department said many Virginia localities are still focused strictly on Phase 1a vaccinations, which are given to health care personnel and residents of long-term care facilities. However, VDH said, 11 districts are in a position to begin Phase 1b, which makes vaccines available for front line essential workers, those age 75 and older, and people living in correctional facilities, homeless shelters and migrant labor camps.
Six of the 11 districts moving to the next phase of vaccinations are at least partly in Northern Virginia:
- Alexandria
- Arlington
- Fairfax
- Lord Fairfax (Clarke County, Frederick County and Winchester, Page County, Shenandoah County, Warren County)
- Loudoun
- Prince William
The other five districts moving to Phase 1b are in Southwest Virginia:
- Cumberland Plateau
- Lenowisco
- Mount Rogers
- New River
- Roanoke City/Alleghany
A map of Virginia’s health districts is available on the Virginia Department of Health website.
The department said all areas in Virginia are expected to begin Phase 1b vaccinations by the end of January, and each district will announce when it moves to the next phase.
How to get a vaccine in your area
For those living in facilities that qualify them to receive the COVID-19 vaccine under Phase 1b, the facility will be in contact with residents directly about vaccination. For essential workers, one point of contact from the employing organization will be responsible for coordinating vaccination of its employees.
Those 75 and older, who are made eligible for vaccination under Phase 1b, can sign up to get vaccinated a number of ways, depending on where they live:
- Those hoping to get vaccinated in the Alexandria Health District can fill out an online form, and the district will contact those eligible to receive a vaccine when it’s available.
- In the Arlington Health District, an online form is available to preregister for vaccination. Those who preregister will be contacted when a vaccine is available for them.
- The Fairfax Health District said those who want to make an appointment to be vaccinated can call the vaccine hotline at 703-324-7404 from Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fairfax’s health department said an online scheduler is coming soon.
- In Loudoun County, you can get more information about the process by emailing your name, organization and your basis for inclusion in Phase 1a or 1b to health@loudoun.gov, or by calling the health department at 703-737-8300 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. You can also get text alerts by texting LCCOVID19 (or LCCOVIDESP for Spanish) to 888777. Find more information on the county’s website.
- The Prince William Health District said it will use a Manassas middle school to begin administering COVID-19 vaccinations for those who are eligible this week. Vaccinations will begin at George Mason University starting Tuesday, Jan. 19. People who are eligible to register can call the health district’s COVID-19 call center information line at 703-872-7759 from Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Information on how to sign up for vaccinations in the Lord Fairfax district was not available as of Sunday.
Fairfax Co. teachers to be vaccinated under Phase 1b
Health officials in Fairfax County announced the COVID-19 vaccine will be available to all Fairfax County Public Schools employees as a part of the 1b group of essential workers.
The vaccine will be administered via Inova in partnership with the Fairfax County Health Department.
Virginia’s Phase 1b strategy for Frontline Essential Workers requires local health departments to adhere to vaccinating the groups as prioritized in the Gov. Ralph Northam’s announcement.
The health department will start to vaccinate police, fire, hazardous materials, corrections and workers at homeless shelters at closed vaccination clinics this week.
Childcare, K-12 teachers and staff are next in line.
That could happen as early as Jan. 16. About 40,000 teachers and staff are scheduled to get their shots.
WTOP’s Matt Small contributed to this report.
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Looking for more information? D.C., Maryland and Virginia are each releasing more data every day. Visit their official sites here: Virginia | Maryland | D.C.
