COVID-19 Vaccinations In Arlington: Need To Know

ARLINGTON, VA — Thanks to an influx of vaccine doses from the federal government, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday that all Virginians 16 and older will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine starting Sunday, April 18, which is ahead of the May 1 goal President Joe Biden set for the country.

Based on the influx of new doses, Arlington expects to have enough vaccine to complete its aggressive vaccination schedule over the next three weeks in order to move into Phase 2 and open up vaccinations to the general public, according to a county release.

Virginia Health Department reported Monday that 4,224,890 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered across the state, and 32.8 percent of the population has received at least one dose.

The state is averaging 77,879 doses administered per day. Local health departments lead the state with 1,277,501 total doses given, followed by pharmacies with 1,003,988 total doses, hospitals with 860,472 medical practices with 626,997, and other community health providers with 455,932.

As of Monday, 97,160 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered in the Arlington, with 67,725 people receiving one dose and 32,706 being fully vaccinated.

Where To Get The Vaccine In Arlington

Arlington County recently partnered with the Arlington Free Clinic to vaccinate eligible residents in communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Under the partnership agreement, the county's Public Health Division will provide a limited portion of its weekly vaccine allocation to the Arlington Free Clinic to increase vaccine access to people who are uninsured or underinsured.

Vaccines will be allocated to Arlington residents who meet the free clinic's criteria and who are already eligible to receive the vaccine based on Virginia Department of Health priority guidelines. All vaccines at the Arlington Free Clinic will be by appointment only.

Arlington recently rolled out a partnership with Neighborhood Health (FQHC) to offer vaccinations to neighborhoods in the county reporting the highest percentages of COVID-19 cases and the lowest levels of vaccinated individuals.

"We are conducting on the ground sign ups and pre-registration with our social safety net and community-based partners and have already pre-register a list of almost a thousand individuals. We are ready to immediately schedule these individuals given more vaccine supply," according to the letter to Northam signed by Arlington County Board Chairman Matthew de Ferranti.

How To Register For The Vaccine

Arlington residents who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccination have more than one option available to them for scheduling an appointment.

Residents can preregister at the Vaccinate Virginia website, or at 1-800-VAX-in-VA. Preregistration allows the county to provide notification to eligible individuals to make vaccination appointments as supply becomes available.

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While a number of pharmacies have started offering appointments in the area as well, Cara O'Donnell, a spokeswoman for Arlington County Public Health, said that program is a part of a federal effort and not associated with the county's vaccination program. She recommended eligible residents preregister with the county and then use the VacinneFinder.org to look for other available appointments.

Currently, Arlington is vaccinating people in the Phase 1b priority group, which includes a wide range of residents: people 65 and older, people 16 to 64 with an underlying health condition or disability, certain essential worker groups, and people living in correctional facilities, homeless shelters or migrant labor camps.

People in Phase 1a and 1b include:

• Health Care Personnel
• Long-Term Care Facility Residents and Staff
• Public Safety Workers*
• Corrections and Homeless Shelter Workers/Residents*
• Childcare/PreK-12 Teachers and Staff*
• People 65 and Older
• People 16-64 With A High-Risk Medical Condition Or Disablity
• Frontline Essential Workers*
• Food And Agriculture Workers (Including Veterinarians)*
• Grocery Store Employees*
• Public Transit Personnel*
• Mail Carriers*
• Continuity of Government Employees*
• Clergy And Faith Leaders*
• Janitorial And Custodial Staff*

* Pre-register via your employer

Arlington County is currently pre-registering people in Phase 1c. These include workers in:

• Energy
• Water, Wastewater, and Waste removal (includes recycling removal)
• Housing and Construction
• Food Service
• Transportation and Logistics
• Institutions of Higher Education Faculty/Staff
• Finance
• Information Technology & Communication
• Media
• Legal Services
• Public Safety (including engineers)
• Other Public Health Workers
• Barbers
• Stylists
• Hairdressers

While Arlington will continue to give priority to those at the highest risk, everyone who has pre-registered for Phase 1c should receive scheduling notifications by mid-April.

More information on Arlington County COVID-19 Case Data is available online

Vaccine Demographics In Arlington County

As of Monday, the 30-99 age group in Arlington has received 12,747 vaccinations, which is more than any of other age group. The next closest is the 40-49 age group, with 11,219 vaccinations. More women have been vaccinated (37,777) than men (29,755) in Arlington.

For more information on coronavirus vaccines in Virginia, see the Virginia Patch COVID-19 vaccination page and link to it: https://patch.com/virginia/across-va/topics/virginia-covid-19-vaccine-information-hub