Vaccines To Begin For Group With Medical Conditions In Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA — The Alexandria Health Department expects to open COVID-19 vaccine appointments to people 16 to 64 within the next week. It is also preparing for the launch of a statewide vaccine preregistration system that will replace local health department preregistration forms.

People with underlying conditions are eligible in Virginia's phase 1b of vaccinations, as well as anyone 65 and up, certain essential worker groups and people living in homeless shelters, correctional facilities, and migrant labor camps. Due to limited dose supply of several thousand doses per week, the health department is prioritizing groups within phase 1b. Appointments were first prioritized for people 75 and up, then people 65 and up. Separately, appointments are set aside for essential worker groups in phase 1b.

Once the health department starts scheduling those with underlying health conditions, the first people contacted will be within the city's 13 census tracts with the highest social vulnerabilityscore on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Social Vulnerability Index. The index identifies residents that may be disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 using 15 social factors, including poverty, lack of vehicle access, and crowded housing. In Alexandria, these areas include Arlandria and parts of the West End. A statement from the city says the CDC data aligns with findings of health inequities in the health department's monthly ZIP code analysis of COVID-19 cases the city's 2019 Community Health Assessment.

Per the Alexandria Health Department, the Commonwealth of Virginia is launching a statewide vaccine preregistration system to provide a unified process for people in Virginia. The Virginia Department of Health directed all local health districts to close their preregistration forms at 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 12, and replace them with a link to the statewide system at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 16 Existing wait lists will be imported into the new system, but preregistration will be temporarily unavailable during the transition.

All individuals who have filled out Alexandria Health Department's preregistration form will be imported into the new statewide system. Individuals will maintain their current status in the queue and will be able to search and confirm that they are in the new system starting Tuesday morning.

Anyone eligible in phase 1b or who will be eligible when phase 1c starts can preregister. The form only has to be filled out once; individuals will be contacted for an appointment once doses become available.

On Tuesday, CVS opened limited appointments at select Virginia locations, including one in Alexandria. At this time, appointments are only for people 65 and older. Appointment slots have filled up quickly so far.

As of Thursday, 17,769 vaccine doses have been administered in Alexandria, and 3,150 Alexandrians are fully vaccinated. According to the Virginia Department of Health, 27,850 doses have been distributed to date in Alexandria.