Fairfax Tells Residents To Keep Using Local Vaccine Registration

FAIRFAX COUNTY — The Fairfax Health District will not be using the new statewide vaccine registration system in Virginia that is scheduled to launch on Tuesday, the health district said Friday afternoon.

Residents of Fairfax County, the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, and the towns of Vienna, Herndon and Clifton who are eligible to register for a vaccine should continue using the registration system already in place, the county said.

All vaccine appointments in the Fairfax Health District will continue to be managed by the local registration system.

Earlier in the day, the Virginia Department of Health announced that it is scheduled to launch the new statewide COVID-19 vaccine registration system on Feb. 16. The department directed all local health districts to close their pre-registration forms at 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 12 and replace them at 8 a.m. on Tuesday with a link to the new statewide system.

Throughout Fairfax County and the rest of Virginia, demand for the vaccine has far outstripped supply, leaving huge numbers of eligible senior citizens, health care workers, teachers and other essential employees vying for scarce appointment slots. Many residents have found the sign-up systems in Virginia difficult to navigate.

Fairfax County chose to stay with its own registration system because it had spent a lot of money on developing it and officials believed it would be less confusing for residents.

“We invested a lot of resources into our registration system and worked out the kinks to ensure we continue to process more people than any other health district in the state,” Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said Friday in a statement. “At this point, I am glad we can maintain our system that residents are familiar with to cut down on confusion. We will continue to have conversations with the state about registration as the vaccine process rolls out.”

In its announcement, the Fairfax Health District said people already on the waitlist in the district should not register again on the new statewide system.

Virginia also is launching a new vaccine call center. The Fairfax County Health Department said Friday its vaccine call center will continue to be operational, and Fairfax residents should call 703-324-7404 with registration questions.