Fairfax Health Department Hiring Hundreds Of COVID-19 Vaccinators

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — The Fairfax County Health Department is hiring approximately 250 vaccinators to work at its COVID-19 vaccination sites as supply ramps up.

Candidates sought by the health department are licensed nurse practitioners, physician assistants, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and pharmacists who have experience vaccinating, hold a current license or a multistate licensure privilege to practice in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and have a valid driver’s license. A flexible schedule could be needed with possible weekday and weekend work days.

Vaccinators will be assigned in the coming weeks to health department vaccination sites that are open six days a week. Interested candidates can apply online.

The Fairfax County Government Center has been one site for large-scale vaccination events. On one Saturday in March, the health department saw around 3,500 people come for their first dose. Over 70 vaccinators spread around the building administered the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine that day.

The team of vaccinators is made up of Fairfax County Health Department nurses, Fairfax Medical Reserve Corps volunteers, contract nurses, and emergency medical technicians from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department.

One of these vaccinators is Gail Zukosky, a school public health nurse who also worked as a vaccinator during the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic.

"We learned a lot during H1N1 and we’ve taken those lessons and the results are what you see here today," said Zukosky in a statement via the health department. "Our COVID-19 vaccination clinics have been so well planned and organized. In terms of working as a vaccinator, we are well prepared, we have all the information we need, we are fully supported and we have plenty of assistance to do the job and do it well."

Increased supply and additional vaccinators will help the health department address the vaccine waitlist, which has been ranging below and above 100,000 in recent days. As of Monday afternoon, the health department is making appointments for people who preregistered on Feb. 20, according to the vaccine data dashboard.

The health department has been working with increasing doses. The Fairfax Health District's vaccine allocation increased from over 30,000 two weeks ago to over 40,000 last week.

In Fairfax County alone, Virginia Department of Health data shows 248,323 people have at least one vaccine dose, and 132,307 are fully vaccinated. The health district also includes the cities of Falls Church and Fairfax.

Eligible residents can preregister with the health department or seek appointments at pharmacies such as CVS, Safeway, Harris Teeter or Walgreens.