FEMA Funding To Support More Vaccination Staff In Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA — On Friday, the City of Alexandria announced FEMA has approved $1.7 million in funding to support additional staff for COVID-19 vaccinations when vaccine supply ramps up.

With support from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, FEMA will fund 112 temporary staff for vaccination sites in Alexandria. The city is hiring temporary medical, administrative, and related support staff due to the vaccine demand and with the expectation that vaccine supply will increase later in March.

"Over the past year of COVID-19 response, the partnership between the City and the Health Department has been invaluable," said Dr. Stephen Haering, director of the Alexandria Health Department. "This vaccination staffing expansion is just another example of that close partnership and our collective commitment to ending this pandemic. By working together, we can ensure Alexandrians are vaccinated equitably and efficiently."

Funding is available through a presidential memorandum to extend federal COVID-19 support for states.

Hiring has started for positions such as vaccinators, vaccinator assistants, vaccinator supervisors, registrars, flow monitors, health screeners, enrollment specialists, and logistics support positions. The city will also hire public health outreach workers to increase capacity for implementing the health department’s health equity initiatives.

An information session on the vaccination site jobs will be held on Saturday, March 20 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Additional dates will be added based on demand. Participation is free, but registration is required.

Job seekers can find positions by visiting www.alexandriava.gov/Jobs, selecting City Employment Opportunities (Open to All), and searching "COVID."

The increased staffing capacity will come as the Alexandria Health Department continues to address a wait list around 20,000. Alexandria's latest weekly allocation of first and second doses is about 5,000.

The health department set a goal of ultimately 80 percent of Alexandrians 16 and up getting vaccinated, an estimated 133,272 people. So far, 26,786 people in Alexandria have at least one dose (20.1 percent of the population 16 and up), and 17,959 are fully vaccinated (13.5 percent of the population 16 and up).

Here is the health department's update on who it has contacted for vaccine appointments, as of March 17:

• Phase 1a: Everyone who preregistered by March 8.
• Ages 75 and up: Everyone who preregistered by March 8.
• Ages 65-74: Everyone who preregistered by 2:15 p.m. on March 9.
• Essential frontline workers: Everyone who preregistered by Feb. 25.
• Ages 16-64 with certain existing medical conditions:
  • Those in priority census tracts who preregistered by 9 a.m. on Feb. 4.
  • Those in all other census tracts who preregistered by 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 20.
• Essential frontline workers: Everyone who pre-registered by Feb. 25. Essential workers who registered before Feb. 25 and have not been contacted should visit vaccinate.virginia.gov to ensure their employment is accurately listed. Restaurant workers who are newly eligible in phase 1b in Alexandria will be contacted within the next few weeks.

Anyone in the eligible groups who preregistered before these dates can fill out a health department form to request an update on their status. Individuals can confirm they are registered and update their information at vaccinate.virginia.gov.

For more information on coronavirus vaccines in Virginia, see the Virginia Patch COVID-19 vaccination page.