The District will switch to a pre-registration system for booking COVID-19 vaccination appointments starting next week.
The new system will allow people to provide their information to the D.C. Health Department through a pre-registration website or by calling the District’s call center. People will be notified as open spots become available and when they can schedule a vaccination appointment.
The city will continue to use the vaccinate.dc.gov appointment portal and call center this week, according to a statement by Mayor Muriel Bowser.
City officials have been partnering with Microsoft to improve the portal including increasing server availability and adding a “waiting room” that will only allow 3,000 users to access the appointment questionnaire at a time.
For this week, vaccine appointments will not open to members of eligible workforce groups.
About 5,750 appointments opened today for D.C. residents who are 65 years and older and residents 18 to 64 with a qualifying medical condition. Eligible residents must live in priority zip codes.
The priority zip codes are located in Wards 5, 7, and 8 and include 20422, 20011, 20017, 20018, 20002, 20001, 20019, 20020, 20032, 20593.
On Friday, another 5,750 appointments will open to residents in any zip code who are 65 years and older or aged 18 to 64 with a qualifying medical condition.
Qualifying medical conditions include asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other chronic lung diseases; bone marrow and solid organ transplantation; cancer; cerebrovascular disease; chronic kidney disease; congenital heart disease; diabetes mellitus; heart conditions such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies; HIV; hypertension; immunocompromised state; inherited metabolic disorders; intellectual and developmental disabilities; liver disease; neurologic conditions; obesity; pregnancy; severe genetic disorders; sickle cell disease; and thalassemia.
Several new vaccination sites have been added to the portal. These locations will administer the Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine.
The following populations are eligible for the vaccine in the District as of this week: individuals who work in health care settings; members of the Fire and Emergency Medical Services department; residents of long-term and intermediate care facilities and residents of community residential facilities/group homes; DC residents who are 65 years old and older; individuals experiencing homelessness; Metropolitan Police Department staff; continuity of District government personnel; Department of Corrections employees and residents; teachers and staff who are, or will be, working in person at a traditional or public charter school; child care workers and teachers and staff at independent schools; grocery store workers; outreach workers in health, human, and social services; individuals who work in manufacturing; individuals who work in food packaging; DC residents 16-64 years old with qualifying medical conditions.
• Shen Wu Tan can be reached at stan@washingtontimes.com.
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