Tuesday, January 19, 2021

As Demand for Vaccine Continues, DC NEEDS MORE VACCINE

(Washington, DC) – Today, DC Health announced that beginning the week of January 25, in-person staff, including teachers and support staff, at DC Public Schools (DCPS) and DC Public Charter Schools will begin receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

This week, DCPS teachers and staff who are already reporting in-person, or who will return for in-person instruction in Term 3, will receive an email outlining the process for scheduling a vaccination appointment. Vaccinations will begin next week and will take place at Dunbar High School. DC Health and DCPS are partnering with Children’s National Hospital to vaccinate DCPS staff. Eligible staff members will receive direct communication to schedule their appointment.

DC Public Charter Schools will receive guidance from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) regarding the vaccination program expected to start on January 25 for teachers and staff who are reporting in person.

Starting on January 25, other workers necessary for the preservation of societal functions will begin vaccinations, such as other public school staff and members of the Metropolitan Police Department. In addition, “Continuity of District Government” personnel will start their vaccinations next week with Kaiser.

District seniors (65 years and older) and healthcare workers will continue to register for vaccination appointments using the vaccinate.dc.gov portal or by calling the District’s coronavirus call center at 855-363-0333. Going forward, appointments will be released every Thursday at 9:00 a.m. to eligible residents in priority zip codes, and additional appointments will be released every Friday at 9:00 a.m. for all DC zip codes. If DC’s weekly vaccine allotment from the federal government changes, this schedule is likely to change in accordance. The District’s goal is the make the vaccine available promptly as supply comes in from the federal government and to ensure an equitable distribution of the vaccine across all eight wards.

Earlier this month, DC Health shared the District’s updated vaccination program phases, broken down by tiers. The phases and tiers consider populations based on two factors: 1) prevention of morbidity and mortality and 2) preservation of societal functions. In terms of prevention of morbidity and mortality, the first populations to begin receiving the vaccine were individuals in nursing homes then followed by District residents 65 years and older. In terms of preservation of societal functions, the first populations to begin receiving the vaccine were health care workers, EMS workers, and frontline public health workers.

Recent experience shows that demand for the vaccine remains high. Mayor Bowser and DC Health continue to advocate for the federal government to send more vaccine so that we can meet the demand for it and protect the lives of our residents and our workforce. Put bluntly: DC NEEDS MORE VACCINE.