(Washington, DC) – Today, DC Health announced that at 9 am on Saturday, January 16, 4,309 vaccination appointments will become available to residents of Wards 1, 4, 5, 7, and 8 who are aged 65 and older and/or work in a health care setting. When appointments open, only residents who live in these wards will be able to make an appointment to get the COVID-19 vaccine through the vaccinate.dc.gov portal or by calling the District’s coronavirus call center (1-855-363-0333).

On Monday, January 18, at 9 am, an additional 1,436 appointments will become available to any DC resident who is 65 and older or any individual who works in a health care setting in DC.

To ensure an equitable distribution of the vaccine, on Saturday, January 16, appointments are only being made available to residents in the five wards that had the fewest number of residents make appointments on Monday, January 11 (shown in the figure below).

While appointments are available, residents can schedule a vaccination through the call center Monday through Friday from 8 am until 7 pm and on Saturdays from 8 am until 4 pm. Additionally, residents can get connected to the call center by dialing 311. Demand for the vaccine is high, and longer than usual waits are anticipated through the Call Center.

Seniors who schedule an appointment through the portal or hotline will receive a confirmation code that should be brought to their appointment along with verification of eligibility (e.g. a photo ID). The call center will have translation services available for residents who do not speak English.

When going to get the vaccine, it is recommended that individuals wear a loose-fitting shirt that allows medical staff to get to their upper arm. At the first appointment, individuals will receive a vaccination card or printout that says which COVID-19 vaccine they received, the date they received it, where they received it, and when they should return to that same location for their second shot. After receiving the vaccine, individuals should be prepared to stay for 15 to 30 minutes after for observation.

The COVID-19 vaccine is free. When receiving the vaccine, residents will be asked to provide their health insurance information, but no one will be charged a co-pay. Those who do not have health insurance will still receive the vaccine at no cost.

Any individual who previously tried to get an appointment but did not receive a confirmation code will need to re-register. Those who submit their email address or mobile phone number through vaccinate.dc.gov will receive an email or text message when the registry opens to additional populations.