(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Bowser is calling on Washingtonians to help their friends, family, and neighbors pre-register for a vaccination appointment, either by going to vaccinate.dc.gov or by calling the call center. Since the new system launched last week, more than 13,000 individuals have already pre-registered, received an invitation, and booked an appointment. To date, approximately 134,500 individuals have pre-registered for and are awaiting an appointment. At this time, all residents and District workers who are not yet vaccinated are encouraged to pre-register, regardless of current eligibility.
With the new pre-registration system, individuals can register online at any time on any day via vaccinate.dc.gov, or register by phone by calling the call center Monday-Friday from 8 am to 7 pm or on Saturday and Sunday from 8 am to 4 pm. Language translation services are available through the call center. Call center staff are also able to take calls from 711, a free video relay service from the FCC that allows individuals to sign with a hearing interpreter who is then talking on the phone with a call taker.
Currently, eligible individuals include: DC residents 65 and older; DC residents 18-64 with a qualifying medical condition; and members of an eligible workforce. This week, DC Health expanded eligibility to include all essential workers in Phase 1B Tier 3 and Phase 1C Tier 1 who are working in person (teachers, child care workers, and school staff are eligible regardless of whether they are currently work in person). In-person workers who became eligible this week include: staff working in courts and individuals providing legal services; frontline employees of public (mass) transit; employees of the U.S. Postal Service; staff working in food service; essential employees in local government agencies; essential employees of public utilities; essential employees in health, human, and social services organizations/agencies who were not vaccinated as outreach workers; individuals working in commercial and residential property maintenance and environmental services. Learn more about who is eligible at coronavirus.dc.gov/vaccine.
The cadence for sending out appointment invitations is:
- Thursdays by 10 am
- Sundays by 10 am
- And, only if any appointments still need to be filled, Tuesdays by 10 am
Anyone who registers by 11:59 pm tonight and who is currently eligible for the vaccine in DC will be part of the randomized selection process tomorrow morning. Once invitations go out, individuals have 48 hours to book their appointment. If an individual does not book their appointment, their name will go back in the pre-registration system (after three unanswered invitations an individual will need to register in the system again).
Eligible individuals are selected through a process that randomizes those who have pre-registered, according to the following breakdown:
- 20% go to DC residents in priority zip codes who are 65 and older
- 20% go to DC residents in any zip code who are 65 and older
- 20% go to DC residents in priority zip codes who are 18-64 with a qualifying medical condition
- 20% go to DC residents in any zip code who 18-64 with a qualifying medical condition
- 10% go to DC residents in priority zip codes who are members of an eligible workforce who are 18 and older
- 10% go to members of an eligible workforce who are 18 and older, regardless of home address
The current list of priority zip codes includes: 20422, 20011, 20017, 20018, 20002, 20003, 20019, 20020, 20032, 20593. Priority zip codes are determined by identifying areas where residents have been disproportionately burdened by COVID-19 and areas that are lagging in COVID-19 vaccination coverage.
Mayor Bowser’s three operating principles for the new registration system are: 1) an equitable distribution of the vaccine; 2) a consistent scheduling cadence so residents know what to expect; and 3) a shared responsibility, across our community, to get people pre-registered.
Qualifying medical conditions include: Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and other Chronic Lung Disease; 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, BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2; Pregnancy; Severe Genetic Disorders; Sickle Cell Disease; and Thalassemia. Residents who are unsure whether they qualify for the vaccine based on a qualifying medical condition should contact their health care provider.
At this time, individuals 18 years old and older should pre-register through vaccinate.dc.gov or the District’s call center. District residents who are 16 or 17 years of age and have a qualifying medical condition and are not an existing patient of Children’s National Hospital or HSC, can pre-register for a vaccination at Children’s National Hospital by following the link posted on coronavirus.dc.gov/vaccine.
This week, DC is receiving 24,068 doses of vaccine – 13,630 doses for vaccinate.dc.gov; 7,735 doses for hospitals and health centers; and 2,703 doses for special initiatives.
DC still needs more vaccine, and we will continue to advocate for additional doses so that we can save lives and meet the demand of our community.