There may be some confusion about who is eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine, and it depends on where you were vaccinated.
COVID-19 vaccine supplies are expected to become more abundant in the near future, and places to distribute them are growing. But there can be some confusion about who is eligible for the injection, and it depends on where you were vaccinated.
Virginia
For example, in Virginia, different groups of essential frontline workers are eligible for the vaccine depending on where the injections are being administered. As in Maryland, Virginia jurisdictions independently decide which groups qualify for the vaccine and when.
The Virginia Department of Health approved vaccinations for priority groups during Phase 1b.
There are 11 categories of frontline workers, essential workers in Virginia’s Phase 1b, which also includes people aged 65 and over, people aged 16 to 64 with high-risk medical conditions or disabilities that increase the risk of serious illness. COVID-19 and people working or living in correctional facilities, homeless shelters and labor camps for migrants.
The list of medical conditions considered to be at high risk is routinely updated as new data becomes available and can be found on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website. The judgment calls on the observed conditions that “there may be an increased risk” of serious illnesses caused by the virus can be done by your doctor.
In Fairfax County, three of the 11 groups of essential workers are now eligible for vaccines: first responders, day care centers and school staff and corrections and homeless shelter workers. The county expects to announce eligibility for the remaining Phase 1b categories in the “unspecified” future, adding that it may take months to move from Phase 1b.
Alexandria is vaccinating everyone listed on the list of essential HRD workers, including, for example, postmen and grocery workers, along with people in Phase 1a (health professionals), people aged 65 and over, and people aged 16 to 64 with medical underlying conditions.
The Central Sanitary District of Virginia in Lynchburg conducted a closed POD (distribution point) on Saturday for industry employees, administering more than 1,700 doses throughout the day, HDR spokesman Logan Anderson said.
“As the vaccine supply increases, the HRD will expand to additional groups of essential frontline workers, in the order listed in the fact sheet. The next priorities are food and agriculture (including veterinarians), followed by manufacturing, ”said Anderson.
You can pre-register on the state website (although Fairfax County does not participate) or call 855-VAX-IN-VA.
Maryland
In Maryland, all categories up to Phase 1c are eligible, according to the State Department of Health – but vaccine supplies are limited.
Individual counties, and even suppliers with state contracts within the counties, are making independent decisions about allowing different priority groups to apply for vaccine nominations.
The Montgomery County Department of Health, for example, is only scheduling appointments through the Phase 1c, Level 1 Priority Group: This opens the vaccine for people 65 to 74 years of age.
Anyone with questions about eligibility can call the Maryland helpline at 855-MD-GoVAX.
A.D
In DC, the city is scheduling vaccinations for people through what it designated as the first level of Phase 1c, which includes 16- and 17-year-olds with qualifying medical conditions, such as asthma and obesity. The full list of qualifying medical conditions, as mentioned above, is on the CDC website.
DC is launching a pre-registration system for vaccine appointments on Wednesday.
States and localities received referral guidelines for choosing who should receive the vaccine in Phases 1b and 1c from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More news about Coronavirus
Looking for more information? DC, Maryland and Virginia are releasing more data every day. Visit their official websites here: Virginia | Maryland | A.D
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