As of March 1, Washington D.C. opened COVID-19 vaccination availability to a new group: younger residents with qualifying health conditions. The registration process has been messy and difficult due to the overwhelming number of people trying to obtain the vaccine and the short supply alloted to DC by the federal government.
Who is eligible for the vaccine right now?
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DC residents 65 and older have been eligible for the vaccine for some time now. Recently, the appointments have been made available to younger residents.
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Residents who are 16-64 with qualifying medical conditions are now permitted to schedule appointments through the Vaccine Portal. The District announced it will not require a doctor’s note or documentation that confirms the medical condition but recipients of the vaccine under these premises will sign a statement confirming they have one of the listed conditions. A list of qualifying medical conditions has been provided online and include but are not limited to asthma, certain heart conditions, and immunocompromised states.
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Residents who are 16-17 with a qualifying medical condition will be able to access an appointment by pre-registering through the Children’s National Hospital.
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Essential workers including grocery store employees and health care professionals can inquire with their employer to determine eligibility
Where is the vaccine being distributed?
Vaccinations are partially distributed based on zip codes. The district also has made an effort to allocate a certain amount of vaccine to residents who live in Wards 5, 7 and 8 because these are areas that have been disproportionately affected by the virus and therefore require more attention. The zip codes in these districts are 20422, 20011, 20017, 20018, 20002, 20001, 20019, 20020, 20032, and 20593. As of March 4, Wards 5, 7, and 8 have the lowest percentage of 65+ residents who haven’t received their first dose.
The Vaccination Portal
The Vaccination Portal has received a lot of criticism lately. One Twitter user @CaitlinFrazier tweeted, “Last night I had a Hunger Games dream and I honestly think it was prompted by trying desperately to get an appointment on the DC vaccine portal.”
During the week of February 22, the website crashed multiple times and made it incredibly difficult for residents to schedule an appointment. However, the District announced the use of a new platform to register residents for vaccine appointments. Residents can pre-register for the vaccine and will be notified when it is their turn to make an appointment.
Residents should also expect an increase in vaccination appointments available due to the authorization of the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
As the COVID-19 vaccine becomes available to more college-aged residents, it’s important to do your part in stopping the spread by wearing a mask and receiving the vaccine when it’s your turn.