Saturday, Jan. 16 NEW INFORMATION FROM FAIRFAX COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
This week, more than 40,000 people registered online or over the phone to receive their COVID-19 vaccine from the Health Department. This includes people age 75+ and healthcare workers who are eligible in the 1a and 1b categories. Unfortunately, vaccine supply remains very limited and not all of eligible residents have been able to secure appointments yet.
These numbers will continue to grow as we begin accepting registrations on Monday, Jan. 18 for people age 65 and older and people age 16-64 with a high-risk medical condition or disability that increases their risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
We ask for your patience as it may take months to get through these priority groups. There are plans to increase options for vaccine in pharmacies and health care provider options, which over time will give people more choices. While you wait, we hope you will take the time to review the information below.
Second Dose Process While vaccine supply continues to remain very limited, we expect to receive enough doses each week to provide second doses to people who have already received their first dose. Individuals who received their first dose from the Health Department so far have received the Moderna vaccine. It is recommended that the same vaccine is given at least 28 days after the first dose. There is no maximum interval between the first and second doses.
Soon, the Health Department will begin offering Pfizer vaccine, which requires that the second dose be given at least 21 days after the first dose. Other vaccine products may be used in the future, so it is important that you refer to your “CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card” when making a second dose appointment to match the manufacturer of your first dose.
The Health Department will send you an invitation to schedule your second dose during the most appropriate window based on your first dose date. You do not need to contact the Health Department to schedule your second dose and you do not need to complete the registration form again.
Individuals who received vaccine from Inova or Reston hospitals should reach out to their vaccinator for information on second dose scheduling.
Waiting for First Dose Appointments If you have registered to get vaccinated and already have an appointment scheduled to receive your first dose, please keep your appointment. We have adequate vaccine supply for appointments that have already been scheduled.
If you have already registered to get vaccinated but have not received an appointment, please note the following: - First of all, do not worry. Vaccinating you is our priority and we will do so based on scheduling and supply availability.
- We will email you to schedule an appointment when we have vaccine available to do so. We are releasing these appointments as supply becomes available.
- You will remain registered for your vaccination and do not need to re-submit your information.
- Even though more groups are becoming eligible for vaccination, all appointments are being scheduled in the order that they are received. This means that adults age 75 and older who have already registered will have priority over those who register in the future.
- The Health Department will send you periodic updates while you are on the waitlist about your status.
If you have questions, here are some options: - For information about the vaccine itself, it is recommend you see the FDA’s dedicated web pages on the vaccine: Moderna | Pfizer-BioNtech
- For local vaccine information, please see our vaccine website, or our information blog.
- We do not have a dedicated phone line or system for you to check on your appointment status. We ask that you please be patient as we release appointments as vaccine quantity and scheduling allows. Generally, this is occurring weekly, but it might be more or less frequent depending on supply.
- If you have not registered to receive your vaccine yet, read about our registration process.
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