Bowser Announces Target Dates for Vaccinations for Next 3 Eligible Population Groups
By Larry Janezich
Posted January 4, 2020
Mayor Bowser held a Situational Briefing today and announced target dates for vaccinations for DC residents 65 and older, specific categories of essential workers, and DC residents with chronic medical conditions/all other essential workers.
Currently, vaccinations are being provided to the Phase 1a population – workers in health care settings who are directly or indirectly exposed to infectious materials and unable to telework – including:
Workforce in acute care hospitals, specialty care hospitals, long-term care facilities, intermediate care facilities, emergency medical services, frontline public health settings, home health aides, outpatient settings, dental settings, and pharmacy settings.
DC Health has launched https://vaccinate.dc.gov/ to provide a portal to make it easier for healthcare workers to get vaccinated. As other population groups become eligible for vaccinations, the portal will be available to them.
Other takeaways from the briefing:
- 16,989 people have received the COVIC-19 vaccine in DC, with 58% of providers reporting
- Total doses delivered to DC: 40,075
- Additional doses to be delivered per week: 4,200
- There are two vaccines available. A key difference is when you receive the second dose.
- Pfizer: 21 days after the first dose
- Moderna: 28 days after the first dose.
- After the second dose, it takes up to 14 days for the vaccine to become effective.
- Washingtonians are encouraged to take the first vaccine that becomes available. Those vaccinated should continue to wear masks, social distance and practice good hygiene.
CAPITOL HILL CORNER 
how do we know where to get our vaccine and when exactly it will be available. I am in the 65 and older group.
(Ed. Note: Mayor Bowser and the DC Department of Health will announce in the coming days the date when the vaccine will be available for those 65 or older. At that point, the on line portal will be available to schedule appointments for vaccinations. There will likely be other ways for people to schedule vaccinations announced at the same time.
I’ll attempt to provide that information on Capitol Hill Corner, but it will be widely available elsewhere, including on the DC coronavirus website under the Vaccine and News links on that home page, which is here: https://coronavirus.dc.gov/)
Does anyone know who is considered “other essential workers” for the week of February 1st? Could that be anyone who is required to report to a workplace? (Today, DC Department of Health Director Dr. Nesbitt implied that additional information on who is included in this group will be forthcoming.)
The gap between the aggressive targets, and the tiny number of doses arriving, is enormous.