COVID-19 Vaccine
Today, at 9:00 a.m., approximately 5,750 appointments will open to the following DC residents who live in priority zip codes:
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DC residents who live in priority zip codes and are 65 and older
- DC residents who live in priority zip codes and are 18-64 with a qualifying medical condition
The priority zip codes are focused in Wards 5, 7, and 8 and include: 20422, 20011, 20017, 20018, 20002, 20001, 20019, 20020, 20032, 20593.
Just for this week, portal and call center appointments will not open to workers in eligible workforce groups.
On Thursday, March 4 and Friday, March 5, eligible DC residents will still use vaccinate.dc.gov and the call center (1-855-363-0333) to make an appointment. DC Health and the Office of the Chief Technology Officer have been working with Microsoft to ensure a better user experience. Improvements include increased server availability for the portal and the addition of a “waiting room” that will only allow 3,000 users to access the appointment questionnaire at a time. Additionally, to improve the user experience and increase accessibility, this week, the CAPTCHA has been removed from the vaccinate.dc.gov questionnaire.
This is the last week DC will use the current system to book vaccination appointments. After this week, the District will switch over to a pre-registration system for making vaccination appointments. Under the new system, individuals will be able to provide their information to DC Health through a pre-registration website or by calling the District’s Call Center. As appointments are made available, individuals on the waitlist will receive an email, phone call, and/or text message alerting them that they have an opportunity to make a vaccination appointment. Equity will continue to be a main priority, and DC Health will continue to make half of each week’s portal and call center appointments available to residents in priority zip codes.
Residents can expect to see several new vaccination sites listed on the portal this week. These new locations will serve as high-capacity sites where the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine will be administered. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is the third safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine to be approved for use in the United States. While users will be able to see when choosing a vaccination site which vaccine will be administered there, DC Health is emphasizing that all available vaccines have been proven effective at preventing serious illness, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19. Residents are highly encouraged to take the first vaccine available to them.
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 (High Blood Pressure); 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, appointments booked through the portal and call center are open to individuals 18 years old and older. Children’s National Hospital will serve as an access point for 16- and 17-year-olds with qualifying medical conditions. 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.
On Friday, March 5, at 9 a.m., approximately 5,750 additional vaccination appointments will become available to the following DC residents (in all DC zip codes):
- DC residents who are 65 and older
- DC residents who are 18-64 with a qualifying medical condition
If you previously attempted to get an appointment and you did not receive a notification with a confirmation code, date and location, you must re-register. We appreciate your patience as we work together to get Washingtonians across all eight wards vaccinated. Learn more about District hospitals and health care providers that are also administering the vaccine to their patients at vaccinate.dc.gov.
Currently demand for the vaccine in DC is much higher than the supply we are receiving from federal government. Mayor Bowser and DC Health continue to advocate for the federal government to send more vaccine so that we can meet the high demand for it and protect the lives of our residents.
For additional vaccine updates and information, follow @_DCHealth and @MayorBowser on Twitter and facebook.com/dchealth.dc.gov and facebook.com/MayorMurielBowser on Facebook.
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