DC Health Announces that Approximately 2,500 Vaccination Appointments Will Become Available to Residents in Priority Zip Codes on Thursday, February 11

(Washington, DC) – Today, DC Health announced that on Thursday, February 11 at 9:am, approximately 2,500 vaccination appointments will be made available to DC residents who live in priority zip codes and are 65 years old or older and/or work in a health care setting.

The priority zip codes are focused in Wards 5, 7, and 8 and include: 20422, 20011, 20017, 20018, 20002, 20001, 20019, 20020, 20032, 20593. Priority zip codes include areas of the city where residents are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, including number of cases and mortality rate. Wards 5, 7, and 8 are being prioritized because they have the lowest percentages of residents who are 65 and older who have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

On Friday, February 12 at 9 am, DC Health will make approximately 2,500 additional appointments available for all District residents who are 65 years of age and older and/or health care workers in DC.

To date, more than 1 in 3 DC seniors have already received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Additionally, due to increased vaccination operations and a need for more space, beginning Monday, February 15, the District will begin using the Lamond Recreation Center instead of the Hattie Holmes Wellness Center. Beginning with this Thursday’s appointment release, appointments beginning on Tuesday, February 16 will be booked at the Lamond Recreation Center. DC Health will work with Safeway to notify all individuals currently scheduled for second doses at Hattie Holmes of the change, and signage and personnel will also be on site at Hattie Holmes to assist with the transition.

The following populations are now receiving the vaccine in Washington, DC: individuals who work in health care settings; members of the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department; residents of long-term and intermediate care facilities and residents of community residential facilities/group homes; DC residents who are 65 years old and older; individuals experiencing homelessness; members of the Metropolitan Police Department; Continuity of District Government personnel; Department of Corrections employees and residents; teachers and staff who are, or will be, working in person at a traditional or public charter school; and child care workers and teachers and staff at independent schools in DC.

Updates to the vaccinate.dc.gov Portal and Coronavirus Call Center

DC Health and the Office of the Chief Technology Officer continue working together, using feedback from the community, to improve the process of booking a vaccination appointment through vaccinate.dc.gov and the Coronavirus Call Center.

Improvements going into effect tomorrow include:

• The Call Center will have access to a dedicated supply of appointments to ensure that more residents who are only able to book an appointment by phone are successfully able to do so.
• Regardless of whether they booked their appointment online or over the phone, residents will now be able to call the Call Center to confirm their appointments or have their confirmation resent to their email.
• A new “Book Appointment” button will decrease confusion when users are selecting a vaccination site; previously, users would need to click on the site name, but that was not clear in the instructions. This new button is screen reader accessible and clarifies any confusion on how to select a site to book an appointment.
• The instructions for booking an appointment are now within a highly visible “border box” that highlights their visibility.
• The portal now clarifies that the user must consider their time zone when selecting an appointment; this will help users who do not live in DC, but are helping book an appointment for a family member who is a DC resident. The confirmation email will show the appointment in Eastern Standard Time.

On Thursday morning, more than 230 call takers will be available to help residents make appointments over the phone. It is still recommended that residents with internet access use the vaccinate.dc.gov portal to make an appointment.