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Acknowledging that “many residents are frustrated,” Arlington officials on Friday urged patience with the county’s vaccine distribution, while calling on the state for more doses.
The county has come under close scrutiny for what some see as a slow rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine, despite receiving the first shipment of vaccines before Christmas.
Earlier this week, vaccinations in Arlington were going at a rate of just over 200 a day. At this rate, it would take more than two years to administer a single dose of the two-dose vaccine to every adult resident of the county.
Over the past two days, the pace has picked up, with more than 400 doses administered each day. As of Friday morning, a total of 4,573 doses had been administered and 550 people in Arlington had been fully immunized.
Still, ARLnow has received a barrage of emails in recent days from people saying Arlington should move faster, given the more than 3,000 coronavirus deaths a day in the country and the growing prevalence of a more contagious strain of the virus. .
“The inability to go up at a more reasonable speed is terrible,” said one person. “People are dying.”
In a press release issued today, the county said it “will quickly increase access for eligible Arlingtoners.”
“This weekend, the Arlington County Public Health Division will be holding two clinics to immunize 1,800 people from the Childcare / PreK-12 Teachers / Staff priority group identified in Phase 1b,” the press release said.
But even this effort is not without controversy.
As ARLnow first reported on Thursday, the county-led enrollment process for Arlington Public School employees to sign up for vaccinations has been botched, with many not receiving emails and reports. links needed to register. Some of those who managed to sign up and receive a confirmation email the first time were later told that it was not actually an appointment confirmation.
“You received the WordPress confirmation due to an error in the technology that allowed more appointments to be booked than was available,” school employees said this afternoon, in an email from Arlington’s Public Health Division.
Some who received that initial confirmation were unable to secure a spot when registration reopened last night, we are told.
“The slots available were limited,” APS spokesperson Frank Bellavia said today. “Public Health sent an email last night to employees who have not received an appointment to schedule one of the remaining available slots. The remaining slots were filled this morning.
Ryan Hudson, Arlington public health spokesperson, said the county is now waiting for more vaccines and cannot say for sure when the rest of the APS employees will be vaccinated.
“We cannot give a specific date by which all teachers and APS staff will be vaccinated, as the ability to schedule appointments will depend on the increased distribution of vaccines from Virginia,” he said. .
“The expansion of those eligible for phase 1b unfortunately does not increase Arlington’s limited supply of vaccine doses,” Hudson added. “The county has started building its distribution plan and infrastructure in 2020. Arlington is ready to speed up appointments as soon as the county receives additional doses from Virginia.”
County health director Dr Reuben Varghese told Arlington County Council earlier this week that the county is still working on putting in place an infrastructure for mass vaccinations. Asked by ARLnow why this process didn’t start sooner, county board chairman Matt de Ferranti said a lot of work was done before the first doses of vaccine arrived.
“Freezers have been ordered, [a] The website was developed and we already had a pre-existing relationship with the Virginia Hospital Center, ”he said today. “Many other infrastructure measures have been taken, but [for the vaccine] far exceeds the offer. Other jurisdictions in northern Virginia and DC also face similar challenges. We are working to get as many vaccines as possible. We ask for as much patience as people can find. “
In this afternoon’s press release, de Ferranti defended the efforts of Varghese and County Director Mark Schwartz.
“As the situation continues to evolve rapidly, our regional director and director of public health is working hard to secure the vaccines and put them up to speed,” he said. “The Council assured them that we will provide all the resources necessary to make this happen.”
Other local jurisdictions have also said the COVID-19 vaccine is rare.
“The supply of vaccines in the United States is still very limited and is expected to increase gradually over the coming months. Fairfax Health asks for your patience during this process, ”the City of Falls Church, which uses the services of the Fairfax County Department of Health, tweeted today.
Virginia ranks last among U.S. states in terms of using its vaccine supply, according to Bloomberg.
President-elect Joe Biden, meanwhile, said today the new administration plans to use FEMA and the National Guard to set up immunization clinics across the country, while working to secure more vaccines in local pharmacies.
The full county press release is below.
Arlington County applauds Governor Ralph Northam’s decision to make the COVID-19 vaccine available to more Virginians, and county health and government officials are acting quickly to increase access for eligible Arlingtonians.
On Thursday, January 14, Northam announced that all Virginians aged 65 and over and those aged 16 to 64 with underlying medical conditions will be moved to phase 1b as part of the Commonwealth’s vaccination plan.
“We are grateful that the state is making the COVID-19 vaccine more accessible to Virginians who need and want it,” said Dr Aaron Miller, director of public safety communications and emergency management. “Right now, every available dose we have has a corresponding arm that it has to fit into. And we continue to support the Commonwealth’s efforts to disseminate more vaccines. “
“The county government’s top priority is ensuring the rapid, efficient and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines,” said Arlington County Board Chairman Matt de Ferranti. “We know many residents are frustrated and we understand and share your concerns. Since Monday, there have been rapid changes in eligibility within priority groups, including the addition of people aged 65 to 74 and 16 to 64 with underlying health conditions in phase 1b . We are also receiving far fewer vaccines than the Arlingtoners demand. We ask you to be as patient as possible as we work urgently on this critical challenge.
This weekend, the Arlington County Public Health Division will be holding two clinics to immunize 1,800 people from the Childcare / PreK-12 Teachers / Staff priority group identified in Phase 1b, including Arlington Public Schools ( APS). Those in this group who are unable to make an appointment for this weekend will be able to make appointments as new vaccines become available.
The Virginia Hospital Center (VHC), which has already partnered with the county to operate an immunization clinic for residents over the age of 75, is working to increase planning opportunities when more vaccines become available.
As Arlington County Public Health begins to receive advice from the Virginia Department of Health on additional people eligible for phase 1b, it continues to work to immunize the many who have pre-registered over the years. last days.
Expanding the number of people eligible for phase 1b does not increase Arlington’s limited supply of vaccine doses. The ability to schedule appointments will depend on the increased distribution of Virginia vaccines. National distribution of any COVID-19 vaccine is handled by the CDC and the US Department of Defense. Arlington County is ready to speed up and speed up appointments as soon as the county receives additional doses of Virginia.
In the meantime, people aged 65 to 74 and people aged 16 to 64 with a high-risk health condition or disability that increases their risk of serious illness from COVID-19 can pre-register and will be notified when appointments are available. vaccine distribution is increasing
Arlington employers of essential frontline workers (as identified in Phase 1b) who want a COVID-19 vaccine must still pre-register with the Arlington County Public Health Division.
“As the situation continues to evolve rapidly, our regional director and our director of public health are working hard to secure the vaccines and put them to action,” said de Ferranti. “The Council assured them that we will provide all the resources necessary to make this happen.”
Matt Blitz contributed to this report.
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