West Nova News

Loudoun County Health Department issued the following announcement on March 19.

The Loudoun County Health Department is announcing that effective  today, Friday, March 19, 2021, Loudoun County will begin expanding  COVID-19 vaccination opportunities to all Virginia Department of Health Phase 1b priority groups,  which include people 65 years of age, people 16-64 years of age with  high-risk medical conditions, and eleven categories of front-line  essential workers. The first appointments for people in the expanded 1b  group will be for March 24.

“We have made significant progress on  vaccinating members of the current priority groups and we are beginning  to see consistent increases in supplies of vaccine, which makes this  expansion possible now,” said Loudoun County Health Director Dr. David  Goodfriend. “This expansion will enable us to vaccinate more members of  our community in the coming weeks as the pace of vaccination also  increases.  We will continue to prioritize our over-65 population and  our 16-64 populations with underlying medical conditions, as well as  other 1a and 1b groups as they sign up.”

The Phase 1b list of essential workers includes:

1. Police, fire and hazmat personnel
2. Corrections and homeless shelter workers
3. Childcare/PreK-12 teachers/staff (public and private)
4. Food and agriculture workers (including veterinarians)
5. Manufacturing workers
6. Grocery store workers
7. Public transit workers
8. Mail carriers (USPS and private)
9. Officials needed to maintain continuity of government (including judges and public- facing judicial workers)
10. Clergy/Faith leaders
11. Janitorial/Cleaning staff

As  Loudoun County continues to invite people who have pre-registered and  are on our waitlist to make vaccination appointments, invitations to  make appointments will now be offered to anyone who meets the current  Phase 1b priority group criteria. Appointments will continue to be  offered in the order in which pre-registration forms were received.

Anyone  who has not yet submitted a pre-registration form for a COVID-19  vaccine is encouraged to submit an online pre-registration form at vaccinate.virginia.gov. Anyone who does not have access to the internet may pre-register for a vaccine by calling 1-877-VAX-IN-VA (1-877-829-4682). 

“The  COVID-19 vaccine is proven safe and effective,” added Dr. Goodfriend.  “Getting as many people vaccinated as soon as possible is the key factor  in bringing an end to the pandemic.”

Loudoun County anticipates  the ability to further expand the vaccinations to the Phase 1c priority  group in April. The Virginia Department of Health has announced that  anyone who is over the age of 16 and lives or works in Virginia will be  eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine in Phase 2 of the state’s vaccination  efforts, which is expected to begin by May 1, 2021.

For more information about COVID-19 vaccination efforts in Loudoun County, visit loudoun.gov/COVID19vaccine.

Loudoun County encourages residents to stay informed about COVID-19.

• Visit loudoun.gov/coronavirus for more information about how to protect yourself and your family and to sign up for email and text updates on COVID-19.
• Opt in to receive text messages:
  • English: Text LCCOVID19 to 888777
  • Spanish: Text LCCOVIDESP to 88877

Residents  with questions about COVID-19 may call the Loudoun County Health  Department’s information line, 703-737-8300, or send an email. 

Original source can be found here.