West Nova News

Loudoun County issued the following announcement on Apr. 1.

Loudoun County continues to make progress through the waitlist of  people who are pre-registered for a COVID-19 vaccine. As a result, the  county is currently making vaccination appointments for people who are  pre-registered and in Virginia’s Phase 1a and 1b priority groups.  Anyone who has not yet pre-registered for a COVID-19 vaccine and is  among those in the Phase 1a and 1b priority groups—such as health care  workers, people 65 years and older and 16-to-64 years old with high-risk medical conditions or a disability, and front-line essential workers listed in the eleven  categories of the Phase 1b priority group—should pre-register for a  vaccine as soon as possible.

"What this means is that if you are  in Phase 1a or 1b, we are now able to offer you a vaccination  appointment within a week or so of your pre-registration,” said Loudoun  County Health Director Dr. David Goodfriend. “The time between  pre-registration and invitation for a vaccination appointment is no  longer taking weeks for this group, so if you haven’t signed up yet, now  is the time to do so.”

The Health Department encourages anyone  who has already pre-registered for a vaccine and is in the Phase 1a or  1b priority groups, but has not yet been contacted by the county for a  vaccination appointment, to take two actions:

• First, check  your spam or junk email folder for an email from the CDC (Centers for  Disease Control and Prevention) which is used to pre-register, to ensure  the invitation for an appointment was not sent there.
• Second,  if you have not received an email, contact the county by calling  703-737-8300, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and  5:00 p.m.

“We recognize that there are some glitches with  some pre-registrations, so we’re taking steps to ensure no one falls  through the cracks,” said Dr. Goodfriend.

How to Pre-Register

Anyone who has not yet pre-registered for a COVID-19 vaccine may do so in one of two ways:

• Online: Visit vaccinate.virginia.gov.  The fastest method for receiving a vaccination appointment is to  include email addresses in the pre-registration form for each individual  who will receive a vaccine.
• Phone: Individuals who do not have access to the internet can pre-register by calling 1-877-829-4682.

Next Steps

As  the county continues to make progress vaccinating people who are in the  current priority groups and continues to receive increasing amounts of  vaccine doses, the Health Department will expand vaccination  opportunities to more people.

“At our current pace, I expect we  will begin offering vaccination appointments to people who are on our  waitlist and in the Phase 1c priority group within the next week or  two,” noted Dr. Goodfriend. “This is why we’re eager to make every  effort now to have every high-risk person in 1a and 1b pre-register and  receive a vaccine appointment now.”

The Virginia Department of  Health has indicated that COVID-19 vaccines will be offered to everyone  age 16 and older by April 18, 2021.

To follow the county’s progress on vaccine administration, visit loudoun.gov/vaccinedata. 

Stay Vigilant in Slowing the Spread of COVID-19

The CDC has published guidance for fully vaccinated people;  however, the CDC also recommends that even people who are fully  vaccinated keep taking precautions in public places. The Loudoun County  Health Department encourages Loudoun residents who received a COVID-19  vaccine to continue taking the steps that help prevent the spread of  COVID-19, including:

• Avoid crowds of people.
• Stay 6 feet away from others who do not live in your household at all times.
• Wear a face covering when in public to protect yourself and others.
• Wash hands frequently.
• Avoid non-essential travel, particularly carpooling with people who do not live in your household.
• Avoid visiting unvaccinated people who are at increased risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19.

Learn more about how to protect yourself and others on the CDC’s website.

COVID-19 Testing

Loudoun  County continues to offer free COVID-19 testing weekly. More  information about COVID-19 testing opportunities is posted online at loudoun.gov/covid19testing. 

Stay Informed

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

• Sign up for email and text updates about Loudoun’s response to COVID-19 at loudoun.gov/coronavirus.
• Opt in to receive text message updates regarding the COVID-19 pandemic:
  • English: Text LCCOVID19 to 888777
  • Spanish: Text LCCOVIDESP to 888777

Original source can be found here.