West Nova News

Loudoun County Health Department issued the following announcement on Apr. 5.

The Loudoun County Health Department is announcing that effective  today, Monday, April 5, 2021, Loudoun County will expand COVID-19  vaccination opportunities to include all people who are in the Virginia  Department of Health’s Phase 1c priority group,  which includes people in 13 additional categories of front-line  essential workers. Appointments for people in the 1c group will be  offered in the order in which pre-registration forms were received. 

“We  are pleased that we’ve been able to offer appointments for nearly all  of those who had pre-registered in the Phase 1a and 1b priority groups,  which makes this expansion to include the 1c group possible now,” said  Loudoun County Health Director Dr. David Goodfriend. “Any essential  workers who have not yet submitted the pre-registration form online or  by phone should do so now so that you can receive an invitation for a  vaccination appointment within the next week or two.”

The Phase 1c priority group is comprised of essential workers in the following sectors:

1. Energy
2. Water, Wastewater, and Waste Removal Workers (includes recycling removal workers)
3. Housing and Construction
4. Food Service
5. Transportation and Logistics
6. Institutions of Higher Education Faculty/Staff
7. Finance
8. Information Technology & Communication
9. Media
10. Legal Services
11. Public Safety (engineers)
12.  Other Public Health workers
13. Barbers, Stylists, Hairdressers

How to Pre-Register

Anyone who lives or works in Virginia can pre-register for a COVID-19 vaccine in one of two ways:

• Online: Visit vaccinate.virginia.gov. The fastest method for receiving a vaccination appointment is to include a unique email address 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.

Already Pre-Registered, But Have Not Heard from the County?

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.

People who are  in the Phase 1c priority group should begin receiving emails or phone  calls for vaccination appointments this week. Please be patient as the  county works to expand vaccination appointments to include this new  priority group over the next two weeks.

Next Steps

Since  March 29, Loudoun County has been vaccinating 3,600 to 4,000 people per  day. As vaccine supplies continue to increase, the county has the  capacity to vaccinate even more people each day. Vaccination  appointments are now being offered to people who have pre-registered for  a vaccine within two weeks of the time the pre-registration form was  submitted.

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. 

Original source can be found here.