Vaccine Surveys: A Streamlined Process
The Commonwealth of Virginia is launching a Statewide Vaccine Pre-Registration System to provide a unified and comprehensive process for people in Virginia to pre-register for the COVID-19 vaccine. As a result, the Virginia Department of Health has directed all local health districts to close their pre-registration forms and surveys at 5 p.m. TODAY, Friday, February 12. We will replace them at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, February 16 with a link to the new statewide system. In the interim, existing waiting lists will be imported to the new system, and pre-registration will be temporarily unavailable.
 
All individuals who have previously filled out a BRHD survey will be automatically imported into the new statewide system. Individuals will maintain their current status in the queue, and will be able to search that they are in the new system starting Tuesday morning. We will send out information about the new system on Tuesday, including how individuals can check that they're "on the list” if they already submitted a BRHD survey.
 
This means that the BRHD Phase 1B surveys for individuals 65+ and 16-64 with high-risk medical conditions are no longer open.

If your organization has listed these surveys on their website, please remove the surveys.

Please note that during this transition, BRHD is still scheduling and facilitating COVID-19 vaccine clinics utilizing our current waitlist.

We will continue to provide more updates about the Statewide Vaccine Pre-Registration System as we receive them from the State and as the new system launches on Tuesday.

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El estado de Virginia está iniciando el nuevo Sistema de Pre-Registro para la Vacuna de COVID-19 para proveer un proceso unificado y completo de pre-registro para todas las personas en Virginia. Por esta razón, el Departamento de Salud de Virginia ha dirigido a todos los distritos de salud locales que cierren sus formularios y sus encuestas de pre-registro a partir de las 5 de la tarde el viernes, 12 de febrero, y que los reemplacen a las 8 de la mañana el martes, 16 de febrero, con un enlace de internet al sistema nuevo para todo el estado que estará ubicado en el sitio de internet vaccinate.virginia.gov. En el tiempo transitorio entre viernes y martes, las listas de espera que ya existen serán movidas al nuevo sistema, y el pre-registro no estará disponible en toda Virginia.

Todos los individuos, que previamente llenaron una encuesta o un formulario o se inscribieron en una lista de espera para vacunarse por medio de su distrito de salud local, serán automáticamente incluidos en el nuevo sistema estatal. Estos individuos mantendrán su lugar actual en la lista, y podrán buscar su nombre para corroborar que están en el nuevo sistema a partir de este martes en la mañana.
Vaccine Distribution Updates
The Blue Ridge Health District (BRHD) is continuing to face a very limited vaccine supply from the State. Governor Northam has shared that there are simply not enough vaccines to meet the current demand.

BRHD is continuing to vaccinate individuals in Phase 1A (frontline healthcare workers), certain Phase 1B essential workers (in priority order as defined by VDH), and individuals 75+ (who will be vaccinated at UVA). We are working to expand our vaccine efforts to include individuals 65+ throughout the District but it will take time before we fully expand to vaccinate all 65+ due to the limited supply.

It will be March or April before BRHD is able to expand broadly to all individuals 65+ and individuals 16-64 with high-risk medical conditions. 

Some pharmacies, like CVS, are offering COVID-19 vaccinations and there will be more opportunities for individuals 65+ to be vaccinated through community-based clinics, primary care providers, federally qualified health centers, and more. Read more about CVS below.
CVS: Another Vaccination Option
On February 9, CVS Pharmacy opened registration for vaccines to individuals 65 years and older and who are within the Phase 1b eligibility guidelines, as part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 Vaccination. Appointments, which must be made through the CVS website, are on a first-come-first-served basis. BRHD is not involved in CVS scheduling and cannot assist in scheduling an appointment through CVS Pharmacy. This service is an additional vaccination option and does not impact the vaccination efforts of BRHD.

Earlier this week, BRHD notified individuals 65+ of this new CVS opportunity to let them know they are eligible but this is just one avenue for vaccination. Individuals who previously completed a BRHD survey for receiving a COVID-19 vaccine will remain on the waitlist as vaccinations extend to the rest of Phase 1B. While this additional vaccination option is exciting, COVID-19 vaccines remain limited. Therefore, BRHD and CVS Pharmacy will continue to have limited appointment availability. As options for getting a COVID-19 vaccine increase over the coming months, BRHD will continue to provide updates on vaccinations through other pharmacies, primary care providers, federally qualified health centers, etc.

CVS COVID-19 vaccine appointments need to be scheduled directly online at https://cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccine or by calling 1-800-746-7287. Do not call your local pharmacy.
Resource Hotline: More Improvements
Virginia is launching a new statewide information center for community members to call, starting Monday, February 15. With the introduction of the Virginia COVID-19 Information Center, there will be changes to the Blue Ridge Health District COVID-19 Resource Hotline. 

The Virginia COVID-19 Information Center will handle general questions about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccination. It will also take over the pre-registration process for COVID-19 vaccination. The Blue Ridge Health District COVID-19 Resource hotline will continue to assist callers with COVID-19 testing information and pre-registration, contact tracing and case investigation, and those who have local appointments for COVID-19 vaccination. Our hope is that with the expansion of services and hours of the Virginia COVID-19 Information Center, that the BRHD hotline can better assist individuals with more complex questions and needs. We appreciate your support and patience as call volume increases and we adjust to these changes.

Callers to the Blue Ridge Health District's COVID-19 Resource hotline will hear new menu options and have the opportunity to be transferred to the Virginia COVID-19 Vaccination Information Center Saturday through Sunday 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Vaccination Clinics: Cancelled Due to Weather
Due to inclement weather, BRHD vaccination clinics scheduled for Saturday, February 13 in Charlottesville (Kmart Location) and Fluvanna have been cancelled.

We are contacting everyone who was scheduled for vaccinations at these sites to ensure they are able to reschedule their appointment.
Remember, vaccination is only one tool to end the pandemic. We need to use them all in order to return to normal day-to-day activities.
Protect yourself and others by continuing to wear your mask, keeping your distance from others, and avoiding indoor gatherings.