Update on Phase 1B Vaccinations
At Tuesday’s Board IT Committee meeting, the Board discussed the urgent need to fix the system issues experienced with 1B vaccination scheduling that began Monday. Below I will share with you how we got here, how staff is working to address the vaccine scheduling issues, an update on vaccine availability and guidance, what is going right and more details on scheduling your vaccination if you are in the 1B group. I have also included answers to some of the frequently asked questions we have received. There have been many complaints that Virginia has not included adults 65 and older in phase 1B. As I have repeatedly pointed out, the over 65 age group has been the hardest hit demographic locally and nationally and it is critical they get vaccinated quickly. Unfortunately, Fairfax County is required to follow Virginia Department of Health (VDH) guidelines which have not yet changed however, I am hoping this will change soon. More details on this and other vaccination information below.
How Did We Get Here
As Virginia is a Dillon Rule state, we have to follow the direction of the Virginia Department of Health for our local health department practices. The County’s Health Department was told it needed to use the state provided system for signing up people to receive the vaccination. When that system showed significant issues while being used to schedule the 1A category, the County’s Department of Information Technology began preparing a contingency system.
It was great news that because the County had done so well with the 1A vaccinations we were able to move into phase 1B faster than anyone expected. The bad news was that when the Governor announced last Friday afternoon that Fairfax was one of only a short list of Virginia jurisdictions that could move into phase 1B, a better system for registering had not been provided by VDH. Unfortunately, the County’s contingency system had not yet been approved for use by VDH and we had to resort to the County’s antiquated phone system and call center.
Addressing Vaccine Scheduling Issues for 1B
At Tuesday’s Board meeting, the Board discussed the issues with the current vaccination scheduling system. When registration opened for 1B on Monday morning, the call center received 10,000 calls within the first ten minutes. I was very disappointed that many of our residents spent many frustrating hours trying to reach the health department with no luck because of the system failure. By Monday afternoon the online registration form was available which helped spread the volume and make scheduling more efficient. We also heard that the online scheduling software would be ready and approved by VDH by the end of this week and that County staff are developing longer-term plans to address our call center technology.
At this time, the call center is back up and online registration is also available. Within the next couple days, a new online system will be running that will allowing resident to schedule their own appointment online, which should significantly speed up the process. Since Monday, the online form has been edited to be more user-friendly and no longer requires a cell phone number.
If you are still having trouble registering, see some of our most common troubleshooting solutions below or you can contact my office at springfieldbos@fairfaxcounty.gov.
To date the County has administered thousands of doses without a single wasted dose. If you’ve viewed the
VDH dashboard, the Fairfax Health District numbers are not displayed accurately because the VDH system is very delayed and tallies administered doses based on where the recipient lives, not where the vaccine was administered. Many of our 1A essential workers, live outside the Fairfax Health district.
The other thing that is going right is our partnership with INOVA hospital who is in the process of vaccinating our school system employees with in-school teachers and staff being priorities. They have an efficient process established for scheduling and administering both doses of the vaccine.
Where to find a vaccine
To date, the Fairfax County Health Department is the only provider of vaccines for older adults included in Phase 1b, therefore community inquiries to the call center are very high. The Virginia Department of Health website directs older adults in Phase 1b to their health care provider, however as of January 11th, the Virginia Department of Health has not distributed vaccine to entities other than hospitals and public health.
As I mentioned in my last newsletter, there are three pipelines right now for vaccines: the County health department, hospitals, and federal programs like the CVS/Walgreens program. Long term care facilities are being vaccinated by the federal CVS/Walgreens program. The County receives vaccines from the Virginia Department of Health.
Eventually, when supply of the vaccine increases, community providers and pharmacies will be given vaccines to distribute and you will be able to use this
Vaccine Finder to find a location administering the vaccine. When this finder is populated with local COVID-19 vaccine locations, it will be added to the
County Vaccine Page. I will send out an update on this as well.
Registering for the Vaccine
If you are eligible for the 1B vaccine phase, including those 75+, you can either
register online or call the vaccine call center. Within the next few days there will also be a new online system that allows you to schedule your appointment yourself, which should significantly speed up the process.
Online
If you choose to
register online, you will be taken through a pre-screening that end with a link to the “Vaccine Appointment Questionnaire” if you are eligible. When you fill out the questionnaire, it is very important that you enter your birthdate correctly as an incorrect entry will result in a rejected registration. After you submit your questionnaire, you should receive a confirmation email that lets you know you will be contacted by the health department to schedule your appointment within 1-2 days.
Vaccine Call Center
If you don’t want to use the online registration, you can call the vaccine center number at 703-324-7404 which is available Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. and weekends 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Once a person is screened, the phone wait times may be lengthy in order to reach a scheduler and it is recommended for the comfort of callers, to place their phones on speaker function as they wait to be connected. We are hearing an average of 1-2 hours wait time for this hotline, which may fluctuate, but then callers are able to schedule their appointment over the phone.
The health department must complete personal medical screening questions, and this will take up to 15 minutes for each individual registered. Currently there are 68 staff rostered for each daily vaccine call center shift and we are upstaffing an additional 9 staff for appointment registrations during the busiest days this week.
Vaccines for Over 65 Adults
I’ve heard from many residents who are frustrated that despite CDC guidance, Fairfax County is not including adults 65+ in the 1B vaccine phase. As Chairman of the Older Adults Committee, I share those frustrations- especially given older adults are the most at-risk and impacted demographic. However, as Virginia is a Dillon rule state, we are required to follow the VDH guidelines limiting 1B to adults 75 years and older until that guidance changes. The Board has been told that state and federal officials are discussing this issue, but we have yet to hear of any formal changes. I will continue to advocate that over 65 adults be moved up on the priority list.
Common Registration Problems and Solutions
“I’ve filled out a questionnaire, but I still haven’t heard back from the health department.”
- The health department is working through the queue of thousands of people in the 1B category who have registered to schedule their vaccine appointment. If you received a confirmation email, the health department has your information and will contact you. They have estimated 1-2 days for turnaround depending on vaccine supply, but it may be longer due to heavy registration volume. If you have not received a confirmation email, you should resubmit your online questionnaire or call the vaccine hotline at 703-324-7404. If you have not received a confirmation email, your request may not have been processed.
“If I’ve submitted my registration online, should I also call?”
- If you have submitted online and received a confirmation email, the health department has your information and will contact you via phone or email. If you want to schedule your vaccine appointment faster, we have heard from many residents who have submitted online and called the vaccine hotline. They have waited on hold for a couple hours and then been able to schedule their appointment. However, calling does not necessarily mean the date of your appointment will be sooner.
“I’ve tried calling but the phone lines are busy and I’ve been put on hold”
- The health department is working tirelessly to make sure they get through the queue of people who call in. Although it may take some time, you can wait on hold or register online instead and the health department will call you back within 1-2 days to schedule your appointment.
“I received a rejection notice for my age even though I’m 75+”
- While some wrongly received a rejection notice due to their birthdate, the Health Department has changed the way you enter your birthdate on the online form since launching the form on Monday.
If you wrongly received a rejection notice, you have two options to re-submit your registration:
1. Resubmit the on-line form found on the current
County Vaccine website (do not access an old form or an old link to the direct survey); ensure the birthdate is entered correctly. The automated review will then place the application in the queue for scheduling. Due to the current volume of inquiries this scheduling confirmation may take 1-2 days.
*OR*
2. Call the Health Department’s Vaccine call center at 703-324-7404 to schedule an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine. The phone line hours are Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. and weekends 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Please note that phone wait times may be lengthy and it is recommended for the comfort of callers, to place their phones on speaker function as they wait to be connected to a call center screener who will then place them in the queue for a vaccine scheduler.
