The District will begin administering coronavirus vaccines to teachers and other in-person employees, including support staff, at public schools and public charter schools on January 25.
The announcement came from the DC Department of Health on Tuesday.
The Department will send emails to teachers and staff who are reporting in-person at DC Public Schools (DCPS), as well as those who will return to schools for in-person teaching in the third term, offering details on how to schedule a vaccination appointment.
Vaccinations of DCPS staff will take place at Dunbar High School in partnership with Children’s National Hospital.
The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) will provide guidance to DC Public Charter Schools about the vaccination program.
Members of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) will also become eligible for COVID-19 vaccination as of next Monday. Police officers are included in the category of “other workers necessary for the preservation of societal functions,” according to Tuesday’s release from the Office of Mayor Muriel Bowser.
“Continuity of District Government” personnel will also start receiving their vaccine shots next week at Kaiser Permanente Capitol Hill Medical Center.
Residents ages 65 and up and healthcare workers are currently able to make vaccination appointments through the vaccinate.dc.gov portal or the city’s coronavirus call center (855-363-0333).
“Going forward, appointments will be released every Thursday at 9:00 a.m. to eligible residents in priority zip codes, and additional appointments will be released every Friday at 9:00 a.m. for all DC zip codes,” according to DC Health.
“If DC’s weekly vaccine allotment from the federal government changes, this schedule is likely to change in accordance. The District’s goal is the make the vaccine available promptly as supply comes in from the federal government and to ensure an equitable distribution of the vaccine across all eight wards,” the Department noted in its statement.
Grocery store workers, childcare providers, and residents who are at a high risk of severe illness if they are infected with COVID-19 have yet to be vaccinated as part of the District’s Phase 1B.
“Put bluntly: D.C. NEEDS MORE VACCINE,” District officials said at the end of Tuesday’s release.
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