Staff and residents at long-term care facilities will now be included in the first wave of coronavirus inoculations in D.C., thanks to the expected arrival of thousands of doses of the Moderna vaccine this week, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Monday.
Those now included in the first wave of vaccinations include:
- Staff and residents at assisted living facilities
- Front line hospital workers
- Urgent care workers
- Pharmacy staff
- Home health aides
- D.C. Fire and EMS staff
The District has already administered more than 4,500 doses of the vaccine. Those doses have gone to front line hospital workers and D.C. Fire and EMS staff.
“Now we are able to spread the vaccine to other high-risk healthcare workers,” said Dr. Ankoor Shah, of D.C.’s Department of Health.
In order to coordinate the vaccination of these groups, those who have been added to Group 1A will have to register online. That process will begin later this week.
District officials say 12,600 doses of the Moderna vaccine are arriving from the federal government and 8,000 doses will come from Maryland.
The Moderna shipments will be allocated among the following sites:
- Long-Term Care Facilitites (30+ sites, 4,500 doses)
- Bread for the City (1 site, 400 doses)
- Bridgepoint (2 sites, 600 doses per site)
- Community of Hope (2 sites, 200 doses per site)
- Giant Food and Pharmacy (5 sites, 600 doses per site)
- Kaiser Permanente (1 site, 3100 doses)
- Mary's Center (1 site, 600 doses)
- Safeway Pharmacy (10 sites, 500 doses per site)
- Saint Elizabeth's Hospital (1 site, 500 doses)
- United Medical Center (1 site, 500 doses)
- Unity Healthcare (2 sites, 700 doses per site)
The second and third shipments of the Pfizer vaccine are also expected to arrive this week – 8,775 doses from Virginia and 4,875 from the federal government.
The Pfizer vaccine shipments will be allocated as follows:
- Children's National Hospital (2,925 doses)
- The George Washington University Hospital (1,950, 975)
- Howard University Hospital (1,950 doses, 975 doses)
- MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (1,950 doses, 975 doses)
- MedStar Washington Hospital Center and the National Rehabilitation Hospital (2,925 doses, 975 doses)
- Sibley Memorial Hospital (1,950 doses, 975 doses)
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Meanwhile, as local hospitals bare the burden of a new winter surge in COVID-19 cases, D.C. is preparing to enter a phase of renewed restrictions to slow down the spread.
D.C. is suspending indoor dining effective Dec. 23 at 10 p.m., Bowser announced last week. The restrictions will remain in place until Jan. 15.
Bowser said Monday she thinks three weeks of a pause is enough time to have an impact on slowing the spread of the virus.
“We have to sacrifice so hospital workers won’t be overwhelmed during the holidays,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser.
The pressure on hospitals is a real concern. Over the past month, the percentage of COVID-19 patients in D.C. hospitals has more than doubled and the number of people dying is also going up.
