In the March 16 update to the BOCS, Emergency Management Coordinator Brian Misner shared that a Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) Community Vaccination Center, or CVC is opening in Prince William. This large-scale vaccination site will have an initial capacity of 3,000 doses per day and will scale up to 6,000 doses per day. Currently, it will operate by appointment only, pulling from the existing waitlist.
According to VDEM, one of its planning assumptions was that once the vaccine was more readily available, local health departments–which have been operating in crisis response mode this last year–would be stretched thin. CVC sites are intended to augment the amazing work health departments, pharmacies, healthcare providers, and healthcare facilities across the state have been doing to get shots into arms. VDEM selected CVC sites using a health equity lens, focusing on areas with the largest vulnerable populations and/or higher rates of COVID-related illnesses and death.
The Prince William CVC will operate off the the state’s pre-registration list; walk-ins will not be accepted. If you not already done so, now is the time to register. Go to vaccinate.virginia.gov or call 1-877-VAX-IN-VA (TTY users dial 7-1-1). Additional languages are available. Due to the complex variables involved in scheduling — such as supply, age, line of work, health conditions, etc. — it is not possible to indicate where individuals are “in line” for vaccination. You will receive a call when an appointment becomes available; typically, one week out from the appointment. It is anticipated that it will take through April to complete vaccination of everybody who qualifies as Phase 1b.
Additionally, Federal Pharmacy Partners recently announced an expansion of eligibity to include all individuals age 16 an over in Phase 1B. Read more.