Virginia Coronavirus Vaccine Hotline Joins Statewide Online Form

VIRGINIA — At a Wednesday news conference, Gov. Ralph Northam said 240,000 Virginians have preregistered for the COVID-19 vaccine since the launch of the centralized preregistration system Tuesday. The governor also announced the launch of a COVID-19 vaccine hotline.

The statewide hotline and online system come after local health departments were left to create their own vaccine registration systems. At vaccinate.virginia.gov, Virginia residents can preregister for the vaccine or check to ensure they're on the wait list. The hotline can be reached at 877-VAX-IN-VA (877-829-4682) daily between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

"Together this is a one-stop shop for Virginians to preregister for vaccination so that when your turn comes, the health department can easily reach out to schedule you for your shot," said Northam.

To preregister using the hotline or online form, residents will need to provide information to determine eligibility. When vaccine doses become available, residents will receive instructions from their local health department on scheduling an appointment.

Residents who previously preregistered through their local health department don't need to register again to be added to the statewide system. Northam noted that 1.6 million records migrated over the weekend and records continue to be transferred. If your name doesn't appear right away, the governor suggested checking back in a few days.

The new statewide vaccine hotline is "a dedicated call center for those folks who are more comfortable talking to a human being than going online," according to Northam.

English and Spanish are available, and callbacks can be provided in 100 languages. The state hired 750 workers for the call center, and about 10 percent are Spanish speakers.

Calls will be prioritized for residents 75 and older, as well as Spanish speakers. Northam encouraged residents to use the online form when possible to keep the phone line open to those without internet access or those having trouble with the online form.

Northam said he was one of the 240,000 who signed up with the new online preregistration system. The online system saw an average 150 registrations per minute and a peak of 300 registrations per minute at one point.

"We have heard you. You asked for a unified statewide system where you can preregister and get confirmation that it went through. And Virginia is delivering," Northam said.

Residents in the Fairfax Health District (Fairfax County, cities of Fairfax and Falls Church, and towns of Vienna, Herndon and Clifton) should continue using the local pre-registration form rather than the statewide system.

Groups in phases 1a and 1b are eligible for the vaccinations in Virginia. This includes health care personnel, residents and staff of long-term care facilities, people age 65 and older, certain essential worker groups, those living and working in homeless shelters and correctional facilities, and individuals with underlying medical conditions or disabilities.

This week, Northam also signed emergency legislation to allow more kinds of medical professional professionals to administer vaccine shots, including dentists and medical students. The legislation also requires vaccinators to collect race and ethnicity data, which Northam says will fill Virginia's data gap.

The Virginia Department of Health's demographics dashboard has race and ethnicity data missing for 506,723 first doses.

"Tracking this is a critical step to ensure we're distributing vaccine equitably and including the communities most vulnerable to getting the virus and also getting sicker from the virus," said Northam.

Virginia is receiving weekly allocations of 130,000 first doses from the federal government, which is up from 105,000 in earlier weeks. Northam acknowledged the allocations are still not enough to meet demand, and governors have pushed federal officials for more supply. On Tuesday, the Biden administration indicated it will increase allocations to states.

A separate allocation from the federal government is going to CVS for its own vaccine appointments at select Virginia locations. Residents 65 and older can sign up, but appointment slots have filled up quickly so far.

Northam noted VDH is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to put a greater emphasis on community pharmacies for administering vaccines.

"I know that a lot of our small pharmacies are willing and eager to vaccine their patients. Many of those pharmacies have not gotten any doses yet because the supply is so limited," said the governor. "But we know that small independent pharmacies are an important partner in this effort, and we're working to include them."

With demand for the vaccine high, the governor warned residents to be on the lookout for vaccine scams as well.

"The vaccine doesn't cost you anything. Don't respond to anyone asking for money to reserve your shot," said Northam.

According to VDH data as of Wednesday, 1,427,750 vaccine doses have been administered in Virginia, or approximately 80 percent of the 1,766,575 doses distributed. There are 1,061,692 people with at least one dose (12.4 percent of the population) and 366,058 with two doses (4.3 percent of the population).

The state is averaging 33,959 doses administered per day. Hospitals lead with486,065 total doses given, followed by local health departments with 424,914, long-term care facilities with 179,922, community health providers with 142,258, medical practices with 136,339, and pharmacies with 58,252.

"As you know, our goal is to be doing 50,000 shots a day. We have the infrastructure to do that when we can get the supply," said Northam.

COVID-19 restrictions

While the governor continues to emphasize mitigation measures, he will make one change for upcoming sports seasons. Starting Monday, Feb. 22, the number of spectators allowed at outdoor sporting events will be expanded to 250, provided that spectators maintain social distancing. Officials are also working with stakeholders on outdoor venue guidelines, and Northam believes overnight summer camps will be allowed this summer.

"The basic safety needs will stay in place for the foreseeable future: wear a mask, wash your hands, maintain your social distance," said Northam. "This applies to people who have been vaccinated as well. We know that these measures work."

Northam also expressed satisfaction with the progress of school divisions planning some form of in-person learning. After he urged school divisions to offer some in-person learning by March 15, just few school divisions remain without plans for in-person learning.

COVID-19 data

On the state of the pandemic in Virginia, Northam said "our COVID numbers are going down and our vaccination numbers are going up." An additional 2,284 coronavirus cases were reported on Wednesday, and the seven-day average of daily cases is 2,610. Northern Virginia has 428 new cases and a seven-day average of 593. The cumulative case total for Virginia is 555,592.

There were 38 new deaths reported on Wednesday, and 7,075 deaths to date have been attributed to COVID-19.

Current hospitalizations stand at 1,821, including 386 in the intensive care units and 239 on ventilators. Northern Virginia has 306 current patients.

As reported by the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association, ICU occupancy among all hospital patients is at 81 percent, and ventilator use is at 32 percent.

Virginia's seven-day average of positive tests stands at 8.9 percent as of Feb. 13. The average has been trending down since reaching a winter peak of 17.4 percent on Jan. 3. Northern Virginia's average is 7.9 percent, compared to a winter peak of 16.6 percent on Jan. 2.

The average number of daily PCR testing encounters is trending down since peaking at 35,024 on Jan. 14. The latest average is 23,020, while Northern Virginia alone averages 5,794 daily testing encounters.

Below are the latest coronavirus data updates for our coverage area from Tuesday to Wednesday:

• Alexandria: 10,056 cases, 498 hospitalizations, 104 deaths; increase of 19 cases and one hospitalization
• Arlington County: 12,684 cases, 751 hospitalizations, 210 deaths; increase of 31 cases and one hospitalization
• Fairfax County: 64,355 cases, 3,436 hospitalizations, 834 deaths; increase of 201 cases, nine hospitalizations and four deaths
• Fairfax City: 468 cases, 35 hospitalizations, 12 deaths; increase of two cases
• Falls Church: 331 cases, 20 hospitalizations, seven deaths; increase of one case
• Loudoun County: 22,351 cases, 822 hospitalizations, 195 deaths; increase of 41 cases and four hospitalizations
• Manassas: 3,930 cases, 159 hospitalizations, 33 deaths; increase of five cases and one hospitalization
• Manassas Park: 1,110 cases, 66 hospitalizations, eight deaths; increase of one case
• Prince William County: 38,197 cases, 1,361 hospitalizations, 328 deaths; increase of 127 cases, three hospitalizations, and one death
• Fredericksburg: 1,718 cases, 91 hospitalizations, 14 deaths; increase of 11 cases and one hospitalization
• Spotsylvania County: 8,011 cases, 262 hospitalizations, 88 deaths; increase of 36 cases and three hospitalizations
• Stafford County: 9,252 cases, 297 hospitalizations, 54 deaths; increase of 53 cases