(WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, Mayor Bowser is calling on Washingtonians to help get all eligible individuals pre-registered for a vaccination appointment. The pre-registration system can now be accessed through vaccinate.dc.gov as well as the District’s call center. Eligible individuals are encouraged to visit the website or call the call center throughout the day to pre-register. With the new pre-registration system, there is no need to scramble to be online or to call at a specific time. At this time, the order in which individuals register will not affect the order in which they are selected; a person who registered today at 8:30 a.m. will be in the same position as a person who registers at 6:30 p.m.

As of noon on Wednesday, March 10, 48,513 individuals had already pre-registered for a vaccination appointment.

The website and phone number that residents and workers use to pre-register are the same as what individuals have already been using to book appointments:

• Website: vaccinate.dc.gov
• Call Center: 1-855-363-0333

With the new pre-registration system, eligible individuals can register online at any time on any day via vaccinate.dc.gov, or register by phone by calling the call center Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.or on Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

This week, DC Health is only asking eligible residents and workers to register. Eligible individuals who should pre-register include: DC residents 65 and older; DC residents 18-64 with a qualifying medical condition; and members of an eligible workforce. Learn more about who is eligible at coronavirus.dc.gov/vaccine.

The pre-registration questionnaire now includes a question about an individual’s vaccine preference. The responses to this question will be provided to the District’s vaccination program team as part of data collection. An individual’s response will not impact whether or when they are selected for a vaccination appointment. At the time of booking, individuals will continue to see which vaccine is available at each available appointment. DC Health continues to urge Washingtonians to take the first vaccine available to them.

Just for this week, the first set of invitations to book an appointment will go out the morning of Friday, March 12. Individuals will have 48 hours to book an appointment once the calls, texts, and/or emails go out. If necessary to fill appointments, additional invitations will go out on Monday, March 15.

After the initial launch, the cadence for sending out appointment invitations will be:

• Thursdays by 10:00 a.m.
• Sundays by 10:00 a.m.
• And, only if any appointments still need to be filled, Tuesdays by 10:00 a.m.

Eligible individuals who register by 11:59 p.m. the night before invitations go out will be part of the randomized selection process.

Eligible individuals will be selected through a process that randomizes those who have registered, according to the following breakdown:

• 20% go to DC residents in priority zip codes who are 65 and older
• 20% go to DC residents in any zip code who are 65 and older
• 20% go to DC residents in priority zip codes who are 18-64 with a qualifying medical condition
• 20% go to DC residents in any zip code who 18-64 with a qualifying medical condition
• 10% go to DC residents in priority zip codes who are members of an eligible workforce who are 18 and older
• 10% go to members of an eligible workforce who are 18 and older, regardless of home address

Based on the most recent data, this week, there is a slight adjustment to priority zip codes – zip code 20001 is no longer considered a priority zip, and 20003 is being added as a priority zip code. The current list of priority zip codes includes: 20422, 20011, 20017, 20018, 20002, 20003, 20019, 20020, 20032, 20593. As a reminder, priority zip codes are determined by identifying areas where residents have been disproportionately burdened by COVID-19 and areas that are lagging in COVID-19 vaccination coverage.

This new pre-registration system will reduce the stress involved with making a vaccination appointment and to make it easier for the community to work together to get all eligible residents registered. Mayor Bowser’s three operating principles for the new registration system are: 1) an equitable distribution of the vaccine; 2) a consistent scheduling cadence so residents know what to expect; and 3) a shared responsibility, across our community, to get people pre-registered.

Mayor Bowser’s charge to the community is to help get all eligible residents pre-registered in the days to come. Please reach out to eligible individuals, especially seniors, and talk to them about their plans to pre-register and get vaccinated.

Qualifying medical conditions include: Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and other Chronic Lung Disease; Bone Marrow and Solid Organ Transplantation; Cancer; Cerebrovascular Disease; Chronic Kidney Disease; Congenital Heart Disease; Diabetes Mellitus; Heart Conditions, such as Heart Failure, Coronary Artery Disease, or Cardiomyopathies; HIV; Hypertension; Immunocompromised State; Inherited Metabolic Disorders; Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities; Liver Disease; Neurologic Conditions; Obesity, BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²; Pregnancy; Severe Genetic Disorders; Sickle Cell Disease; and Thalassemia. Residents who are unsure whether they qualify for the vaccine based on a qualifying medical condition should contact their health care provider.

At this time, individuals 18 years old and older should pre-register through vaccinate.dc.gov or the District’s call center. District residents who are 16 or 17 years of age and have a qualifying medical condition and are not an existing patient of Children’s National Hospital or HSC, can pre-register for a vaccination at Children’s National Hospital by following the link posted oncoronavirus.dc.gov/vaccine.

As of this week, the following populations are now eligible for the vaccine in Washington, DC: individuals who work in health care settings; members of the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department; residents of long-term and intermediate care facilities and residents of community residential facilities/group homes; DC residents who are 65 years old and older; individuals experiencing homelessness; members of the Metropolitan Police Department; Continuity of District Government personnel; Department of Corrections employees and residents; teachers and staff who are, or will be, working in person at a traditional or public charter school; child care workers and teachers and staff at independent schools in DC; individuals who work in a grocery store setting; outreach workers in health, human, and social services; individuals who work in manufacturing; individuals who work in food packaging; DC residents 16-64 years old with qualifying medical conditions.

This week, DC is receiving 24,760 doses of vaccine – 14,680 doses for appointments previously made through vaccinate.dc.gov; 7,210 doses for hospitals and health centers; and 2,870 doses for special initiatives.