Alexandria City Public Schools
T.C. Williams High School teacher Danielle Thorne was one of the first ACPS employees to receive a vaccine for COVID-19 this week.
Close to 3,000 Alexandria City residents have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine so far, and more people are now eligible to receive the vaccine.
The challenge is getting enough supply to vaccinate everyone who wants a shot as quickly as possible.
Thursday, Gov. Ralph Northam announced changes to Virginia's COVID-19 vaccine prioritizations that significantly expand the number of people eligible for vaccination now.
People 65 and older, as well as Virginians 16 to 64 who have preexisting conditions that make them more vulnerable to severe illness from COVID-19, can be vaccinated. This only applies to parts of the state that have proven to be efficient in distributing vaccines already — and that includes the City of Alexandria.
Earlier this week, Gov. Northam visited Alexandria’s high school as teachers and staff started getting their first doses of the vaccine. The governor visited because Alexandria City Public Schools is a model for the rest of the state in organizing and moving quickly to vaccinate teachers, which is a critical step toward reopening schools as soon as possible. (See the ACPS Facebook Live event documenting the first shot given to a teacher below.)
But vaccine supply continues to remain a challenge, not just in Alexandria but across the state and country.
In a Facebook post Thursday night, Mayor Justin Wilson responded to a concerned resident by explaining, “As we get more vaccine, we will schedule more POD [point of distribution] slots. Our constraint is the vaccine. Simple as that. We are working with other partners who have access to supply separate from AHD to set up their own PODS. Those partners should hopefully be online shortly.”
In addition to more vaccine doses becoming available, the City of Alexandria is asking for more volunteers for the Medical Reserve Corps. The MRC is a team of medical and non-medical volunteers who are trained and ready to respond to emergencies that impact public health. Even those with no medical experience will be able to help. (Learn more and sign up at www.alexandriava.gov/MedicalReserve.)
Organizations and individuals who qualify for Phase 1a or 1b can fill out this brief form to pre-register for vaccination. Those who qualify in phase 1c, which has not started yet, may fill out the form but won’t get a shot until phase 1c starts.
Medical Reserve Corps volunteers working with the City of Alexandria are working hard to get people scheduled and is reassuring residents that pre-registrations are being received and are being processed. According to a press release sent Thursday night by City of Alexandria officials, stressed-out residents are calling and being rude or yelling at volunteers working the hotlines. Those residents are warned that their calls will be ended if their calls turn aggressive.
Current Data
Vaccines given can take a week or two to reach full effectiveness, meaning those who get a shot aren't truly protected until at least a week after their second shot. With only about 2 percent of the City of Alexandria's population having their first and/or second shot, the virus remains a significant concern in the community.
Virginia Dept. of Health, Friday, Jan. 15, 2021
The City of Alexandria on Thursday reported a 10.3 percent test positivity rate, more than 80 newly diagnosed cases and 3 deaths. Community transmission of the virus is higher now that it has been at any other point since the virus arrived in Alexandria more than 10 months ago.
The best ways to avoid the virus are to avoid any unnecessary trips out of the house, wear a mask at all times when in public, wash hands frequently and maintain physical distance from other people.
