Special: Ongoing COVID-19 coverage

Do you have any local questions about COVID-19? Contact Elliott Robinson at erobinson@cvilletomorrow.org, Billy Jean Louis at bjeanlouis@cvilletomorrow.org and Charlotte Rene Woods at cwoods@cvilletomorrow.org; visit our Facebook page or send us a direct message on Twitter @cvilletomorrow.

We will update this page with new developments.

Vaccinations for COVID-19 are currently underway in the city and surrounding counties. As of Jan. 20, the local Blue Ridge Health District (formerly Thomas Jefferson Health District) is vaccinating individuals in Phase 1A and 1B simultaneously.

There is currently a shortage of vaccines in the district. As of Jan. 21, the district is scheduled to receive 2,950 doses a week for four weeks. These will be distributed among Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Nelson, Fluvanna, Louisa and Greene. There are likely more than 100,000 people in this district who qualify for vaccines in Phase 1B.

“It will take months to vaccinate everyone in Phase 1B,” according to the health district.

Here’s everything we know about how individuals in different phases may get their vaccine:

Phase 1A
Phase 1A includes frontline health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities.

Healthcare workers

Hospital workers — The University of Virginia Medical Center is handling vaccinating its staff. As of Jan. 19, 9,617 UVA Health System employees had received their first dose of vaccine, and 2,704 employees had received both doses. Roughly 14,000 are eligible.
Other health care workers — The Blue Ridge Health District is vaccinating all non-hospital healthcare workers in the district. These appointments are made through individuals’ employers. The health district has already reached out to some organizations. Any employer of frontline health care workers who has not been contacted can fill out an online survey to get on the district’s list. Health district officials will then contact the employees directly to set up appointments. There are roughly 8,000 non-hospital affiliated health care workers in the district. Qualifying frontline health care fields include:
- Mental Health Residential Care Facility – DBHDS, private psychiatric facility, rehabilitation facility
- Dialysis Office
- Department of Corrections – Healthcare personnel
- Home Health and Hospice
- Ambulatory Surgery Center
- Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC)
- Community Service Board (CSBs)
- Primary Care Doctors Office
- Free Clinics
- Dental Practice
- Pharmacies
- K-12 Nursing staff
- Students in clinical rotations
- EMS – Please see your chief for further information
- Law Enforcement – who act as first responders

Residents of long-term care facilities
Residents in local long-term care facilities are receiving vaccines from either CVS or Walgreens. The companies will arrange to bring the vaccines directly to the facilities.

Phase 1B
Phase 1B includes people aged 65 and older; individuals with high-risk medical conditions; certain essential workers; people living in correctional facilities, homeless shelters and migrant labor camps

75 and up
Around 5,500 area residents who are 75 and older and had filled out an online survey indicating their interest in being vaccinated prior to Jan. 14 will be at UVA Health’s vaccination clinic. Beginning Jan. 18, UVA contacted these residents directly to set up an appointment. There were initially some “scheduling complications,” but as of Jan. 21, the district said, “issues are being resolved and the clinic is operating smoothly.”

65 and up
On Jan. 18, Gov. Ralph Northam expanded Phase 1B to include residents ages 65 and up (originally 1B included only people 75 and up). Anyone who fits the age requirement may “indicate their interest” in getting a vaccine by either filling out an online survey or calling the health district’s hotline. Click here for the survey.

The survey will not schedule an appointment, it simply notifies the health district that you wish to make an appointment. The health district will contact people who have completed the survey once an appointment becomes available — but that could take months.

Most (though not all) people will receive a confirmation email from “Google Forms” once they have completed the survey. It may be in either their ‘spam’ or ‘promotions’ folders. “We are aware that some individuals are not receiving confirmation emails but if you see a confirmation screen after completing the survey, then we have received your input,” according to the district.

High-risk medical conditions
Like people ages 65 and up, anyone between the ages of 16 and 64 who has a qualifying pre-existing medical condition is considered part of Phase 1B. The following conditions qualify:

Cancer
Chronic kidney disease
COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathies
Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
Overweight (BMI > 25 kg/m2, but < 30 kg/m2)
Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 kg/m2 or higher but < 40 kg/m2)
Severe Obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2)
Pregnancy
Sickle cell disease
Down Syndrome
Smoking/Vaping (more than 20 days a month)
Type 2 diabetes mellitus
Asthma (moderate-to-severe)
Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)
Cystic fibrosis
Hypertension or high blood pressure
Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids or use of other immune weakening medicines
Neurologic conditions, such as dementia
Liver disease
Pulmonary fibrosis (having damaged or scarred lung tissues)
Thalassemia (a type of blood disorder)
Type 1 diabetes mellitus

Anyone with one of these conditions may “indicate their interest” in getting a vaccine by either filling out an online survey or calling the health district’s hotline. Click here for the survey.

As of Jan. 19, the district was not requiring people to verify they have a qualifying medical condition. Though, local officials are awaiting “more guidance” from the state health department.

Essential workers
The following jobs qualify as “essential” in Phase 1B:

Police, Fire, Hazmat (who weren’t identified in Phase 1A)
Corrections and homeless shelter workers
Childcare/K-12 Teachers/Staff
Food and Agriculture (Food Packaging and Distribution)
Manufacturing
Grocery Store Workers
Public Transportation Workers
Mail carriers (USPS and private)
911 Emergency Communications Center
Officials needed to maintain continuity of government

Like non-hospital affiliated healthcare workers, these individuals will be vaccinated by the health district and must be registered by their employers. Employers of such workers must fill out this online survey to get their employees in line for appointments. The health district will contact the employees directly when an appointment becomes available. This could take months.

On Jan. 21, the health district announced it would host specialty clinics throughout the district for Phase 1B organizations and employees.

Correctional facilities, homeless shelters and migrant labor camps
The health district is still working on plans to immunize people in correctional facilities, homeless shelters and migrant labor camps. However, on Jan. 21 it announced it may bring such groups to its vaccination center in the parking lot of former Kmart on Hydraulic Road for “specialty clinic days” that will be closed to the general public. The timeline for this is unclear.

Phase 1C
Phase 1C broadly includes “other essential workers,” such as:

Energy
Water, wastewater, and waste removal workers
(includes recycling removal workers)
Housing Construction
Food Service
Transportation and Logistics
Institutions of Higher Education Faculty/Staff
Finance
Information Technology & Communication
Media
Legal Services
Public Safety (engineers)
Other Public Health Workers

The timeline for this phase is unclear.

The general public
Anyone who is not included in one of the first three phases is considered part of the general public and will have access to the vaccine once the state finishes with its priority groups. The timeline for this is unclear but may begin sometime in the summer.

Local COVID-19 resources for how to help and get help

Thomas Jefferson Health District hotline: (434) 972-6261 (Currently staffed Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

Virginia Department of Health hotline: 877-275-8343

University of Virginia call center domestic: 877-685-4836 international: (202) 800-2408

This is an list of links to ways people can help by donating money or volunteering their time and service or get the help they need. If you have a resource you think we should add to our lists or bring special attention to, please e-mail Elliott at the address listed above.

Charlottesville City Schools is seeking volunteers to aid in its food distribution to youth.
Piedmont Housing Alliance Emergency Assistance Fund will allow PHA to provide necessities and relief to its most vulnerable residents due to COVID-19 pandemic. All residents who face hardship in the coming weeks will be met with long-term support to ensure that everyone maintains stable, healthy housing.
The Community Mental Health and Wellness Coalition has listed information about actions we can take to reduce stress during the pandemic. Resources also include virtual recovery support groups. Other offerings will be posted as they become available.
Support Cville is a landing page that connects people who need support to those who want to provide support. Basically a well-organized page of links staffed by a group of volunteers who are working to facilitate connections to achieve positive community outcomes. Want to help? Check out their directory and/or get in touch with their mods.
Mutual Aid Infrastructure – Charlottesville is a public Facebook Group where people can connect with volunteer groups, tell their story, share information resources, and interact in a moderated space specific to our community.
Alliance for Interfaith Ministries is offering non-emergency assistance from volunteers. Residents of Charlottesville and Albemarle County may request services through this online form. Information about access to other programs is on their website.
Charlottesville Area Community Foundation COVID-19 Community Emergency Response Fund is a new funding initiative created by CACF to organize community donations that can be used to help people impacted by this crisis in the short- and long-term. Visit their page for more details and consider donating.
United Way of Greater Charlottesville COVID-19 Crisis Relief Fund is a new funding initiative designed to provide emergency help for those who are most in need within Charlottesville and our surrounding counties. Visit their page for more details and consider donating.
Charlottesville area COVID-19 coronavirus – Ask a reporter is a public Facebook Group that connects people in the community with questions to a group of local reporters representing daily, weekly, radio, and broadcast news organizations in our area. It is moderated and requires permission to participate. Ask to join if there are questions you cannot get answered or you want to be part of a community working to verify facts and information.
Cville Craft Aid is making masks for local organizations for free.