On Monday, everyone in the Blue Ridge Health District will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine.
The district’s vaccination effort will move into Phase 2, which includes anyone ages 16 and up.
In order to receive a vaccine from the district, residents must first “pre-register” with the Virginia Department of Health. Once they have pre-registered, the district will send an invitation to schedule a vaccine appointment.
The move comes just over a week after the district opened to Phase 1C.
“We want everyone in Phases 1A, 1B, & 1C to schedule appointments this week,” the district said in a statement. “We’ve sent thousands of VAMS invites to 1A-1C.”
Everyone who qualifies in 1A, B or C should have received either an email or a phone call from the health district prompting them to schedule a vaccine appointment in the online Vaccine Administration Management System, or VAMS. The email would show up as being from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Check your spam and promotions folders,” the district said. “Individuals who previously had a VAMS account will not get another email invite and should try using their previous log-in information.”
Anyone in Phase 1A-C who has not received an invite may either call the district’s hotline to schedule an appointment at (434) 972-6261 or email BRHealthDistrict@gmail.com with the subject line Phase 1(A-C) Registration. Include your first and last name, email, phone number and the phase you fall into.
The amount of COVID vaccines increased “substantially” in the district in the last week, health officials said. They anticipate receiving yet more in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, local pharmacies continue to receive doses separately from the health district through the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. Beyond that, some primary care practices have started receiving doses, so some people may be able to get a vaccine from their family doctor, said Dr. Denise Bonds, the BRHD’s director.
