Howard University Hospital and the George Washington University Hospital were the first in the District to receive the drugmaker Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine Monday, and Mayor Muriel Bowser said four other health care sites will get shipments this week.
MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Children’s National Hospital and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital are to get shipments on Tuesday, and Kaiser Permanente is scheduled to receive doses on Wednesday.
The District is to receive an initial allotment of 6,825 doses, which will go to high-risk health care workers and first responders as part of the city’s phased distribution plan.
Sites that receive vaccine doses might not start administering them the same day they receive them for a “number of reasons,” Miss Bowser told reporters Monday. She noted that officials don’t know what the next shipments of the vaccine will look like and how much the city will receive for future distribution.
D.C. Health Director Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt said Monday that the District is working with Virginia to obtain more vaccines next week for those who reside in Northern Virginia and work in the city. She anticipates receiving about 8,000 more doses from the state and said the city is discussing with Maryland about obtaining more doses.
Miss Bowser also recognized “The First Five” first responders who will get the shot on Thursday: Acting Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly; Dr. Robert Holman, the department’s medical director; Lt. Joseph Papariello; Lt. Keishea Jackson; and firefighter/EMT Julio Quinteros.
Chief Donnelly said more than 250 department staff have tested positive for coronavirus.
“We believe this is a very important step for us to be able to maintain services and to be able to support our employees to keep these citizens and the workers safe,” the chief said.
Lt. Jackson, who is part of the fire department’s homeland security division, said she is getting the vaccine to protect her father. “I’m just trying to do everything I can to keep myself safe and my family safe,” she said.
The D.C. Health Department is working with Kaiser Permanente to administer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to Fire and EMS staff. The Pfizer vaccine requires two doses administered about 21 days apart, and the Fire and EMS staff are expected to be on duty when they receive both shots.
In Virginia, the first shipment of 72,150 vaccine doses will be distributed to “geographically diverse health care systems with ultracold storage capacity,” according to the state’s Department of Health. Health care staff who directly work with COVID-19 patients will be a top priority group for vaccinations.
Sentara Healthcare in Hampton Roads received its first batch of COVID-19 vaccines Monday morning and had its pharmacy unload them around 8:30 a.m., according to The Virginian-Pilot.
Virginia is readying to receive by the end of the month about 480,000 doses from both Pfizer and Moderna, which is manufacturing a different two-dose vaccine. The doses will go to health care staff and residents of long-term care facilities. An estimated 500,000 health care workers and nursing home residents live in Virginia.
Maryland is to receive 155,000 vaccine doses, beginning with Pfizer this week and Moderna next week. State health officials will first vaccinate health care workers, nursing home residents and first responders. The state has signed up all of its 227 nursing homes and 1,668 assisted living facilities for distribution through the CVS and Walgreens pharmacies.
“Hospitals and nursing homes will determine who in their facilities will receive the initial allotment of vaccines from the federal government,” said Charles Gischlar, a spokesman for the Maryland Department of Health. “Receiving the vaccine is not mandatory but we encourage everyone to take the vaccine that can when available and remember to continue to practice physical distancing, wearing a mask and avoiding gatherings.”
Health officials say it is normal for some people who get vaccinated to experience sore arms, fatigue, headaches, muscle aches and chills. Aftereffects should resolve themselves in a few days.
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