VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The Virginia Beach Department of Public Health is now opening COVID-19 vaccinations to people in Phase 1c, and expects to transition to Phase 2 soon.
Anyone 16 years and older who lives or works in Virginia Beach can pre-register for the vaccine through the Virginia Department of Health here or call 877-VAX-IN-VA.
According to the VBDPH, 173,352 doses have been administered, 113,709 have had at least one dose and 60,671 people are fully vaccinated in Virginia Beach.
Bob Engle, VBDPH's emergency coordinator, urged anyone in phases 1a and 1b still waiting for an appointment to email the health department.
"We have approximately 6,000 people registered for Phase 1c, so we expect to quickly transition to Phase 2," Engle said, adding that the health department encourages everyone to pre-register.
People who work in the following broad job fields qualify for Phase 1c:
- Energy: Electric industry, petroleum industry (including gas station workers), natural gas industry, and renewable energy
- Water, wastewater, and waste removal: Water and utility, recycling removal, plumbers
- Housing and construction: Hotel (traveler accommodations), HVAC technicians, hardware stores and similar retail stores, housing construction, house painters, electricians, housing and real estate services
- Food Service: Restaurant (servers and back of house)
- Transportation and Logistics: Shipyard, maritime, welcome center, road construction industry, air traffic controllers and TSA, airline pilots, flight crews, airline ground crews, airport personnel, car retail and repair
- Institutions of Higher Education: Faculty and staff
- Finance: Insurance carriers and related activities, accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services
- Information Technology and Communication: Internet/cell phone technicians, workers responsible for infrastructure construction or restoration, data center operators
- Legal Services: Workers supporting operations of the judicial system, including lawyers and others providing legal assistance. (Note: judges and judicial workers are included in the “Continuity of Government” group in Phase 1b.)
- Public Safety: Engineers, emergency communication centers
- Hair Stylists: Barbers, stylists, hairdressers
If you have received an invitation to schedule an appointment in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS) and have had difficulty finding an available timeslot, select 23451 as the zip code and “limited clinic” as the clinic type.
Keep checking VAMS, as new clinic appointment slots are continually being added.