VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach Department of Public Health Coordinator, Bob Engle, said the city is starting Phase 1c with pre-registered people and they are encouraging others to register as soon as possible.
"There's only about 6,000 people registered in Tier 1c," said Engle. "So we need people in Tier 1c to go ahead and pre-register in the state portal."
This comes as Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday all individuals in Virginia age 16 and older will be eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine starting on Sunday, April 18, ahead of the May 1st nationwide goal set by President Joe Biden.
Engle said the city's timeline may look different.
"We might transition a little bit sooner if we don't have enough people in Tier 1c, but right now we'll focus on Tier 1c."
He said because Phase 1c is expected to be much smaller than Phases 1a and 1b, they hope to move through it quickly to start Phase 2 soon.
Virginia Beach said if you are having trouble signing up for your vaccine appointment, don't just give up on the process. You should reach out by emailing vaccinateVB@vdh.Virginia.gov to get more help.
The VDH spokesperson said it's important everyone who is eligible gets pre-registered, so they have a much smoother process when moving onto the next big phase.
In a press release, Virginia Beach officials said those who 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 should 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.
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
For more information on how to register for your appointment, click here.