Giant will be among the District's first retailers to administer Moderna's coronavirus vaccine.
As soon as Saturday, health care employees who work in senior group homes can be vaccinated at Giant Pharmacies as part of the District’s Phase 1A rollout, the retailer said.
“We are confident our pharmacies and trusted pharmacists will be prepared to do our part in keeping our communities safe and healthy,” Paul Zvaleny, Director of Pharmacy Operations at Giant, said in a press release.
The DC Health department will make appointments and let eligible people know when they can get their shots.
Thousands of vaccine doses have been distributed to D.C., including 12,000 from the federal government and 8,000 from the state of Maryland.
What the Data Shows
D.C. delayed released data from Dec. 24 until the day after Christmas, "out of respect for the health professionals who have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic," according to D.C.'s COVID-19 digital hub.
Six more residents, including a 97-year-old man, have died from COVID-19. Another 274 residents tested positive for the virus on Thursday, the city said.
Maryland has reported 4,712 new coronavirus cases since Thursday. Hospitalizations have fallen to 1,685.
Vaccine doses have been given to 18,789 Marylanders so far, including 3,676 in the National Capital Region.
Virginia reported 1,105 new cases on Saturday, which brought down the seven-day rolling average of cases to 2,788. The holiday may have impacted the number of positive cases counted.
Virginia reported 2,187 coronavirus hospitalizations on Saturday, a decline from the record-high number of coronavirus hospitalizations on Christmas Eve.
A total of 43,043 people in Virginia have received their first vaccine dose. Fairfax County leads the pack, with 3,658 shots given to residents so far.
Local Coronavirus Headlines
- The high level of coronavirus cases is putting stress on Northern Virginia hospitals — and the health care professionals who work there.
- The stress of the pandemic is a grind. A data analysis from the American Dental Association shows a surge in cases of teeth grinding, clenching and cracking during the COVID-19 crisis. The increases are striking and potentially costly and painful for sufferers.
- All Maryland hospitals are expected to receive some COVID-19 vaccines in the next two weeks to begin vaccinating critical frontline staff, a state health official said Tuesday.
- A professor is using the trust Black Americans have in barbers to make them more comfortable with taking the COVID-19 vaccine.
- A rapid antigen test might seem like a great idea when you're in a hurry and don't have time to wait a few days for results, but those tests are really designed for people with COVID-19 symptoms and in asymptomatic patients can deliver false positive results.
- Help is available for thousands of D.C. residents who have fallen behind on rent payments.
- Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced measures to boost the number of available health care workers and plan for more hospital beds.
- COVID-19 numbers continue to paint a dire picture for Black Americans, and there is an ongoing effort in the Black community to increase testing.
Reopening Tracker
- A judge upheld Montgomery County, Maryland's ban on indoor dining.
- D.C. has suspended indoor dining until 5 a.m. on Jan. 15, Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a press release.
- Virginia instituted a curfew and a stricter mask mandate.
- Maryland tightened restrictions on businesses, bars and restaurants.
- All Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo closed because of rising COVID-19 cases, officials announced.
- Hours before some Fairfax County students were set to return to in-person learning, the school district said that they needed to delay the plan.
- Courts throughout Maryland partially shut down due to the pandemic.
- Virginia announced new measures to fight COVID-19 as cases of the virus have spiked across the country.
- Prince George's County tightened restrictions and required masks to be worn outdoors.
- Montgomery County reduced capacity limits at many businesses, including for indoor dining, to 25%.
- D.C.'s mayor extended the city's coronavirus state of emergency to last through the end of the year.
How to Stay Safe
Anyone can get COVID-19. Here are three simple ways the CDC says you can lower your risk:
- Wear a snug-fitting mask that covers your nose and mouth.
- Avoid being indoors with people who are not members of your household. The more people you are in contact with, the more likely you are to be exposed to COVID-19. If you are indoors with people you don’t live with, stay at least six feet apart and keep your mask on.
- Wash your hands often, especially after you have been in a public place.
