Freezing rain is throwing up a hurdle Saturday for crowds of people in the D.C. area who are trying to get their coronavirus vaccines.
The mass vaccination site at Six Flags America in Prince George’s County stopped accepting patients due to inclement weather. GoVAX Maryland said patients would be automatically rescheduled for March 2 at the same time of day, and a confirmation would be sent within 48 hours.
In a bright spot, hospitalizations in D.C., Maryland and Virginia have fallen to their lowest levels in weeks.
Virginia Migrating Pre-Registrations to Statewide System
A big change is coming in the way Virginians pre-register to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Until now, there have been dozens of different ways to sign-up depending on where you live. Over the weekend, the commonwealth will merge all the registrations into a single database.
The new site is set to launch on Tuesday, and people who pre-registered should be able to log on and confirm their information was properly moved, health officials told News4.
What to Know About the CDC's New School Guidelines
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is out with new guidelines that could shape the effort to get your kids back in the classroom.
The agency has now put out a color-coded system for reopening.
Blue and yellow designations are for communities that have low to moderate transmission of COVID-19. For those in a blue or yellow zone, the CDC recommends full in-person learning with as much social distancing as possible.
In orange zones — an area with substantial transmission —hybrid learning, and reduced attendance is a safer option.
Red connotes the highest transmission zones. In red districts without regular testing, the CDC says fully virtual learning could come into play but only for middle and high schoolers.
Prince George's County is expected to announce its reopening dates next week.
Montgomery County is reopening schools to a small group of students on March 1 with the vast majority heading back to class March 15.
In Virginia, Loudoun County starts its hybrid learning model on Tuesday.
Prince William starts phasing back in on Feb. 23.
Arlington begins phasing new grade levels back in every week starting March 2.
The vaccinated population in D.C. may be overestimated in this map because some non-residents who work in D.C. are included in the totals.
Fairfax County heads back on March 16 under a hybrid model.
D.C. is also opening more of its schools to hybrid learning, and Mayor Bowser wants charter schools to follow suit.
What the Data Shows
Washington, D.C., reported 126 new coronavirus cases on Saturday and three more deaths. Hospitalizations fell to the lowest level since Dec. 3.
Maryland reported 1,159 new cases and 32 more deaths. Hospitalizations fell to the lowest levels since Nov. 19.
Virginia reported 2,329 new cases and 22 more deaths. Hospitalizations fell to the lowest level since Dec. 10.
Vaccination Portals by County
As vaccinations in our region ramp up, here's a look at local portals residents can use to sign up for vaccination appointments or sign up to receive alerts.
- Washington, D.C. signups– vaccinate.dc.gov
- Maryland signups – www.marylandvax.org/ and covidvax.maryland.gov
- Virginia information – www.vdh.virginia.gov/covid-19-vaccine/
- Montgomery County – www.montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/vaccine/
- Prince George's County – www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/3730/COVID-19-Vaccination
- Howard County – www.howardcountymd.gov/Departments/Health/MM-Alerts-and-Recalls/COVID-19-Vaccine
- Anne Arundel County – aahealth.org/covid-19-vaccine-faq/
- Fairfax County – www.fairfaxcounty.gov/health/novel-coronavirus/vaccine
- City of Alexandria – www.alexandriava.gov/health/info/default.aspx?id=119270
- Loudoun County – www.loudoun.gov/covid19vaccine
- Prince William County – coronavirus.pwcgov.org/vaccine-information/ & VDH
To get a better idea of when you'll be eligible to receive a vaccine, use our tool below.
Local Coronavirus Headlines
- The first case of a COVID-19 variant from South Africa has been diagnosed in Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam said Friday.
- Health officials confirmed Maryland's first case of COVID-19 caused by the new variant first identified in South Africa, then another two cases in Montgomery County residents.
- Many D.C. restaurant workers who already were coping with the safety hazards and financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic also are facing increased sexual harassment, a new report from a labor organization says.
- Face masks are now required in all National Park Service buildings, and on land maintained by the Park Service when physical distancing is not possible, federal officials announced Tuesday.
- Bars and restaurants in Maryland will be able to remain open past 10 p.m. starting Monday, Feb. 1, the governor announced. Restaurants will still be capped at half-capacity indoors.
- Nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities in the D.C. region are still working to convince some of their employees that it's safe to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
- Hogan outlined plans to put the infrastructure in place to speed up COVID-19 vaccinations when a higher volume of doses becomes available. Six mass vaccination sites are planned, including one at Six Flags America.
- Georgetown University says it will discipline medical students who received COVID-19 vaccines though they were not eligible to receive them.
- Just as millions of Americans are rolling up their sleeves for a COVID-19 vaccine, the News4 I-Team has learned the outgoing Secretary of Health and Human Services made it much harder to get compensated for the most common vaccine injury.
- D.C.’s child care workers are asking officials not to push back their COVID-19 vaccinations.
- Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan says school districts should resume in-person learning by March 1 or face legal action, which the state teacher's union says is a threat to educators.
- Maryland reported its first two confirmed cases of the U.K. variant of COVID-19.
- A professor is using the trust Black Americans have in barbers to make them more comfortable with taking the COVID-19 vaccine.
Reopening Tracker
- Montgomery County plans to allow indoor dining again starting Feb. 14.
- Virginia Governor Ralph Northam directed all schools to offer in-person classes by March 15, saying the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other leaders say it's possible to reopen safely.
- The Fairfax County School Board voted unanimously Tuesday afternoon to bring all students back in-person for hybrid learning by March 16.
- D.C. has lifted its ban on indoor dining, but libraries and recreation centers are still closed.
- Virginia instituted a curfew and a stricter mask mandate.
- Maryland tightened restrictions on businesses, bars and restaurants.
- All Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo are closed because of rising COVID-19 cases.
- 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 remain partially shut down due to the pandemic.
- Prince George's County tightened restrictions and required masks to be worn outdoors.
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.
