photo by Ted Eytan

“Dear PoPville,

Just wanted to share an amazing experience I had getting my 18-month old daughter’s first dose of the covid vaccine at the Ward 4 Covid Center on 13th St. this morning (Wed.) The DC Covid website hasn’t been updated yet and I got all of my information from Twitter, so wanted to share our experience in case it helps another parent.

I was expecting big crowds, so we arrived an hour early at 9 am before the Covid Center opened at 10 am and we were first in line. Read More

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Today, Mayor Bowser and DC Health announced that the District will begin offering COVID-19 vaccines to children ages six months and older at COVID Centers in all eight wards beginning Tuesday, June 21. Read More

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Today, Mayor Bowser and DC Health announced that the Pfizer COVID-19 booster is now available for children between 5 and 11 years old. The booster dose has been approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and has been shown to help prevent getting infected or having severe complications from COVID-19. DC Health recommends that all eligible children 5-11 receive the booster as soon as possible in order to help stop the spread of COIVD-19. Any child between 5-11 who received their primary vaccine series on or before December 20, 2021 is eligible for the booster. Children ages 5 through 11 years who are moderately or severely immunocompromised are eligible for the booster if they received their primary vaccine series on or before February 20, 2022.

Anyone eligible for a booster dose, including children, can get a free booster at any of the District’s eight COVID Centers, no appointment necessary.

DC Health recommends that all eligible residents age 50 years and older receive a second booster.

There are four easy ways to get your initial COVID-19 vaccine or booster dose in the District: Read More

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Mayor Muriel Bowser and DC Health announced that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is now recommending a second booster dose for individuals 50 and older, as well as certain individuals who are immunocompromised and at higher risk for severe COVID-19. Eligible individuals who received their initial booster dose of either the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines on or before November 30, 2021, can now receive a second booster of either vaccine. Adults who received a primary vaccine and booster dose of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine on or before November 30, 2021 may now receive a second booster dose using an mRNA (Pfizer and Moderna) COVID-19 vaccine.

COVID-19 vaccines and boosters greatly reduce the chance of being infected with COVID-19 or suffering from severe symptoms. Recent data has shown: Read More

Jeffrey writes: “dc doh has finally turned the new covid records site back on. my sample size of 1 showed no “hippa” violations, and I now have an updated record in my phone, so yay.”

From Monumental Sports”

“Effective Tuesday, February 15, patrons attending Capitals and Wizards games at Capital One Arena will no longer be required to verify their vaccination status.

Effective Tuesday, March 1, patrons attending Capitals and Wizards at Capital One Arena will no longer required to wear masks while attending events. Read More

Readers report:

“Just applied for the new DC digital SMART Health Card and was sent someone else’s vaccine record?! Hopefully you’re not sending my vaccine card to other random people??”

and

“Received notification from DCHealth about digital vaccine record. Went to the site and signed up using DOB; PIN; and first and last name. Received a vaccine record for someone ELSE. This is a huge issue that needs to be fixed ASAP. I am not Ronald” Read More

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Mayor Muriel Bowser and DC Health announced that the new Ward 3 COVID Center will open on Friday, February 4. The Ward 3 COVID Center will be located at 5335 Wisconsin Avenue NW.

At all of the COVID Centers, individuals have access to vaccinations, boosters, take-home rapid antigen tests, PCR tests, and KN95 masks.

To date, DC Health has opened seven COVID Centers in Wards 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. With extended hours and fixed locations in each ward, the COVID Centers represent the District’s long-term commitment to ensuring health equity and accessibility for all District residents.

All sites will be open six days a week, as late as 9 p.m., and sites rotate days off so that on any day of the week multiple COVID Centers are open across DC. The schedule for the Ward 3 site opening Friday is listed below, along with the schedules of the seven existing sites. Read More

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Today, Mayor Bowser and DC Health announced the opening of four new COVID Centers with four additional locations opening Monday, January 24. The COVID Centers represent the District’s long-term commitment to expanding access to COVID-19 vaccinations, boosters, and testing opportunities by providing fixed locations with longer hours.

“Getting vaccinated, getting boosted, getting tested, and wearing our masks is how we will get through this,” said Mayor Bowser. “With the COVID Centers, we are doubling down on our commitment to equity and accessibility and ensuring we have the systems in place to support a long-term response that can be dialed-up or down and quickly modified to meet our community’s needs.”

At the COVID Centers, individuals will have access to vaccinations, boosters, and take-home rapid antigen tests as well as a new walk-up testing opportunity which will allow residents to administer and register a PCR test themselves.

COVID Centers in Wards 1, 2, 7, and 8 will open today at 1:00 p.m. and stay open until 8:00 p.m. COVID Centers in Wards 3, 4, 5 and 6 will open Monday, January 24. More information on the four sites opening next week will be shared later this week. All sites will be open six days a week, and sites will rotate off days so that on any day of the week multiple COVID Centers will be open across DC. The schedules for the four sites opening today are listed below. Read More

Ed. Note: Restaurant Week participants or not, support your favorites – now more than ever!

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Today, the Bowser Administration, Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) and local business owners kicked off Winter Restaurant Week taking place Monday, January 17  – Sunday, January 23. Administration officials also highlighted the District’s vaccine entry requirement that goes into effect on Saturday, January 15 at 6:00 a.m. Read More