With a new shipment of the one-dose Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine on its way from the Commonwealth, Arlington County will offer a one-day mass vaccination clinic for eligible priority groups by appointment at the new Lubber Run Community Center (300 N. Park Drive) on Saturday, March 6, 2021, beginning at 9:00 a.m.
A total of 1,500 one-dose vaccines are expected to be administered at this clinic. Vaccinations are available to Arlington residents aged 65 and older as well as for residents 18-64 with underlying medical conditions. We are continuing to send appointment notifications to Arlington residents who are eligible for the vaccine in the approximate order of pre-registration (per guidance from the Governor). All vaccinations are by appointment only. There are no walk-up vaccinations available.
“This single-dose vaccine may be desirable for people who want to complete their immunization schedule quickly, do not want to return for a second dose, or have difficulty returning for a second dose,” said Dr. Reuben Varghese, Arlington County Public Health Director. “This also gives us an opportunity to pilot operations at a new vaccination site for potential future use in vaccine administration.”
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine was given emergency use authorization by the FDA and, like the other available vaccines, is highly effective at preventing severe disease, including hospitalization and death, from COVID-19. This allotment for this event is in addition to the roughly 3,000 first doses allocated to Arlington County Public Health weekly from the Virginia Department of Health. The County currently is averaging successful administration of approximately 90% of its available first dose supply each week.
“This new vaccine option will provide increased opportunity for our community, particularly those who may have difficulty in scheduling a second dose of the vaccine,” said Matt deFerranti, Chair of the Arlington County Board. “We want everyone to know that our goal is to get as many vaccines distributed each week as possible. This pilot site reinforces our ability to scale our vaccine rollout quickly and efficiently as new supply becomes available.”
All Arlington County COVID-19 vaccination clinics are open by prior appointment only. All scheduled clients must be notified and scheduled by Arlington County in advance prior to arriving at the vaccination clinic. Individuals who have not already done so can preregister on the Vaccinate Virginia website or at 1-800-VAX-in-VA. Preregistration allows the County to provide notification to eligible individuals to make vaccination appointments as supply becomes available.
Learn more at the County’s COVID-19 Vaccine webpage and sign up for the COVID-19 Update newsletter.