Name: Could Maryland and Virginia health care workers with jobs in D.C. lose out on initial COVID-19 vaccines? - Virginia Mercury
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Could Maryland and Virginia health care workers with jobs in D.C. lose out on initial COVID-19 vaccines? - Virginia Mercury

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;WASHINGTON — The federal government’s plan to allocate COVID-19 vaccines to states based on population is creating a mismatch for the District of Columbia, with its small population but large share of health care workers who commute from Maryland and Virginia.Roughly 75 percent of D.C.’s more than 80,000 health care workers live in Maryland or Virginia, according to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. But the District is only expecting to receive 6,800 vaccine doses in the initial batch later this month, according to the Washington Post.That first set of vaccine doses is recommended to be used first by health care workers and those in long-term care facilities. But Bowser says the anticipated number of doses for D.C. will be far too small to cover those critical workers, because commuters from out of state aren’t factored into D.C.’s vaccine allocation.“If the early vaccine allotment remains tied to our population, we will receive doses for less than 10 percent of our health care workers,” Bowser said in a letter this week to federal officials with Operation Warp Speed, which is organizing the vaccine rollout. She added: “Public health resources must extend beyond residency if we are to keep all those who work and live in Washington, D.C. safe.”The District’s total adult population, used in determining the allocation, is about 578,000 as of July 2019,&nbsp;.Bowser is seeking to have the district’s vaccine allocation based upon the workforce population, rather than the residential population, which she says would better align with the vaccine demand.D.C. health officials also identified the issue in the city’s vaccine plan, noting that of the more than 30,000 individuals who work in the District’s acute care hospitals, 70 to 75 percent reside outside of the District.“Despite their state of residence, they are part of the necessary workforce and critical infrastructure that keeps the District functioning,”&nbsp;. “The District will count those who reside in another state but work in District healthcare facilities as part of the essential personnel who will require a COVID-19 vaccination in the District.”The first of two proposed vaccines that have been submitted to the Food and Drug Administration could be approved for use next week. That’s the vaccine from U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech. A second proposed vaccine from U.S. biotech company Moderna could be approved later this month.The initial shipments of vaccines will be sent as soon as the FDA gives the green light to a proposed vaccine. in the initial round this month, more than initially expected.D.C. has allowed Maryland and Virginia residents to use District-run COVID-19 testing sites, an approach that Bowser described in her letter as keeping “District residents and our federal and private sector workers safe until authorized vaccines become more widely available.”The Mercury wants to know how much Virginians have been spending on COVID-19 medical bills. If you or a family member has received a bill for testing, treatment or any other related costs during the pandemic, you can share them with us here, along with a summary of the services you received and your contact information. You can also reach out to Mercury reporter Kate Masters directly by email at .XRepublishing Guidelines ▪ You must give Virginia Mercury credit, including https://www.virginiamercury.com/ and author.▪ If you publish online, include the links from the story, and a link to Virginia Mercury.▪ Stories may be edited for in-house style or to shorten. More substantial changes should be noted as additional and conducted by your publication.▪ You can publish our graphics and any photos that are credit to Virginia Mercury with the stories with which they originally appeared. For any other uses, you must seek permission from us at ▪ If you share the story on social media, please mention MercuryVirginia on Twitter and thevirginiamercury on Facebook.▪ Don't sell the story.▪ Don’t sell ads against the story. Feel free, however, to publish it on a page with ads you’ve already sold.by Laura Olson, December 5, 2020 Could Maryland and Virginia health care workers with jobs in D.C. lose out on initial COVID-19 vaccines?  by Laura Olson, Virginia Mercury  December 5, 2020 WASHINGTON — The federal government’s plan to allocate COVID-19 vaccines to states based on population is creating a mismatch for the District of Columbia, with its small population but large share of health care workers who commute from Maryland and Virginia.Roughly 75 percent of D.C.’s more than 80,000 health care workers live in Maryland or Virginia, according to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. But the District is only expecting to receive 6,800 vaccine doses in the initial batch later this month, according to the Washington Post.That first set of vaccine doses is recommended to be used first by health care workers and those in long-term care facilities. But Bowser says the anticipated number of doses for D.C. will be far too small to cover those critical workers, because commuters from out of state aren’t factored into D.C.’s vaccine allocation.“If the early vaccine allotment remains tied to our population, we will receive doses for less than 10 percent of our health care workers,” Bowser said in a letter this week to federal officials with Operation Warp Speed, which is organizing the vaccine rollout. She added: “Public health resources must extend beyond residency if we are to keep all those who work and live in Washington, D.C. safe.”The District’s total adult population, used in determining the allocation, is about 578,000 as of July 2019,&nbsp;.Bowser is seeking to have the district’s vaccine allocation based upon the workforce population, rather than the residential population, which she says would better align with the vaccine demand.D.C. health officials also identified the issue in the city’s vaccine plan, noting that of the more than 30,000 individuals who work in the District’s acute care hospitals, 70 to 75 percent reside outside of the District.“Despite their state of residence, they are part of the necessary workforce and critical infrastructure that keeps the District functioning,”&nbsp;. “The District will count those who reside in another state but work in District healthcare facilities as part of the essential personnel who will require a COVID-19 vaccination in the District.”The first of two proposed vaccines that have been submitted to the Food and Drug Administration could be approved for use next week. That’s the vaccine from U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech. A second proposed vaccine from U.S. biotech company Moderna could be approved later this month.The initial shipments of vaccines will be sent as soon as the FDA gives the green light to a proposed vaccine. in the initial round this month, more than initially expected.D.C. has allowed Maryland and Virginia residents to use District-run COVID-19 testing sites, an approach that Bowser described in her letter as keeping “District residents and our federal and private sector workers safe until authorized vaccines become more widely available.”is part of States Newsroom, a network of news outlets supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Robert Zullo for questions: info@virginiamercury.com. Follow Virginia Mercury on and .Copy to clipboard1Republish this storyOur stories may be republished online or in print under . We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site.From the push to remove Confederate statues to big shifts in healthcare and energy policy, the Old Dominion is changing; fair and tough reporting on the policy and politics that affect all of us as Virginians is more important than ever. The Mercury aims to bring a fresh perspective to coverage of the state’s biggest issues.© Virginia Mercury 2020 All Rights Reserved.wp-image-7399{display:none !important;}

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;WASHINGTON — The federal government’s plan to allocate COVID-19 vaccines to states based on population is creating a mismatch for the District of Columbia, with its small population but large share of health care workers who commute from Maryland and Virginia.Roughly 75 percent of D.C.’s more than 80,000 health care workers live in Maryland or Virginia, according to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. But the District is only expecting to receive 6,800 vaccine doses in the initial batch later this month, according to the Washington Post.That first set of vaccine doses is...

Could Maryland and Virginia health care workers with jobs in D.C. lose out on initial COVID-19 vaccines? - Virginia Mercury

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