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The state’s new COVID-19 vaccine pre-registration website has gone live, allowing people to sign up online, check their status and get more information about the vaccine process.

Those who have pre-registered through their local health district have been automatically imported into the new system, though the Virginia Department of Health notes that data migration is taking place throughout the week and it may take a few days for someone’s name to appear in the central pre-registration database. The website is at vaccinate.virginia.gov.

The status of anyone who has pre-registered will not be affected, and they will still be on the list.

The state department of health cautioned that those visiting the site Feb. 16 may not immediately be able to log into the site and should try again if not successful, as it expected millions of visits.

Currently, the state is vaccinating people in Phase 1A and 1B, though the COVID-19 vaccine is in short supply.

The state health department said it would also launch its call center, and the phone number for it, Feb. 17. Gov. Ralph Northam, during a press conference, is expected to provide more information about it, along with information about the new online pre-registration process.

People seeking a vaccine appointment with CVS must continue to register for those appointments through the CVS Pharmacy website.

More than 12% of the state’s population have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 351,441 people have been fully vaccinated, according to data posted to the state health department website Feb. 16. With demand far outpacing supply, VDH said it is expected to take at least several months for everyone who wants to get vaccinated to receive one.

The state is prioritizing those in Phase 1B — those age 65 and up, frontline essential workers, those who live and work in homeless shelters, people in correctional facilities and migrant labor camps, and people with high-risk medical conditions.

Local health departments, including in Western Tidewater, had closed their vaccination pre-registration forms Friday evening at 5 p.m. to prepare for existing waiting lists to be imported to the new system.

The city of Suffolk, after learning about the state’s plans for vaccine pre-registration, said its recently established call center would remain open while the state’s system is implemented, but it has not yet determined whether it would still be able to assist in the pre-registration process once the state system is fully in place.

 

Info box

The state’s pre-registration website is at vaccinate.virginia.gov.

State COVID-19 hotline: 877-ASK-VDH3 (877-275-8343), open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Suffolk COVID-19 vaccine call center: 757.514.4570, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Suffolk Health Department: 757-514-4781

Isle of Wight County Health Department: 757-279-3070

Franklin Health Department: 757-562-6109

Southampton County Health Department: 757-653-3040