VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Marianne Seibel and her husband pre-registered for the COVID-19 in Virginia Beach the morning of January 25.
The couple, ages 74 and 77 respectively, said they received an email minutes later confirming their information had been received and sent to the Virginia Department of Health.
They have not heard anything since then – and that would not be an issue for the retired couple, if they did not know other people in their age range who applied the same day and already received their first dose.
“They signed up the same day we did - last Monday - and they heard back on Friday,” said Seibel. “It’s not that I am upset the other people are getting it. I am happy other people are getting it. It’s just, what’s the process?”
Seibel wanted to know how health officials choose pre-registrants to receive the vaccine once he or she is in the system.
As of Monday, the city of Virginia Beach had recorded 56,500 people who had pre-registered via its online portal, according to communications director Julie Hill.
But how people are selected once they are on the waiting list is up to the VDH.
A spokesperson for the Virginia Beach Department of Public Health referenced Governor Ralph Northam’s announcement, that priority in the Phase 1b will be given to seniors ages 65 and up, public safety, public and private school staff and childcare facility workers.
All others in the Phase 1b will follow, including people ages 64 and younger with health risks.
The VDH said roughly half of each local health district’s allocation of doses should be used for people over the age of 65, like the Seibels.
“There is no other specific order or cue that they are placed in,” wrote Brittany Watson of the Virginia Beach Health District. “Individuals’ information is collected from pre-registration as they come in and processed for further contact and scheduling as vaccine becomes available.”
The VDH website specified, “There is not enough supply to vaccinate everyone eligible for Phase 1b at the same time.”
Meanwhile, a representative of Virginia Beach’s 311 Citizen Services call center asked people to remain patient.
“If you registered through the city and you received a confirmation email, you will be contacted,” the representative said. “It may just take some time.”
13NewsNow has reported that Virginia Beach received about 5,200 doses this week, down from about 5,800 last week. City officials said they could vaccinate significantly more people, if they had adequate supply.
Seibel understands the challenges. She just wants more clarity on what to expect.
She and her husband would like to see their grandchildren out of state, but will not do that until after they are fully vaccinated.
“Things are creeping along,” she said. “I just wished there was more transparency.”