Arlington County To Receive $2.2M For COVID-19 Vaccine Response

ARLINGTON, VA – Arlington County is slated to receive more than $2.2 million in federal funding to assist with the county’s coronavirus vaccination efforts as more doses of the vaccines become available, county officials announced Wednesday.

The award of $2,283,147.93 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will go toward the ongoing efforts to get local residents vaccinated, county officials said. The funding will be used for providing equipment and personal supplies such as personal protective equipment as well as other supplies that are needed for storing, handling, transporting and distributing the vaccines. County officials said that the funding will ensure that the county is prepared to get more residents vaccinated once more doses become available.

County officials announced Wednesday that Arlington County is the first municipality in the state to receive funding from FEMA. The federal funding opportunities were announced recently by Gov. Ralph Northam. Northam’s Major Disaster Declaration was announced last year and allowed the state to receive funding from federal agencies such as FEMA to assist in Virginia’s COVID-19 response.

However, recent executive orders signed by President Joe Biden have provided even more resources, county officials said. Under the orders signed by Biden last week, counties and other municipalities will receive funding in advance rather than as reimbursements and allows for the addition of staff to assist with vaccination distribution.

County officials said Wednesday that the funding is based on projected expenses which will keep municipalities from dipping into reserves or into their general fund to pay for operation costs associated with vaccinations.

We’re extremely grateful for the close coordination with our state and federal partners that allows us to augment our COVID-19 operations,” Dr. Aaron Miller, director of the Department of Public Safety Communications and Emergency Management said in a statement issued by the county. “We plan to use this funding for a range of vaccine operational expenses, including vaccine storage and equipment, PPE, staffing, and enhanced community messaging.”

Miller said that the funding will help support the county hotline, which is accessible by calling (703) 228-7999 and which residents can use to pre-register for the vaccines. Vaccines are currently available to those on the Phase 1a and 1b priority lists. However, several municipalities have asked residents to be patient as there are significantly more requests for vaccinations than available doses. Local health officials said they may need up to eight weeks to get those currently on priority lists vaccinated with at least one dose.

More information about Arlington County's COVID-19 response, including vaccinations, can be found at the county's website, arlingtonva.us/covid-19 or by calling the COVID-19 hotline, which is staffed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.