Variant Detection, Vaccination Eligibility Expansion

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration monitors the identified and emerging SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) variants circulating globally and assesses the impact of new strains on authorized testing products. While Inova is not currently testing for new variants of the COVID-19 virus, the accuracy of our test is not impacted by the new strains and the results do not change clinical practice. For surveillance purposes, the Virginia Department of Health tests a percentage of positive specimens for variants and will issue a public press release if a variant of significance is detected.

Since mid-December, Inova has given more than 148,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to help protect our team members, patients and community. We have been privileged to vaccinate healthcare and EMS workers, law enforcement and corrections officers, fire and hazmat personnel, and teachers and staff and childcare employees in Fairfax County. This week, we completed the vaccination of the tenth largest school district in the United States through our partnership with the Fairfax County Health Department. Our local health departments are also partnering with our Inova Cares Clinics for Families to ensure all eligible populations have access to the COVID-19 vaccine. We remain ready and able to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible as supply allows, and we look forward to working with local health departments to expand to new eligible groups.

In anticipation of opening our Inova COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic at ICPH again for first dose appointments for select eligible groups, it is important to clarify with patients the process under which we are now operating. For the current eligible group (65 years to 74 years of age), you should direct your patients to sign up on the Fairfax County Health Department (FCHD) website. Eligible patients must register for their vaccine with FCHD.

Each week, Inova will receive a set number of doses from FCHD, along with a list from their website registration system of those people who should receive the doses. FCHD will then contact those on the current week’s list and direct them to sign up for their appointment in MyChart. (If they do not have an existing MyChart account, they will be directed to set one up.) Inova will manage the number of appointments in accordance with the number of doses we receive from FCHD. Existing Inova patients should not attempt to sign up directly via MyChart. They must first register with FCHD.

Please do not send your patients directly to the Inova COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic with a prescription or looking for “extra doses” at the end of the day. Vaccine doses are prepared on demand and no doses are wasted. Those who arrive without an appointment or who are not eligible will be turned away.

If your patient is eligible, but not a resident of Fairfax County, please have them visit the Virginia Health Department website for more information.

We know some people are still hesitant to be vaccinated, whether due to health conditions, misinformation or general concerns over the unknowns of COVID-19. This week, Bryan Walker, Safety and Emergency Officer at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital, shared the reasons why he decided to be vaccinated:

“Like most people, I had reservations about getting the COVID-19 vaccine, the speed with which it was developed being among them. I also considered my age and past health concerns, and so I had decided to wait.

But then my wife contracted the virus, and it all hit home. Even though I saw the daily toll that the pandemic was taking on our patients and team members, I felt relatively safe because I was taking all the necessary precautions to prevent becoming infected. But when COVID entered my home, I had to reassess my thinking. I not only reevaluated my reasons for not taking the vaccine, but also had to consider my role as an Emergency Manager within Inova. Throughout the pandemic, our EM team has been leading the way in receiving and sharing pertinent information regarding the pandemic and assisting in developing and implementing plans for our response.

And so I thought, ‘How can I expect others to take this critical step in the fight against the spread of this virus if I am not willing to take steps myself?’ And then once again I thought of my wife and how she was affected by COVID-19, and I know that I wouldn’t want us to have to go through that again. Fortunately, I only experienced some minor muscle soreness, which was no different than taking a flu shot, and I was ready for work the next day.

I encourage each of you to conduct your own self-assessment and really consider the benefits of taking the vaccine.

As always, I am available to answer any questions you may have without reservations or judgement. I always say that I am personally responsible for the safety of every person who enters our hospital, and I mean it. Let’s take every opportunity to not only make our hospital safe, but our community as well. Taking the vaccine is a huge first step.”

We welcome you to share your “why” with us for potential inclusion in our weekly huddle message. If you’re interested in sharing, please send an email to tracy.connell@inova.org with the Subject: Why I Got My Shot and tell us why you decided to be vaccinated.

As we plan to expand our COVID-19 vaccination clinic operations to other care sites, we will be discontinuing the shuttle transportation from the hospitals to the ICPH clinic location. Below are the dates the last COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic shuttle will run for each hospital:

Inova Loudoun Hospital – Feb. 21
Inova Fair Oaks Hospital and Inova Mount Vernon Hospital: Feb. 22
Inova Alexandria Hospital – Feb. 28
Inova Fairfax Medical Campus – March 2

NOTE: Inova Fairfax Medical Campus has an existing shuttle that runs to and from ICPH and will resume pre-vaccination clinic hours of operation on March 2.

Inova’s system-wide commitment to safety has served as the foundation of our approach to not only treating patients with COVID-19 but also in administering vaccinations to our team members and eligible community members. This continual promise to put safety first is critical to our mission, and we want to hear your feedback on this topic in our Safety Culture Survey, running March 1 - 21.

All medical staff credentialed as of Dec. 31, 2020 with active or courtesy privileges will be invited to take the survey.
Hospital-based medical staff have been mapped to their campus accordingly. If a provider practices at more than one hospital, they have the option of taking the survey for another site.
Providers under the physician enterprise for ambulatory areas will be invited to complete the Medical Office/Ambulatory Survey.
Each survey will have its own link along with a QR code so that it can easily be taken via smart phone.

The theme of this year's survey is Your Voice Matters. Please start thinking about the safety practices you use every day that affect your patients and team members, and look out for survey links in an email from Dr. Steve Motew on March 1.