The Crater Health District announced Thursday it is expanding vaccinations to Phase 1B groups and rolled out an online pre-registration tool to receive information on COVID-19 vaccines.

“We are diligently working to provide vaccine to individuals in Phase 1A and 1B. Our goal is to carry out vaccine distribution to as many residents in these groups as possible,” said Crater Health District Director Dr. Alton Hart Jr. “The new online tool will gather the contact information for those ready and willing to get their vaccine. So that when a new clinic is open, we can quickly notify individuals to make an appointment to help speed up the process.”

CHD serves Surry County as well as the counties of Dinwiddie, Greensville, Prince George and Sussex and the cities of Emporia, Hopewell and Petersburg. If you are a current resident or work in Crater Health District and are within priority groups of Phase 1A and 1B, you are encouraged to complete one of the following options to be added to pre-register.

Option 1:  Visit the Crater Health District website at www.craterhd.net and click Crater Vaccination Waitlist or click https://redcap.vdh.virginia.gov/redcap/surveys/?s=7YYJJER4P8 to complete the information. After completion, individuals will receive follow-up communication to register for an appointment as soon as additional slots become available. Family members are encouraged to assist those with limited or no computer resources. This form will be the fastest way to get an appointment, but the timeline for an appointment remains to be determined.

Option 2: Residents with limited or no technical resources may call the Crater Health District COVID-19 Customer Care Center at 804-862-8989, Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you have recently called the call center or emailed your information to inquire about or schedule for the COVID-19 vaccination, you will be contacted to register as time slots open for appointments.

These options do not reserve a vaccine or create an appointment; they merely collect contact information, so that when vaccine is available, VDH can contact you to schedule an appointment. It may be days or weeks before you receive a return call, and weeks or months before the vaccine and an appointment are available.

The health district urged people who are pre-registered not to call or email to check their status. People will be contacted as soon as possible to schedule an appointment. “Please do not pre-register multiple times or leave multiple messages,” the health district said. “Doing so will only cause delays or prevent others from getting a vaccine.”

“We will continue to vaccinate our community to the best of our ability with the resources we have available,” said Hart. “In the meantime, it is important to remain vigilant in COVID-19 prevention to protect yourself and others by practicing: the three W’s: Wear your mask, Wash your hands and Watch your distance.”

Additional vaccine information can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/index.html or https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/covid-19-vaccine/