The Biden administration has pledged to up D.C.’s COVID-19 vaccine allotment by 15% over the next three weeks, partially answering the city’s ongoing pleas for more doses.

According to D.C. Health, the city is expected to receive an additional 9,475 doses from the federal government next week. A 15% increase would add roughly 1,400 doses to that number.

“Mayor Bowser and DC Health, led by Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, recognized this announcement as a promising indicator of the new Administration’s commitment to increasing the supply of the COVID-19 vaccine,” reads a statement from the mayor’s office Wednesday. “And while the Mayor will continue to advocate for Washington, DC to receive more doses, the District continues to make progress in vaccinating District residents and workers.”

On Wednesday, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam also announced that the commonwealth (along with all other states) would be receiving a roughly 16% increase in weekly doses over the next three weeks — allowing state officials to better plan distribution for several weeks at a time, instead of waiting and readjusting week-by-week based on federal allotments.

So far, limited supply has been the biggest constraint on the city’s vaccination efforts, as demand for the vaccines far outpaces the weekly allotments. Bowser and the city’s health director, LaQuandra Nesbitt, have repeatedly stressed the need for more vaccines. (Nesbitt even wore a “D.C. needs more vaccines” mask during a recent press conference.) They attribute the city’s vaccine rollout issues to supply shortage, not the city’s ability to effectively distribute the doses.

“We know that demand in D.C. is very high,” Bowser said last week, adding that the city would be working with the Biden administration to boost D.C.’s allotment. “We know, too, from our sister cities around the country that they too are experiencing high demand for the vaccine and scarcity of vaccine. So we will continue to advocate for more doses so that we can protect more people in Washington more quickly.”

The high demand has made booking appointments on the city’s vaccination portal difficult for residents — and created wide gaps in access — as slots fill up shortly after opening. Every Thursday at 9 a.m., the city opens the portal for eligible residents in wards 1, 4, 5, 7, and 8, in an attempt to correct for vaccination disparities in these lower-income and/or majority-Black wards. Appointments open to residents in all eight wards every Friday.

Even with this staggered approach, the appointments have been snagged within minutes. 

On Wednesday, Bowser also announced a slew of changes to the city’s online portal to ease the process for residents, and quadrupled the number of call takers to assist residents booking vaccine appointments by phone on Thursday mornings, bringing the number of workers up to 200.

As of Saturday, Jan. 23, the city has administered 51,421 doses of the vaccine to healthcare workers, residents ages 65 and older, and residents and staff in nursing homes and other congregate settings. On Tuesday this week, the city began vaccinating in-person D.C. Public School and charter school staff. Per Bowser’s release on Wednesday, 2,542 of the 3,840 appointments for DCPS staff have been filled, with 460 doses administered. Likewise, 1,015 out of 1,025 appointments for public charter school teachers and staff have been booked.

According to Bowser’s Wednesday release, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education has also started contacting licensed childcare providers to gather information for future vaccine distribution when doses become available. Workers and advocates have criticized the city for excluding childcare workers in this week’s phased rollout to in-person school staff.

This post has been updated with a statement from Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam.