Dogwood Download: Things You Should Know For Saturday, March 6

The first mass vaccination event happens today, the FBI warns of a vaccine scam and more kids prepare to return to class.

Daily Number

1947-This is for all our retired military folks. On this day in 1947, the first air-conditioned naval ship, “The Newport News,” launched from Newport News, Virginia.

Mass Vaccination Event Today at Berglund Center

Earlier this week, Dogwood asked Virginia Vaccine Director Danny Avula how the Johnson & Johnson doses would be distributed. Alleghany Health District decided to distribute it out all in one day. 

The district will hold a mass drive-thru vaccination effort today at the Berglund Center in Roanoke. This is by appointment only, with 8,000 doses of the J & J vaccine set to be given out. 

It’s also a test case of sorts. If the drive-thru method works, health officials say they plan to use it across the region. 

Additional vaccination events will be held throughout next week, bringing people in through appointments. You can sign up at vaccinate.virginia.gov. Dogwood’s Amie Knowles also explains the process here. 

Don’t Share Your Vaccination Card

Speaking of vaccines, we have a warning from the Better Business Bureau today. It’s definitely cool when you get the vaccine and want to celebrate, but be careful how you do it. Specifically, don’t post your vaccination card to social media.

The Virginia Better Business Bureau says you could be causing a few problems if you do.

The card contains your full name and birthday, as well as information about where you were vaccinated. As with most things, scammers can pull down that data, edit and sell it. Already, reports have come in of people trying to sell fake vaccination cards on eBay and Tik Tok.

BBB officials also point out that someone could steal your identity by combining the information on that card with material already on your social profile.

 Instead of sharing pics of the entire card, the BBB suggests just showing your vaccination sticker. Or, if you’re determined to share the card, block out your personal information.

Harrisonburg Kids Will Head Back to Class March 22

Yet another school district announced plans this week for when students return to the classroom. Well, some students, in this case. Harrisonburg City Public Schools will bring a certain number back on March 22.

👉 All Pre-K through 2nd grade will return
👍 6th grade students are also on the list
👉 Special learning students and English language learners have been back since August.

As for the rest? School district officials say they’re working on a plan to bring high school and middle school students back. However, they wanted to take time to repair the HVAC systems at places like Harrisonburg High, to try and recirculate more fresh air during the day.

Republican Party Backs Out of Convention Plans

It’s been a strange spring for the Virginia Republican Party. In December, they rejected the idea of a primary to choose statewide candidates. The group’s state committee then decided to hold a one-site convention, but that also got shot down due to COVID-19 restrictions. 

After another proposal for an unassembled convention, where delegates vote at different regional locations, got shot down, party leaders gathered last month and decided. They would hold a drive-thru convention at one location, in the parking lots at Liberty University. However, nobody told Liberty University, whose officials sent out a press release saying they hadn’t agreed to host anything. 
Virginia Republican Party Chairman Rich Anderson sent out a letter Friday, which you can read on our Instagram feed here, saying it was time to go back to the drawing board. He plans to call a meeting next week to reach a final decision.

Going Through The Xzavier Hill Report

FBI Issues Warnings About Vaccine Scams

You may get a few calls, emails or text messages in the coming days about the COVID-19 vaccine. Some of these may claim to be able to speed up the process, offering to move you up higher on the list if you just provide either information or money. Simply put, the FBI warns, don’t believe the message. 

“Yes, people are resorting to using COVID-19 as a tool to scam others,” FBI officials said in a statement. “Be careful, folks.” 

When you get a call, FBI officials suggest you take down the information and then call the hospital or health department, just to confirm. You can also check through the state’s registration site, as we detail here.