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The Western Tidewater Health District has sent out nearly 10,000 invitations this week for access to the Vaccine Administration Management System, or VAMS, according to a message from health officials.

This new system is being used for people who have pre-registered at vaccinate.virginia.gov to sign up for an appointment. There are clinics in Suffolk and Southampton County for this Thursday and Friday that had hundreds of openings as of Tuesday morning, the email said.

People should be on the lookout for an email from the CDC asking them to create an appointment for a vaccine.

People who have not already done so should pre-register for a vaccination at vaccinate.virginia.gov, the email stated. “WTHD is quickly moving through the current list,” it added.

Pre-registration is open to the entire public. People should be sure to use only one email per person when signing up, as using more than one may cause a slowdown in the process.