Montgomery County Begins Vaccinating Residents 75 and Older

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Montgomery County is now vaccinating residents 75 and older and will continue providing appointment links to others in Priority Group 1B as vaccine supply allows. A national COVID-19 vaccine shortage, and the limited amount of doses Montgomery County and the State receive weekly, will result in fewer residents who are preregistered getting an appointment immediately. More than 50,000 residents 75 years of age and older have preregistered so far, and the County receives an average of 6,000 doses weekly. The County, as well as other large jurisdictions in the State, may not move as quickly through the priority group phases as other parts of Maryland because of the demand and limited vaccine supply.

To focus the limited vaccine supply on the most vulnerable individuals, County health officials are restricting access to vaccinations to all but those people who follow the official preregistration process. The Montgomery County Government is aware that appointment links have been forwarded and the State appointment system does not have a filter to prevent sharing a link. The sharing of links has created confusion for residents and is negatively impacting the vaccine distribution process. The County is working with State officials to modify the system to prevent this. Residents should not forward the appointment link to others.

When eligible, and based on the vaccine supply, residents who have preregistered will receive a direct link from [email protected] to make an appointment. People who have not received a link directly from the County and show up to a County-run vaccine clinic will not be served unless they are in Priority Group 1A or 75 and older.  Do not forward an appointment link if you receive it.

Those in tiers within Priority Group 1B, including teachers, childcare workers, essential workers, and individuals with developmental disabilities, will be invited to preregister later this week. People in Priority Group 1C, Tier 1 (65-74 years old) will also be invited to preregister later this week.

“We understand that this vaccine is the long-awaited ray of hope,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “Governor Hogan and I had a positive conversation yesterday about more effectively coordinating our efforts. We both know we need an increase in supply, which neither of us can control, but we are ready to do more when additional supplies arrive. Until then, please help us make sure that the appointment and distribution system is efficient – please do not forward links and please do not use forwarded links."

While Montgomery County is now in Phase 1B, tier 1, vaccinating those 75 years and older, County Department of Health and Human Services staff continue to vaccinate residents in Phase 1A, which includes frontline health care workers.

“We are working diligently to ensure our populations who have been hit hardest by COVID-19, both in terms of cases and fatalities, including home zip code, race, ethnicity and age, are all factored into the vaccine distribution process,” said County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles.

County health officials continue to work closely with the State regarding the limited vaccine supply and the great demand. The County is also working with other health care partners, including local hospital and health care systems, to expand the number of vaccinations available. The long-term goal, dependent on vaccine production and distribution is for the public to have the opportunity to receive the vaccination sometime in the coming months.

Some private providers are offering the COVID-19 vaccine as well. Those hospitals and pharmacies are independent of the County-run vaccine facilities.

Visit the County’s COVID19 vaccine page for a more detailed description of priority groups. Preregistration for the early priority groups is also available on the vaccine website.

Residents can also sign up on the vaccine website for weekly vaccine updates. Emails and text messages will be one way to update the community on the County’s progress in reaching the priority groups.

For the latest COVID-19 updates, visit the County’s COVID-19 website and follow Montgomery County on Facebook @MontgomeryCountyInfo and Twitter @MontgomeryCoMD. Residents can also sign up to receive text or email updates about COVID-19 vaccinations. 

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Release ID: 21-053
Media Contact: Mary Anderson 240-777-6507
Categories: Health