Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, State and County Officials Announce Closing of Germantown Mass Vaccination Clinic

For Immediate Release: Friday, July 2, 2021

County Touts High Rates of Vaccinations and Lays Out New Plan for Vaccination Access in the County

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich was joined by Dr. Yancy Phillips, chief clinical officer at Holy Cross Health; Margaret W. Latimer, vice president and provost of Montgomery College-Germantown; Dr. Earl Stoddard, head of the County’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security; as well as representatives for Senator Ben Cardin and Congressman Jamie Raskin, to acknowledge the success of the Germantown mass vaccination site at Montgomery College-Germantown and the impact it had on the County’s successful vaccination efforts.

The Germantown vaccination site opened in late March after the County Executive and County Council pushed the State to place a mass vaccination site in Montgomery County. Since opening, more than 73,000 people have been vaccinated at the site. The Germantown mass vaccination site is scheduled to cease operations July 2; and the County will stand up a vaccination clinic at the Upcounty Regional Services Center in Germantown scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, July 6.

The Germantown mass vaccination site was the result of a partnership between Montgomery County, Holy Cross Health, Montgomery College and the Maryland Department of Health. It is the first model of collaboration between the state and a local jurisdiction. When the site opened, County health officials projected that the site would initially administer 1,300 to 1,500 doses per day and would eventually increase to 3,000 doses per day.  

“As the State’s largest jurisdiction, we know it was important for the health and safety of our residents to have a mass vaccination site here in Montgomery County,” said County Executive Elrich. “Our residents were driving all over the State to other sites to get vaccinated. This site was an essential part of our vaccination strategy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 65 percent (706,763) of Montgomery County residents are fully vaccinated and more than 73,000 doses were administered at the Germantown site. I would like to thank the County Council, our state and federal delegations, Holy Cross Health, Montgomery College, and the State of Maryland for partnership to stand up this site. Lives were saved because we brought this site here and I am grateful for everyone’s efforts. Although the site is closing, we will continue to serve residents in this area of the County. This closing does not signal that our mission is accomplished. There is still a lot of work to do, and we will not rest until more of our residents are vaccinated.”

According to CDC data, Montgomery County is the most vaccinated County in the U.S. with a population of more than 300,000 residents. More than 65 percent of the County’s population is fully vaccinated, which is significant when compared to the percentage of the U.S. population that is fully vaccinated (46.7 percent) and the State of Maryland (52 percent).

“Participating in this great partnership to vaccinate more of our County and State has had a special meaning for Holy Cross Health,” said Dr. Yancy Phillips of Holy Cross Health. “Our staff have served tirelessly throughout the pandemic seeing, firsthand, the devastation caused by COVID-19 to the individuals cared for in our hospitals and at our many locations throughout the community. Partnering in this immunization campaign that has brought the virus under control has given joy and hope for us all.”

“I want to thank all of the leaders and community stakeholders who have worked to ensure the success of this COVID-19 vaccination site at Montgomery College’s Germantown Campus,” said Senator Chris Van Hollen, whose statement was read on his behalf, at the event. “Today we celebrate the combined efforts of the Montgomery County Government, the County’s Health and Human Services Department, the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Holy Cross Hospital, Montgomery College, and key leaders from the State of Maryland who have helped make this possible.”

The new Upcounty vaccination clinic will open at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, July 6 at the Upcounty Regional Services Center in Germantown located at 12900 Middlebrook Road. For additional information on vaccination locations, check the County’s website.

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Release ID: 21-527
Media Contact: Barry Hudson 240-300-7348