Montgomery County to Begin Vaccinating Children Ages 6 Months to 5 Years

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccine for children ages 6 months to 5 years of age, the County’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will begin vaccinating children in this age group by appointment only today, Wednesday, June 22 from 3:30 to 7 p.m. at three County-operated clinics.  The Maryland Department of Health is also providing vaccine  to pediatricians and participating local pharmacies.  Available appointments are posted at www.GoVaxMoCo.com.

““It is good news that this last age group is now eligible to receive their vaccine doses,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “We know that many parents are anxious to get their babies and young children vaccinated as quickly as possible. As we have seen with previous vaccine roll-outs, we expect great demand over the next couple of weeks for these vaccines with limited supply available. Because the majority of the vaccines are going to private pediatric providers, we encourage all parents to check with their pediatrician’s office before using our website to sign up for an appointment,”  he said.  “I am grateful for the preparation, planning and outreach efforts from DHHS and our community partners to ensure equitable access to these vaccines,” he continued.  “Getting vaccinated and boosted is important to our COVID mitigation efforts, and we continue to encourage everyone to make sure they are up to date on their vaccinations.”

When vaccine supply is available, new appointments will be posted at 3 p.m. at www.GoVaxMoCo.com.  County-operated clinics for this age group will focus on weekend clinics and will include some weekday evening hours.  Appointments are required at this time.  The County will continue to receive doses from the Maryland Department of Health (MDH), with the majority of doses going to private physicians and pharmacies.

“We know that many parents have been anxiously awaiting the approval of the COVID-19 vaccine for younger children,” said Dr. James Bridgers, acting County health officer. “Because vaccine delivery amount will take some time to ramp up, parents are urged to be patient, as there will not be enough supply initially to vaccinate all eligible children immediately. The Maryland Department of Health has assured local health departments across the State that vaccine supplies will continue to be distributed weekly."

The County will continue to ensure vaccine is distributed equitably and that includes hosting clinics in areas where vaccination rates are lower. County-operated clinics will require appointments, initially, to ensure that there is enough vaccine at each site. MCPS is working with DHHS to help community members make appointments. 

For the latest COVID-19 updates, visit the County’s COVID-19 website.  Follow Montgomery County DHHS on Facebook @mocDHHS and Twitter @MoCoDHHS.

 

Release ID: 22-364
Media Contact: Mary Anderson 301-529-7669
Categories: Health