Montco's First COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Launches; Patience Urged

BLUE BELL, PA — Montgomery County opened the doors of its first public coronavirus vaccination clinic on Wednesday, marking an important step forward in the largest inoculation campaign in history. The site, located at Montgomery County Community College's campus in Blue Bell, is only administering doses to healthcare workers in the first priority group at this time.

Over the weeks and months to come, as the vaccine becomes available to broader swaths of the population, other public vaccination sites will open in Montgomery County.

“Vaccine availability is still limited, which is why we are starting distribution in a phased approach," Montgomery County Commissioner Ken Lawrence said. "As more doses become available, we will be able to vaccinate more people at more locations.”

For now, healthcare workers who are also Montgomery County residents are invited to take a screening survey online here to determine their eligibility for the vaccine. If approved, they can register for an appointment.

To ensure eligibility, those who go to receive the vaccine must bring a medical license, badge, or paystub verifying their healthcare employment, officials said.

In addition to this public clinic, hospitals across the county have also received thousands of shipments of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine over the past several months, and are inoculating healthcare workers.

A total of 8,833 individuals in Montgomery County have been vaccinated as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the latest data tracked by the state Department of Health's vaccine dashboard. At least in part due to its large healthcare system and high number of hospitals, the county has vaccinated more than almost any other part of the state, trailing only Allegheny and Lehigh.

The site is open Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh thanked the community college for "stepping up" to support and host the clinic.

“We ask that everyone have patience as we start this initial roll-out," Arkoosh added.

The next stage opens vaccinations up to the "1B" priority group, which includes residents 75 years and older. Officials have expressed hopes that the general public will be able to receive the vaccine by spring or early summer.

Statewide, 159,216 individuals in the first priority group have received partial doses as of Wednesday.