Montgomery County COVID-19 Vaccine: The Latest Updates

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — There has been good news in Montgomery County over the past week, as the coronavirus vaccine rollout continues.

The county received a significant increase in doses this past week, after several weeks or receiving fewer doses. There were also updates announced to the registration system, as well as a new plan for vaccinating the most vulnerable groups.

As of Tuesday, a total of 82,668 residents have received one dose, while 41,344 have received both doses. The county is still vaccinating only the 1A category.

Here are the latest updates.

Vaccine clinics scheduled through Thursday

The county's vaccination clinics are scheduled through Thursday this week. Clinics at both Norristown Area High School and Montgomery County Community College have been able to run smoothly without shutting down after running out of doses the past two weeks.

County to vaccinate vulnerable groups directly

Montgomery County is rolling out a new vaccination strategy in an effort to protect some of the area's most vulnerable residents.

To determine where to concentrate their efforts, the county is starting with a list of affordable housing for seniors. There are roughly 30 locations on this preliminary list, officials said.

Many of these locations are apartment buildings, or units grouped together within a block or two. Pop-up vaccination sites will be established in lobbies or communal areas.

These residents have significant barriers to vaccination. Some are seniors, others have disabilities; yet more have little to no Internet access, or are homeless.

Hotline launched

Vaccine pre-registration can now be completed over the phone. The county's hotline — (833) 875-3967 — is accepting pre-registration calls from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Callers are put into the system and wait line, and once their booking slot becomes available, they are notified.

Centralized registry vouched for by county leaders

Legislation has been introduced in both chambers of the Pennsylvania general assembly to build a centralized registration system, so that residents can sign up to receive their vaccine in one location, rather than attempting to sign up through multiple pharmacies or healthcare systems.

There is significant support for the idea in Montgomery County.

"We have not taken any official stance, however, obviously it would make it much easier for our constituents," Commissioner Val Arkoosh said Wednesday.

How many people are ahead of me in line?

To find where you are in line, you can compare the date you registered to these statistics on daily new registrants.

A total of 172,824 people are in the county's 1A wait line, as of Tuesday morning.

How To Sign Up

You can pre-register for a vaccine appointment here if you are in the 1A group.
Due to limited supplies, it may be up to 12 weeks before you hear back about confirming an appointment. Don't panic; if you pre-registered, your name is in the system.

Why is it taking so long?

Supply remains extremely limited nationwide, and this is the most significant reason for delays. The county receives allocations from the state, which receives it from the federal government and pharmaceutical companies. Even if administration was running flawlessly, there is not enough vaccine.

That overarching fact is coupled with numerous flaws in the rollout thus far. The state is still recovering from the Moderna dose mixup, which delayed many second doses. The state is also in the process of reducing the total number of providers from 1,700 to around 200, a move which officials are hopeful will help the "top performing" providers like county health departments receive a larger share of doses and vaccinate a larger number of people.

How come essential workers like teachers and police officers are still unable to get the vaccine?

Teachers, police officers, and other essential workers are in the 1B category. The state, when pressed on the issue, says they remain committed to vaccinating all of 1A first.Numerous Pennsylvania education associations, including conglomerates of school boards, rural and small schools, principals, administrators, and the State Education Association, penned a letter to Gov. Wolf this week urging school staff to be placed on priority lists for the vaccine.

"Ensuring that the men and women who teach and serve Pennsylvania's children receive the vaccine as soon as possible is absolutely essential if we are to reopen our state's schools for in-person instruction and return to normal operations when the 2021-22 school year begins," the letter reads.

The letter goes on to note that 26 other states currently prioritize school staff members in the vaccination plans, but not Pennsylvania.

When will the vaccine be available to the general public?

Officials have no updated estimate as to when the state may be ready to move into the 1B phase, though they reiterated hopes previously expressed by Gov. Tom Wolf that the vaccine could be available to the general public by spring or summer.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, however, said this week on the Today show that April could be "open season" for the vaccine, with the potential of availability for all groups by then.
There are some 250,000 individuals in the 1A category in Montgomery County.

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