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MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA – As the coronavirus inoculation campaign continues in Montgomery County, the queue to receive the vaccine increases dramatically and frustrations increase due to delays.
Who is already vaccinated?
As of Monday afternoon, 56,351 people in Montgomery County had been partially vaccinated against COVID-19 and 15,712 people had received both doses of the two-dose vaccine.
This means that over the past week, around 13,000 more people were vaccinated with the first doses in the county, while about 5,000 more received second doses.
Most of the vaccines were administered at the Montgomery County Community College mass vaccination site in Blue Bell, or at hospitals in Montgomery County to their employees. Pharmacists who visit county retirement homes and other long-term care facilities have also distributed vaccines.
Where to get the vaccine in Montgomery County
A new mass vaccination site opened last week at Norristown Area High School. All new appointments will now be scheduled there. Officials say this site has significantly improved accessibility for seniors.
Meanwhile, the Blue Bell Campus Clinic at Montgomery County Community College will remain open only to provide second doses to those who have already received their first dose there.
There are also several pharmacies and hospitals in the area that are starting to receive doses. A full list of these sites is available here.
How long is the wait?
The queue is now 140,000 residents in Montgomery County, officials said last week.
When residents book an appointment for a vaccine online, it can take six to 12 weeks before they receive a notification confirming their appointment. This is due to the severe shortage of vaccines and a lack of knowledge about the number of doses the county will receive in the future.
Indeed, the county received 3,500 fewer doses last week from the state than it received the week before. It’s believed to be because there are now more vaccine suppliers statewide, so the already limited supply is even smaller.
Pennsylvania now ranks among the worst in the country in terms of the percentage of vaccines it has successfully distributed. It is not known why, although there are several possibilities.
Who is eligible to get the vaccine now?
Montgomery County, like the rest of Pennsylvania, remains in Phase 1A of the state’s four-phase coronavirus vaccine rollout. Originally, this meant that the only people eligible for a vaccine were healthcare workers, residents and employees of nursing homes and other care facilities.
State officials dramatically increased the number of Pennsylvanians eligible for the vaccine during the initial phase. All people 65 years of age and older, as well as residents 16 years of age or older who have health conditions that put them at high risk of contracting the virus, were immediately eligible, adding an estimated 3.5 million residents of Pennsylvania on the list of people eligible for vaccines. However, the state is struggling to secure an adequate supply of vaccine.
With some 250,000 residents eligible to receive the vaccine in the expanded 1A category, it could take several months, or even a year, to move into this category.
After 1A, Categories 1B and 1C contain thousands of other Montgomery County police, teachers and other frontline officers. There are about 16,598 teachers and essential school staff, and 1,400 police officers in the county, officials said.
How to register
Montgomery County has established an online coronavirus vaccine clearinghouse. The hub contains detailed information on who is eligible to be vaccinated in each of the four phases of the national plan.
People in 1B and 1C can pre-register for an appointment to get the vaccine on the Montgomery County website. Registration for 1A is available at the same link.
Last week, the first public vaccination clinic in eastern Pennsylvania opened in Lehigh County. Hundreds of first responders and elderly residents lined up for their first dose of vaccine at Dorney Park. The one-day clinic in Allentown was open to people aged 75 and over who had made an appointment, as well as healthcare workers and first responders.
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