After delays in sending doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Montgomery County, Maryland, due to winter weather problems, vaccination appointments were about to be postponed until a new supply arrived Monday afternoon.
After delays in sending doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Montgomery County, Maryland, due to winter weather problems, vaccination appointments were about to be postponed until a new supply arrived Monday afternoon.
The Maryland Department of Health has awarded the country 10,000 doses for last week – 4,500 first doses and 5,500 second doses – and 4,500 first doses for this week of delayed shipment, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services told WTOP said.
Provincial officials said in an online briefing Monday morning that the COVID-19 vaccinations scheduled for last week could be rescheduled from Wednesday if the delayed vaccines are not delivered soon.
The province saw a decrease of about 5,000 vaccinations for residents last week, after the vaccination slowed down in the winter. The winter weather is delaying the transportation of vaccines across the DC area.
Dr. Raymond Crowel, director of health and human services in Montgomery County, said people should drive safely to their appointments on Monday or Tuesday, and that if they are late, vaccination workers will wait.
If you do not feel you can get to your appointment safely, call 240-777-1755 to reschedule.
‘Chaotic’ system
County officials have reiterated their call on Maryland to create a nationwide vaccination site, as well as a local vaccination site, which they say would help people get vaccinated faster.
About 127,000 Montgomery residents received their first COVID-19 vaccine shot, and according to Crowel, about 50,000 people have been completely vaccinated.
Provincial council chairman Tom Hucker said residents were “very frustrated and angry” at the “chaotic” system, adding: “We can vaccinate ten times as many residents” if the Maryland Department of Health does not reduce doses for privacy. ”No. suppliers and mass vaccination sites.
Crowel said a local vaccination staff will enable officials to target doses to specific communities that cannot travel to state websites – there are currently one at Six Flags in Prince George’s County and two in Baltimore.
The province is currently working with partners, such as Connect-A-Ride, for taxi services to help residents without access to transportation to get to mass vaccination sites.
Gabe Albornoz, vice president of the county council, said, “It makes no sense to walk around” that the largest county in Maryland does not have a mass vaccination site.
Crowel said the province allocates doses to communities hardest hit, which he says are mostly black and brown communities. The province allocates doses based on zip codes and census tracking; he said it was “not based on population but on impact.”
Albornoz has warned residents to be wary of fraudulent vaccination sites. He said any program that requests payments or information on social security is a red flag. Residents can contact 311 with any questions or concerns.
Crowel urged residents to continue testing, as test numbers dropped from 50,000 a week to about 35,000 to 40,000 a week after the holiday season.
Crowel and Albornoz said a central registration site would reduce the clipping of links for appointments, which sometimes goes to people who are not yet supposed to be vaccinated.
Crowel said more links would be shared from Saturday night, and it would “take a lot of work to undo the damage.”
Albornoz added: “People arrive at these destinations with an appointment,” which is a challenge for staff to turn people away, creating an appointment that has just been wasted. “
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