Places to get COVID-19 vaccine expand in Montgomery Co, but stock is still limited

The number of sites ready to issue COVID-19 vaccines within Montgomery County, Maryland is increasing, and while some spots may have different rules for whoever gets a chance, they all share the general challenge of limited and uncertain doses.

The number of sites ready to issue COVID-19 vaccines within Montgomery County, Maryland is increasing, and while some spots may have different rules for whoever gets a chance, they all share the general challenge of limited and uncertain doses.

Whether someone can receive the vaccine from age 65 or 75 depends on who gives the shots.

People 75 and older can now start registering for vaccine appointments at the clinics in the Montgomery Department of Health, and the country is starting to send links to make appointments for pre-registered seniors.

But people 65 and older can sign up for appointments at other clinics in the country made possible by partnerships from the state health department.

In Montgomery County, four Giant pharmacies can now enroll people for COVID-19 vaccines. There are other giant places across the state that offer vaccine appointments. In addition, locations may soon open at Safeway, Rite Aid and CVS.

However, the arrangements made by the Department of Health in Maryland use different criteria and a different reporting system, according to a Monday briefing that the county’s health officer, Dr. Travis Gayles, and county council president Tom Hucker.

Although the Montgomery County Department of Health has not yet begun providing registrations for residents aged 65-74, Giant said the vaccination appointments are open to anyone eligible for shots aged 65 and older.

However, as with the clinics in the country, it seems that there is a huge demand for vaccines by Giant pharmacies.

On the Giant Pharmacy COVID-19 vaccination page, the link to the scheduling portal takes visitors to a landing page. Shortly after 2pm on Monday, more than 13,000 people waited in the digital line, and the time to reach the actual schedule page takes several hours. As of 19:20, a message on the website said it was not ready for maintenance.

You can see the full list of giant vaccine vaccination sites on the Coronavirus Web site in Maryland. Some Walmart stores in Maryland do not offer vaccinations yet, although there are none in Montgomery County.


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Looking for more information? DC, Maryland and Virginia publish more data every day. Visit their official sites here: Virginia | Maryland | DC


Among the hospitals in the country that currently offer vaccinations for the vaccine, the vaccination sheet COVID-19 from Holy Cross Hospital indicates that clinics contain a limited number of appointment slots for community members in groups 1a and 1b, which include health workers and people of 75 years and older. Phase 1c vaccinations (65 and older) will come in the future “depending on the availability of vaccines and the progress of vaccination of higher priority groups.”

The website Adventist Healthcare says the hospital also restricts appointments for health workers and 75-year-olds and even the appointments are full from Monday night. People can sign up to be alerted when appointments are available.

Gayles said the province is investigating ongoing partnerships for the distribution of vaccines, in addition to those already underway.

But he described the amount of COVID-19 vaccines being made available as unfortunately inadequate and unpredictable. Gayles, for example, said he only found out the amount of doses the province is expected to receive on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Both Gayles and Hucker expressed frustration over poor communication and lack of information from the Maryland Department of Health and excessive allocations of vaccines from the state going to smaller versus larger provinces.

“Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Montgomery County and Prince George’s all have between 1.7 and 2.6 doses per 100 populations,” Hucker said. According to Hucker, Kent County receives 8.2 doses per 100 and Somerset County 7.4.

“It makes no sense. This is of course unfair, “he said.

Shortly after the briefing, an erasure of tweets between Montgomery County CEO Marc Elrich and Maryland Government spokesman Larry Hogan reflected efforts to improve county-state communication and cooperation.

“The governor had a positive and productive conversation this afternoon with Montgomery County CEO Marc Elrich. “They agreed on ways to more closely coordinate the distribution of vaccines,” said Mike Ricci, a Hogan spokesman. said in a tweet.

Elrich answer: “Thank you, Mike. We really had a positive conversation about how we can coordinate more effectively … We both want people to be vaccinated and are in tune with the way we get there. We just need an increase in supply that neither of us can control, but we are ready to do more when it arrives. ‘

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