Montgomery County has opened preregistration at County-operated COVID-19 vaccine centers for all County residents aged 16 and older. To register for a County-operated center go to http://www.govaxmoco.com. As more vaccines come into Maryland, residents also can continue to preregister for State mass vaccination clinics online or by calling 1-855-MDGOVAX (1-855-634-6829). Residents are encouraged to preregister with the State and with the County—and advised to take the first vaccination appointment they are offered at any clinic.
More vaccines have become available, so the County has opened a mass vaccination site on the campus of Montgomery College in Germantown. The County is operating the vaccine center through Wednesday, April 7. It is expected that the State will convert the site to a Maryland mass vaccination center beyond that date.
County Executive Marc Elrich has directed the establishment of Free Ride-On bus shuttle service from the Shady Grove Metro station to the vaccination site at Montgomery College in Germantown. Buses will run every 15 minutes from 8:30 a.m. until 30 minutes after the last vaccination (approximately 5 p.m.). Pick up the shuttle on the east side of the Shady Grove Metro. Buses will be marked “Vaccination Shuttle.”
The Germantown site replaces the County-operated site that had been at Quince Orchard High School. That site had to be closed as students have returned to classrooms around the County. Residents who received a first dose of a vaccine at Quince Orchard, but did not yet receive a second vaccine, will get that second dose at Montgomery College.
The County-operated vaccination site at Richard Montgomery High School also has closed. That clinic has moved to the Wheaton Library and Community Recreation Center.
As of last Thursday, April 1, approximately one-third of all County residents have received at least one vaccine. State statistic shows more than 340,700 County residents (32.5 percent) have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. There are more than 185,700 fully vaccinated County residents (17.7 percent).
While the number of people being vaccinated is increasing daily, the average number of County residents with confirmed positive COVID-19 cases has also increased since 2021 low points in mid-March. COVID hospital bed-use rates are beginning to rise as well. See details on the County COVID-19 Data Dashboard.
Residents who have received at least their first vaccination can help others by canceling their preregistration for a County-run clinic. Completing the form will remove a person from the preregistration list.
As more residents are vaccinated, others have become more lenient about getting tested for the virus. However, it is still important to get tested because that helps health officials track the spread of COVID-19 in the community. There are free testing clinics every week throughout the County. Find a complete schedule of upcoming clinics at www.MoCOCOVIDTesting.org.
For more information about COVID-19 in Montgomery County, listen and read County Executive Marc Elrich’s message (published on April 1) here.
