MD Considers Montgomery College As Possible Mass Vaccination Site

GERMANTOWN, MD — A top Montgomery County official says the state is "definitely interested" in opening a COVID-19 mass vaccination site on Montgomery College's Germantown campus.

During a virtual county council meeting on Tuesday, Dr. Earl Stoddard said state officials agreed to schedule a walk-through with the National Guard.

"They are definitely interested in our site proposed at Montgomery College (in) Germantown — so much so that they are going to schedule a walk-through with the National Guard ... to look at the site logistics and help us with (planning)," the county's head of emergency management said.

It's welcome news for leaders in Maryland's most populous jurisdiction — as they have been pushing Gov. Larry Hogan (R) for weeks to open a mass vaccination site in the area. The hard-hit county has reported the most COVID-19-related deaths, as well as the second-highest number of cases, in the state.

To date, Maryland has opened four mass vaccination sites — one in Prince George's County, two in Baltimore City, and another in Charles County. Two other locations are set to open in Washington and Wicomico counties later this month.

According to Hogan, this "will give us at least one mass vaccination site in every region of the state."

Visibly and vocally upset, officials in Montgomery County criticized Hogan's plan, saying it largely ignored the needs of local residents.

"It is absurd that from a public health standpoint, we, as the largest jurisdiction in the (state), with the largest percentage of seniors, with the second-largest percentage of minorities, have not even had a conversation about the development of a mass vaccination site here in Montgomery County," Council Vice President Gabe Albornoz said last month.

Montgomery County has offered up multiple locations as potential mass vaccination sites — including the Germantown campus of Montgomery College.

That site, according to Stoddard, is appealing because it boasts multiple 10,000-square-foot or larger spaces and thousands of parking spots. The campus is also off I-270, which makes it accessible to residents in Montgomery County and neighboring Frederick County.

Health officials are not sure if the site will be approved. But if that happens, Stoddard says residents shouldn't expect the clinic to open for at least another month. That's when the state expects to see a surge in vaccine supply.

"The state is under the impression that the quantities from the federal government are not going to likely increase before April 1," he said. "As such, they're resistant to commit to an additional site until they have some increased degree of confidence that there will be an increase in vaccine quantity."

In the meantime, Stoddard says the state will continue its clinical partnership with Holy Cross Hospital to develop the site.

"They haven't said no, but they just haven't said yes, either. So we're continuing with our planning efforts," he said. "Our goal is to do as many of the logistic things upfront as possible to make it as difficult for them to say no once the state has more vaccine available in a few weeks.