Coronavirus Vaccine In Montgomery County: Latest Updates

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — While COVID-19 metrics continue to trend in a positive direction in Montgomery County, the pandemic is far from over.

The county has seen 42,401 cases thus far, along with 1,136 deaths duet o the virus.

County health officials were continuing to try to get vaccines to members of the public, according to Pennsylvania's vaccination plan.

Who's Already Vaccinated?

By Friday afternoon, 43,048 people in Montgomery County had been partially vaccinated against COVID-19 and another 10,247 people had received both doses of the two-shot vaccine. Most of the vaccines have been given at Montgomery County Community College's mass vaccination site in Blue Bell, or at Montgomery County hospitals to their employees. Pharmacists visiting the county's nursing homes and other long-term care facilities have also disbursed vaccines.

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 rollout of the coronavirus vaccine. Originally, that meant the only people eligible for a vaccine were healthcare workers and residents and employees of nursing homes and other care facilities.

State officials have dramatically increased the number of Pennsylvanians eligible for the vaccine during the initial phase. Everyone 65 and older, along with residents 16 or older who have health conditions that put them at high risk from the virus immediately were made eligible, adding about 3.5 million Pennsylvania residents to the list of those eligible for the shots. However, the state is experiencing issues obtaining an adequate supply of the vaccine.

With some 250,000 residents eligible to receive the vaccine in the expanded 1A category, it could take many months, or even a year, to get through that category.

Following 1A, the 1B and 1C categories contain thousands more Montgomery County police officers, teachers, and other frontline workers. There are some 16,598 teachers and essential school staff, and 1,400 police officers in the county, officials said.

How To Sign Up

Montgomery County has created an online hub for information on the coronavirus vaccine. The hub contains detailed information on who is eligible to be vaccinated under each of the state plan's four phases.

Individuals in 1B and 1C can pre-register for an appointment to be vaccinated at the Montgomery County website. Registration for 1A is available at the same link.

Where To Get The Vaccine In Montgomery County

Currently, Montgomery County Community College's Blue Bell campus serves as a distribution site.

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.

On Wednesday, eastern Pennsylvania's first public vaccination clinic opened in Lehigh County. Hundreds of first responders and elderly residents lined up for their first dose of the vaccine at Dorney Park . The one-day clinic in Allentown was open to people 75 and older who had made appointments, as well as healthcare workers and first responders.

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With reporting from Patch correspondent Peter Blanchard