Montco COVID Vaccine Wait Line Is 140K Deep; Fewer Doses Received

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — The national vaccine shortage continues to severely impact Montgomery County, as the wait line for those eligible to receive doses in the 1A priority group has grown drastically.

There are now 139,926 residents preregistered and waiting for doses, officials said. At the current rate that doses are being received, and the rate at which this line is being processed, it could take up to 12 weeks for residents to hear back about scheduling their appointment following their preregistration.

"There will be enough vaccine for all of us that want it, but there is not enough today," Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh said Wednesday.

And despite pledges at the federal level to drastically ramp up vaccine production and distribution — states and counties are entirely beholden to the federal government and pharmaceutical companies for shipments — the county is not receiving any additional doses in recent weeks.

In fact, it's been just the opposite. The county received 3,500 fewer doses last week than it had the week before. It's not yet clear why. When pressed for details during a Pennsylvania Department of Health news briefing Wednesday, senior adviser Lindsey Mauldin said she did not know. Patch has reached out to the state for more details.

All told, the county has just under 4,000 doses left to administer. Officials said they will be all out of vaccine by Monday unless they receive an additional shipment before then.

Arkoosh noted that the county has the infrastructure to administer many more doses per day than they are currently doing. A new mass vaccination clinic opened at Norristown Area High School this week, which is where future appointments will be scheduled. The Montgomery County Community College Clinic is now only vaccinating people who received their first dose.

The ongoing cloud of uncertainty surrounding shipment schedules trickles down into that line of 140,000 residents and feeds lingering confusion. The county only schedules new appointments a few days ahead of time because it does not know how much vaccine it will have, and it does not want to have to cancel any appointments. It has led residents to blame the county, whose hands are effectively tied.

Most of the 250,000 people in 1A in the county still need to be vaccinated, and there are health care workers who still need to receive doses, as well, Arkoosh said Wednesday. Officials continue to blame the decision to dramatically expand the 1A category (to include all residents over 65), without a corresponding increase in doses, as causing frustration and adding to the chaos. It's also led to an indefinite delay on when essential 1B workers, such as teachers and police officers, may receive doses.

A total of 48,704 Montgomery County residents have received partial vaccinations, while 12,336 have received the full two doses, as of Wednesday

People can check their status to see where they fall in the queue online at the county's "Status of Vaccine Registrants" page.

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