New Mass Vaccination Site Opens At Norristown Area High School

NORRISTOWN, PA — A new mass vaccination site opened at Norristown Area High School on Wednesday, as the county works to improve distribution efficiency for its limited supply of coronavirus vaccine.

The new site replaces the Montgomery County Community College site in Blue Bell, which will now only be open for patients receiving their second dose of the vaccine. All new appointments will be at the new location at Norristown.

The high school has "much easier access" for seniors going to get the vaccine, including a notably shorter walk to get inside the clinic, officials said.

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

The community college site opened in early January as the county's first mass vaccine clinic. More clinics will be opened in the future once more vaccine arrives.

If you fall within the 1A category, you can pre-register for an appointment in Norristown here.

In addition to the county-run site, pharmacies and a small number of doctor's offices in the county are receiving vaccine allocations from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. A list of those providers is available online.

Of course, opening the new site in Norristown does not change the fundamental pre-existing problems with the immunization effort: the county received 3,500 fewer doses last week than it had the week before, meaning supplies are becoming even more limited. There are now 139,926 residents pre-registered and waiting for doses, officials said, and officials say residents should expect a 6 to 12 week wait time before they can be contacted for an appointment, given uncertainty over how much shipment the federal government is sending.

Arkoosh thanked Norristown school officials, including Shae Ashe and Christopher Dormer, for working closely with the county to open the site.