County Administering COVID-19 Vaccines at One of the Highest Rates in the State

The rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has taken on various dimensions around the nation over the past few weeks as the first steps to combat the health crisis created by the virus are moving forward. Although Montgomery County is anxiously awaiting allocation of more vaccines, it has taken swift steps to administer the first vaccines it has received.

On Tuesday, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan listed Montgomery County among the five counties in the State that had done the efficient jobs in administering the doses of vaccines that it had received.

On Dec. 29, the County received 4,200 doses of vaccine (after receiving 100 doses earlier in December). Updated statistics from Tuesday, Jan. 5, show that the County had administered 4,047 of those (94.1 percent). On Jan. 5, the County received an additional 8,600 doses and estimates that at least 5,500 doses will be administered by Friday Jan. 8.

The County has established a Vaccine Dashboard to provide updated information on the distribution of vaccines. The information includes the number of vaccines received and the number distributed.

The dashboard also establishes the priority list for the order of people to receive vaccines in Montgomery County.

Priority Group 1 A (Tier 1) recipients will include:

• Hospital personnel
• *Long Term Care facilities (staff and residents)
• *Development Disability Agency group homes
• *Assisted Living facilities
• *Rest and Rehabilitation facilities
• *Delivered via pharmacy partnership 

Priority Group 1 A (Tier 2) will include populations with frequent exposure to individuals with known COVID-19 and/or providing services essential to the maintenance of public health and healthcare systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. This group will include:

• EMS 
• Vaccinators (LHD, school nurse, etc)
• Testing sites – testers/onsite registration
• Public Health – COVID response
• Urgent care
• Primary care

Priority Group 1A (Tier 3) will include populations with risk of exposure to individuals with suspected COVID-19 and/or providing services essential to the maintenance of public health and health care systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. This group will include:

• Dental practices
• Pharmacists
• Other health care professionals (e.g., outpatient specialties, optometrists, physical therapists, podiatrists, community health workers, in-home nursing staff)
• Detention Centers staff
• Homeless shelters staff
• Law enforcement (patrol/public-facing)

Priority Group 1A (Tier 3) will include:

• Fire rescue 
• 9-1-1 dispatchers
• Behavioral health (non-telehealth) – e.g., residential/recovery
• School nurses (non-vaccine/non-testers)
• Lab workers
• Morticians/funeral home staff
• Surgical centers
• Other providers licensed by Maryland

Priority Group 1B (Tier 1) consists of:

• Adults age 75 years and older

Additional details on the County’s distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, including the groups included in Priority Groups 1B (Tier 2) and Priority Group 1C, can be found at montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/vaccine.