The State of Maryland this week provided JHM with 8,775 doses of the vaccine. The doses will be used to vaccinate County residents who are older than 65 and have received care from JHM providers within the last two years. They also will be used to vaccinate MCPS employees.
MCPS employees eligible for vaccination will be identified by the school system and referred to JHM for appointment scheduling. People who meet the criteria will be contacted via email by JHM when a vaccine appointment is available.
“We are excited about this partnership because, working together, we can have a more effective vaccination strategy,” said County Executive Elrich. “With the vaccine in such limited supply, we need to work together to reach as many of the eligible populations as quickly as possible.”
Kevin W. Sowers, president of the Johns Hopkins Health System and executive vice president of Johns Hopkins Medicine, said: “Over the last year, we have partnered with local, State and national agencies to develop collaborative pandemic response plans. As we enter this newest vaccination phase in Maryland, we are pleased to answer the call from the State to vaccinate eligible individuals using vaccine doses allocated to residents of Montgomery County.”
MCPS Superintendent Jack Smith said: “MCPS is grateful for this collaboration with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services and Johns Hopkins Medicine that will provide all MCPS employees with access to the COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine offers a significant level of prevention against acquiring COVID-19 and increases the level of safety for staff and students. Providing access to the vaccine to our employees is a crucial step toward a return to a level of normalcy for all of us and a return to in-person instruction.”
The County continues to work closely with the State regarding the limited vaccine supply and the great demand. The County is also working with other health care providers, including local hospital and health care systems, to expand the number of vaccinations available.
The long-term goal, dependent on vaccine production and distribution, is for the public to have the opportunity to receive the vaccination in the coming months. Some private providers are offering the COVID-19 vaccine as well. Those hospitals and pharmacies are independent of the County-run vaccine facilities.
Visit the County’s COVID19 vaccine page for a more detailed description of priority groups. Preregistration for the early priority groups is also available on the vaccine website.
