April 14, 2021

More Than 43 Percent of County Residents Have Received At Least One COVID-19 Vaccine; J & J Vaccines Paused in Montgomery

More than 43 percent of Montgomery County residents have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination and more than one-quarter of residents are fully vaccinated, according to statistics from the State of Maryland as of today, Thursday, April 15. The County this week joined most states in pausing use of the Johnson & Johnson (J & J) vaccines pending a medical review, but the County is doing everything possible to minimize the impact of that halted supply.

While vaccination rates are going up, confirmed COVID-19 cases, COVID-19 testing positivity rates and COVID-19 hospital bed use rates are beginning to rise as well. See the Montgomery County COVID-19 Data Dashboard for key indicators and more details.

State Thursday morning statistics show more than 458,600 residents have received at least one vaccination (43.6 percent of the County population) and 275,700 residents are fully vaccinated (26.2 percent). 


All Marylanders 16 and older are eligible for a vaccine, no matter which provider is giving the vaccination. Residents can preregister at www.govaxmoco.com for one of the County-operated COVID-19 vaccination clinics. Those without a computer or who might need help to preregister should call the preregistration helpline at 240-777-2892 for assistance.

The State’s mass vaccination sites also are accepting preregistration for anyone over 16. Residents can preregister themselves, friends or family members at covidvax.maryland.gov. Options will include the Germantown mass vaccination site on the campus of Montgomery College, as well as the new mass vaccination site located at the Greenbelt Metro Station in Prince George’s County.

Preregistration does not guarantee an appointment.

Following recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), County health officials this week paused the use of the single-dose J & J vaccine after six women recipients who were between 18 and 48 in the U.S. developed rare episodes involving blood clots within two weeks of vaccination. The decision to pause the use of the vaccine came after more the 6.8 million doses of the vaccine had been administered in the United States. The CDC and the FDA will examine possible links between the vaccine and the blood clots and determine whether the FDA should continue to authorize use of the vaccine.

Approximately 960 doses of the J & J vaccine were scheduled for use this week at the mass vaccination site in Germantown. People scheduled for those doses instead received first doses of the Pfizer vaccine.  No other County-operated vaccination sites are currently using the J & J vaccine. 

Montgomery County received about 30 percent fewer doses of COVID-19 vaccine doses this week. The County received 7,020 doses of Pfizer vaccine, a decrease from last week’s delivery of 10,730 doses. The reduced number of doses received will decrease the number of appointments that will be scheduled in the County. 

Residents who have received a first dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine at a County-operated clinic will receive an email four to seven days before their second dose is due, inviting them to schedule an appointment for a second dose. The second dose appointment must be scheduled at the same location as the first dose—unless the first dose was received at Quince Orchard High School or Richard Montgomery High School.  Those clinics have moved to other locations now that schools are back in session. People vaccinated at one of these high schools will be given information on where to receive a second dose.

Residents who have received their first dose at a County-operated clinic, but have not received an email three days before the due date of a second dose, should email c19vaccination@montgomerycountymd.gov or call the COVID-19 call center at 240-777-1755 for assistance in scheduling a second dose appointment. 

The County always maintains a supply of second dose vaccine for residents who received their first dose from the County.

The mass vaccination site at Montgomery College’s Germantown campus is now a State-supported mass vaccination site, administering about 3,000 doses per day. Vaccinations at the site are available to all Marylanders, but about 25 percent of the appointments are being reserved for Montgomery County residents.

Free Ride-On shuttle service is available from the Shady Grove Metro station to the vaccination site at Montgomery College-Germantown. Buses run every 30 minutes from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.  The shuttle can be picked up on the east side of the Shady Grove Metro station.  Buses will be marked “Vaccine Shuttle.”

To avoid lines and maintain safe distancing, residents are advised to arrive at a vaccination site no more than 15 minutes before their scheduled appointment. 

Montgomery County health officials recommend that people who are regularly out in the community get tested for COVID-19 at least once each month. While many people with COVID-19 have mild or no symptoms, it is still possible to be infected and pass the disease to friends, family and loved ones. A person may have been in close contact with someone with asymptomatic COVID-19 without knowing it. The County continues to provide free testing at numerous locations for anyone who wants one. Find a complete schedule of upcoming clinics at www.MoCoCOVIDTesting.org.