County Administering COVID-19 Vaccines at One of the Highest Rates in the State—More Doses Needed

Montgomery County is has taken swift steps to administer the vaccines it has received—proceeding at one of the highest rates of vaccine administration in Maryland.

Of the first 19,800 doses of the Moderna vaccine the County received, it is estimated that 100 percent will be distributed by Friday, Jan. 15. The County has not informed about when the next doses will arrive, nor how many doses will be delivered. 

Including vaccines that have been delivered directly to private contract administrators/hospitals in the County (which are not included in the statistics for doses delivered directly to the County for distribution), Maryland statistics estimate 30,000 to 40,000 individuals have been vaccinated from the County’s first priority group (1A). The County will not wait until everyone in that group is vaccinated before moving to the next group, but it is aiming to get maximum uptake of vaccinations by each group. “Herd immunity” is accomplished when at least 80 percent of those eligible to be vaccinated are given shots (both doses). 

Vaccinations are by appointment only. The County will provide a link to the appointment system when it moves to the next priority groups.

The County is following CDC and Maryland Department of Health guidance.

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.

Click to View in PDF

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 & 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

For additional details on the County’s distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, including the groups in Priority Groups 1B (Tier 2) and Priority Group 1C, can be found at See the County's latest COVID-19 Vaccines Update.

Montgomery County Seeks Feedback on Residents’ Demand for Receiving COVID-19 Vaccine

Montgomery County has launched an online survey to get an informed understanding of how residents feel about taking the COVID-19 vaccine.

The survey is not scientific, but will help identify concerns residents may have about the vaccine. With a goal of vaccinating 75 to 80 percent of the community, the County will use the feedback to address questions and to better reach communities hit hardest by COVID-19 and have historically been apprehensive about trusting vaccines or medical research.

The County plans to incorporate the information from the survey into its communications efforts to educate the public on the importance of taking the vaccine.

The survey is open through Thursday, Feb. 4, and is on the County’s COVID-19 vaccine website. The survey is anonymous and is available in the top seven spoken languages in the County. It also is available on the County’s Facebook page and Twitter feed.

The survey has 12 multiple choice questions and takes approximately five minutes to complete. In addition to the survey being available online, the survey will be offered to residents at several of the County’s COVID-19 testing sites.

County to Honor Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Virtual Celebration on Monday, Jan. 18

Montgomery County will host its annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, but due to the COVID-19 health crisis, will do it in a virtual program at 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 18.

“In His and Their Own Words: Reflecting Our Past While Forecasting the Future” will honor Dr. King’s life through dramatic readings, musical and dance performances. The event, produced by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Committee and the Montgomery County Office of Human Rights, will be available on County Cable Montgomery; Comcast and RCN (Channel 6 and HD Channel 996); Verizon (Channel 30); and County Cable Facebook. 

This year’s event will include special greetings and remarks by County Executive Marc Elrich and County Council President Tom Hucker and introductory remarks by James Stowe, director of the County’s Office of Human Rights. County Councilmembers will recite brief excerpts from Dr. King’s speeches and four students will share their personal letters addressed to “Dear Martin.” The event will feature an interactive segment that will allow viewers to create MLK-inspired art in real time while enjoying performances by Chelsey Green, Dem Raider Boyz and the Akhmedova Ballet Academy.

World-renowned jazz musician and Montgomery County’s own, Marcus Johnson, will conclude the event with a special performance created especially for the 2021 celebration.

Students can earn SSL hours by viewing the celebration and participating in an advocacy and reflection exercise as part of an MLK Week of Service. More details are available on the MLK Student Service Learning project page.

Registration is encouraged to receive a day of reminder email with the direct link to the event and instructions on how to participate in the live interactive part of the show.

For more information, visit the event website.

COVID-19 Information Portal Has Statistics on How the Virus Has Impacted the County, Including Infections by Zip Codes

Montgomery County’s COVID-19 Information Portal provides a variety of breakdowns on how the virus has impacted the County. The statistics are regularly updated to reflect the most recent reports during the health crisis.

Among the information available is how many positive cases have been reported in each zip code in the County. That information can be found at https://montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/data/case-counts.html#cases-zip.

Other breakdowns on the COVID-19 Information Portal include:

• Confirmed Cases
• Confirmed Cases by Age and Month of Specimen Collection
• Cases by ZIP Code
• Deaths by Age and Gender
• Deaths by Demographics
• Deaths by ZIP Code
• Nursing Home Cases and Deaths
• Rt graph (time-varying reproduction number)
• Montgomery County Employee Cases

Where to Get Tested for COVID-19

There are numerous ways to get tested for COVID-19 in Montgomery County. The County operates dozens of clinics most weeks and rotates the locations to make testing easily accessible for residents in all parts of the County. In addition, there are many privately operated testing programs.

Testing at County-operated clinics is free, does not require a doctor’s referral and is available by making advance appointments or on a walk-up basis.

There may be a fee at privately operated sites. Residents should check in advance on any possible cost and available times at privately operated sites.

To view the schedule of upcoming County-operated test clinics, and to make an appointment, go to www.MoCoCOVIDtesting.org.

Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services Releases List of Top 10 Selling Beer, Wine and Spirits for 2020

Corona Extra is the top-selling beer in Montgomery County, Barefoot wines are the leading wine sellers and Tito’s Handmade Vodka is the most popular spirit. Those products headed their respective lists of the top-selling products according to 2020 sales results released by Montgomery County’s Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS).

Corona Extra has been the top-selling beer brand in Montgomery County for the past five years and Barefoot has been the best-selling wine brand over the same period. Tito’s has been the best-selling liquor brand in the County for the past three years.

The lists are based on sales dollars through the ABS warehouse to private restaurants, privately owned beer and wine stores and the 26 County-operated retail stores.

The top 10 beers by sales:

1. Corona Extra
2. Heineken
3. Modelo Especial
4. Bud Light
5. Miller Lite
6. Coors Light
7. Budweiser
8. Stella Artois
9. Sam Adams
10. Michelob Ultra

The top 10 wine brands by sales:

1. Barefoot
2. Black Box
3. Kendall Jackson
4. Sheffield
5. Turning Leaf
6. Woodbridge
7. Sutter Home
8. Yellow Tail
9. Bota Box
10. Franzia

The top 10 spirits brand by sales:

1. Tito’s Handmade Vodka
2. Hennessy
3. Jack Daniel’s
4. Johnnie Walker
5. Patron
6. Jameson
7. Bacardi Rum
8. Maker’s Mark
9. Grey Goose
10. Smirnoff

While the top 10 brand list is similar to last year’s list, ABS reports seeing some substantial growth in other categories.

This past November, ABS partnered with the Maryland Distillers Guild to promote Maryland Spirits Month. The retail stores offered 10 percent discounts on Maryland-produced spirits during the promotion campaign. Helped by the campaign, Maryland-made spirit sales in ABS stores increased by $57,007 (288 percent) for November 2020 compared to sales in November 2019. More information on this program can be viewed on ABS’s Maryland Made and Keeping it Local website pages.

County Holiday Task Force Results in 262 DUI Arrests; No DUI-Related Fatal Collisions Occurred During Eight-Week Period

An eight-week special task force formed to prevent serious and fatal traffic collisions in Montgomery County during the holiday season resulted in 262 arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. During the period of the task force, which began Nov. 18 and was composed of specially assigned Montgomery County Police, along with respective City and State police agency partners, there were no DUI-related fatal collisions in the County.

The task force, which continued through Jan. 9, was part of Montgomery County’s Vision Zero Initiative that seeks to reduce serious and fatal traffic collisions.

During much of the period of the task force, County restaurants and bars had limitations in indoor operations and in operating hours due to the COVID-19 health crisis. However, the number of drivers operating vehicles while impaired remained significant.

“Since the pandemic began, we have seen a ‘triple threat’ of excessive speeds, impaired driving and not wearing a seatbelt that have resulted in people losing their lives on our roads,” said Captain David McBain of the traffic division of County Police. “The task force sought to limit the danger on our roads for innocent drivers, passengers and pedestrians. We want everyone to get home safe and these mobilizations are a reminder about the responsibilities we all have to keep our roads safe.”

The County Police Alcohol Holiday Task Force was comprised of specifically assigned officers from the Alcohol Initiatives Section and patrol officers from the six police districts. In addition, the task force included officers from the City of Gaithersburg Police Department, the City of Takoma Park Police Department, the Maryland-National Capital Park Police Department (Montgomery County Division), troopers from Maryland State Police, Maryland Department of Transportation Administration Police and deputies from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. Task force officers devoted their full attention to detecting alcohol-related offenses during the special enforcement campaign.

County Police had seven full-time Alcohol Initiatives Unit officers and 20 additional officers assigned to the task force. Other departments and agencies had various numbers of officers participating in the enforcement efforts. Among the actions of the task force partners was to stop suspected drunk drivers and to work with the County’s Department of Alcohol and Beverage Services inspectors on retail compliance with ID and legal age laws.

Over the past three years, the Holiday Task Force has removed more than 850 impaired drivers from local roads. The task force’s work was dedicated to County Police Officer Noah Leotta, who was killed by a drunk driver while on duty as part of the 2015 task force.

More about the County’s Vision Zero Initiative can be found at montgomerycountymd.gov/visionzero.

Free Outdoor Public Wi-Fi Available Near 10 County Libraries and the Silver Spring Civic Building

Montgomery County has leveraged federal COVID-19 funding to install outdoor public Wi-Fi at 10 Public Library (MCPL) locations. The free service is available 24 hours a day at the MCPL branches at Aspen Hill, Davis (North Bethesda), Gaithersburg, Germantown, Maggie Nightingale (Poolesville), Marilyn Praisner (Burtonsville), Rockville Memorial, Twinbrook, Wheaton and White Oak branches. The program also will provide free Wi-Fi in front of the Silver Spring Civic Building at Veterans Plaza.

All MCPL buildings are currently closed due to the COVID-19 health crisis, but the free Wi-Fi service is available in parking lots adjacent to the library buildings. Additional coverage is provided in grass area behind the Davis branch; in the park from the library to the playground area at Wheaton; and in Rockville Town Square.

Wi-Fi coverage varies by location. Customers are advised to follow COVID-19 safety recommendations and are required to adhere to executive orders and health officer directives when using the services.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has brought greater awareness of the impacts of the widening digital disparity, which often deprives community members of opportunities to participate in important daily-life activities such as remote learning, accessing workforce development and employment information or staying up-to-date on news and information,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “The work of MCPL and the Department of Technology Services (DTS) to secure funding to provide Wi-Fi availability for outside use at 11 County facilities is another step in working to ensure that all community members have equitable access to reliable connectivity.”

DTS worked to leverage Federal CARES Act COVID-19 grant funding to install the Wi-Fi access.

The 10 library branches were chosen by analyzing U.S. Census and MCPL data. Seven library branches were selected by mapping Census data neighborhoods with lower incomes and households without home internet. Three additional locations (Davis, Rockville and Wheaton Regional) were selected because, prior to the pandemic, they had greater participation in MCPL small business programs.

“Small business owners who relied on MCPL indoor Wi-Fi to run their businesses asked the County for help and we were glad to assist them,” said Assistant Chief Administrative Officer for Small Economic Development Jerome Fletcher. “Small businesses are critical to County’s economy recovery and more outdoor public Wi-Fi is another way the County is offering relief to small businesses.”

For more information about the outdoor Wi-Fi services contact MCPL Assistant Director James Donaldson at James.Donaldson@montgomerycountymd.gov or 240-777-0030.

Online Process to Request Food Assistance Resources Available

Montgomery County residents looking for information on food assistance resources can now request help by completing an online form. Available in seven languages (Amharic, Chinese, English, French, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese), the form is reviewed by a trained resource specialist. Residents receive a return phone call within one business day. 

A specialist will determine an individual’s or family’s food needs and help them locate food assistance in their community. No personally identifiable information is needed to get help.

Information is available about free food distribution sites, free meal and grocery delivery, SNAP (food stamps), local food assistance providers and other resources in the County. Residents can also call 311 and ask for the Food Access Call Center to get help.

The Food Access Call Center opened in June 2020 and has been working throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to address the increasing need for food assistance. As of mid-December, the Food Access Call Center has responded to more than 2,000 calls/referrals.

Visit the County’s COVID-19 website for more information on food assistance resources.

County’s MLK Day of Service Event Moves to Virtual Platform, Expands to a Week

Every January for more than a decade, the Montgomery County Volunteer Center has brought together thousands of area residents for an afternoon of activities featured as part of its Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day of Service. This year, the event will go virtual and will be expanded to a week, Jan. 16-24, with a variety of home-based and safely distanced service opportunities available online at http://bit.ly/MoCoMLKDay.

The Volunteer Center’s 2021 MLK service will offer residents of all ages the opportunity to honor the life and teachings of Dr. King by participating in remote service projects that help others. Activities include creating toys for service dogs, making blankets for hospice patients, sending well wishes to COVID patients and donating books on diversity for students. MCPS students can earn student service learning (SSL) hours for most projects except donations.

All event activities are free, but space is limited for some projects and registration is required.

In addition to the Volunteer Center’s virtual MLK service activities, several partner agencies are coordinating service projects for MLK Day 2021. More information about them can be found at http://bit.ly/MoCoMLKDay.

The Volunteer Center strives to improve the quality of life in Montgomery County by fostering a culture of volunteerism and service. The agency’s website at www.montgomeryserves.org connects community members in search of volunteer activities with nonprofits and government agencies in need of assistance.