NORRISTOWN, PA – During their virtual COVID-19 briefing today, the Montgomery County Commissioners provided an update on COVID-19 vaccine operations.
With increased supply of Johnson & Johnson vaccine expected, Montgomery County will be able to support the Commonwealth’s special initiative to vaccinate targeted industry workers and to accelerate the vaccination timetable for those in Phases 1B, 1C and 2 announced today.
«I am very pleased and grateful to be able to tell you that Governor Wolf and his team announced earlier today that 42,000 combined doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be delivered weekly to the county health departments in the four Southeast Pennsylvania counties,» said Dr. Valerie A. Arkoosh, Chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. «The delivery of Montgomery County’s share of these doses will enable us to significantly accelerate the progression through our 1A list as well as more quickly vaccinate a number of essential frontline workers.»
Montgomery County’s three existing mass vaccination clinics remain on track with first and second dose clinics. The Montgomery County Office of Public Health (OPH) received all necessary second doses for this week, and its first dose clinics continue to administer the Pfizer vaccine. The County’s weekly first dose vaccine supply remains level at 5,850 doses.
National Minority Health Month 2021: During the month of April, Montgomery County is supporting the National Minority Health Month campaign, focusing on the disproportionate impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on racial and ethnic minority and American Indian and Alaska Native communities, which underscore the need for these vulnerable communities to get vaccinated as more vaccines become available.
Montgomery County has worked diligently to both ensure that the numbers of its residents vaccinated are high, while at the same time ensuring that vaccine administration is equitable and that there are no barriers to obtaining vaccine. Officials continue to ask that anyone receiving vaccine consider self-identifying so the County can accurately capture race and ethnicity data.
COVID-19 Rent & Utility Relief: The COVID-19 Rent and Utility Relief Program, administered by Your Way Home, allows eligible households to receive up to 12 months of assistance for rent and utility bills dating back to March 13, 2020. Assistance can be for past due rent and/or utility payments or future rent payments. Funding for security deposits, first and/or last month of rent is also eligible as part of the program. There is no financial limit on the amount of assistance a household can receive.
MontcoStrong 2021 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program: Hospitality industry businesses negatively impacted by COVID-19 can apply for up to $50,000 in grant funding through the MontcoStrong 2021 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program. Montgomery County has received approximately $9.4 million in state funding to provide grants to eligible businesses. Applicants will be required to submit documentation of expenses incurred and paid during the eligible expense period. Applicants are encouraged to watch this video on the application process.
COVID-19 Vaccine Updates: Montgomery County is booking appointments for people who qualify for Phase 1A. Appointment slots are limited and are available by reservation only. Walk-up registration is not accepted. To learn more about the 1A criteria or to pre-register for an appointment, visit www.montcopa.org/covid-19vaccine.
To date, there are over 75,000 people remaining on the Phase 1A pre-registration list. Residents can check their status at the County’s vaccine status page. This page lists the number of requests by date of registration. Montgomery County is currently booking appointments for those who pre-registered on or before February 10, 2021.
Residents are encouraged to check the County’s Frequently Asked Questions webpage on the COVID-19 vaccine, which is updated weekly.
Montgomery County COVID-19 Hotline: A COVID-19 hotline is available for general COVID-19 questions and pre-registration for the COVID-19 vaccine. The number to call is (833) 875-3967. The Montgomery County COVID-19 hotline is operational six days a week, Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., with live operators. Phone pre-registration for vaccine appointments is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition, the hotline has LanguageLine support for over 100+ different languages.
County-run Mass Vaccination Clinics: County vaccine clinics run Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Appointments are required to receive the vaccine. No walk-up registration is accepted. Currently, Montgomery County has three vaccination clinics:
- Montgomery County Community College – Blue Bell, PA
- Norristown Area High School – Norristown, PA
- Parkside Shopping Center (Former Petco), 2522 West Moreland Road, Willow Grove, PA 19090
As more vaccine doses become available, more appointment slots and vaccination clinics will be opened. The public should not call these sites directly, they are hosting the clinics and have no information on vaccine distribution.
Vaccine Pre-registration with Other Providers: There are a number of other providers in the County and region that are receiving the vaccine. Residents can look these up on the PA Department of Health (DOH) vaccine provider map as they change weekly. Each site has its own registration process that is separate from the County. The Montgomery County Office of Public Health does not distribute vaccines to these locations and does not have any control over how the vaccine is distributed. The PA DOH distributes the vaccine directly to them. Wherever a resident goes to receive their first dose of vaccine is where they need to go to get their second dose.
COVID-19 Testing Sites Schedule: Montgomery County COVID-19 testing sites are open various hours each weekday at six locations across the County weather permitting. Testing is available to anyone who lives, works or goes to school in Montgomery County. Appointments can be made on weekdays starting at 7 a.m. online or starting at 8:30 a.m. by calling (610) 970-2937.
COVID-19 Cases & Data: A full breakdown of all Montgomery County COVID-19 cases can be found on the COVID-19 Data Hub. The Hub hosts the County’s COVID-19 maps, data, and charts that show the number of daily cases and deaths related to COVID-19, including hospitalizations and ventilator use. There is also demographic information on cases by age, gender and race. For all other COVID-19 resources in Montgomery County, please visit https://www.montcopa.org/COVID-19.
COVID-19 Virtual Media Briefings: The next press briefing on COVID-19 mitigation efforts will be held Wednesday, April 7, at 1:30 p.m. A link for media to register will be announced through a media advisory. It will be streamed live to the public on Montgomery County’s Facebook page and a recording will be uploaded on the County’s Public Safety YouTube channel.
Media Contact: Kelly Cofrancisco, kcofrancisco@montcopa.org
