MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — With limited supply, getting a coronavirus vaccine anywhere can be a complicated process right now. In Montgomery County, for example, there are eight different places people can sign up to get a vaccine. But registering with the county doesn't actually mean an individual is registered at all places offering the shots, like hospitals and pharmacies.
That means a person signed up through the county's health department isn't automatically granted access to every venue where they could receive a vaccination - you will have to go through each site to see if you can get an appointment.
The county's vaccine rollout process has people pre-register, then they'll be contacted by the county or other clinic to schedule an appointment for getting the shot. Others simply provide an appointment, assuming you qualify in the current phase of vaccination access.
The multitude of ways people can sign up for the vaccine in Montgomery County can be confusing and time-consuming. In an update on the vaccine process Tuesday, the county listed eight places where people are able to register:
- Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services
- Adventist HealthCare
- Holy Cross Hospital
- Kaiser Permanente
- MedStar Health
- Suburban Hospital, a subsidiary of Johns Hopkins
- Giant (Georgetown Square, Kentlands, Burtonsville and Silver Spring [East-West Highway] locations)
- Safeway (Rockville [Norbeck Road] and Wheaton [Georgia Avenue] locations)
Maryland is in week 8 of its vaccine rollout, and WUSA9 has learned that Montgomery County received 40% fewer vaccine doses this week than in the previous week, despite assurances from President Joe Biden that states would receive a 16% increase in doses this week.
Montgomery, Maryland's most populous county, is third to last in the state with the proportion of its population who've received vaccines, according to the Department of Health.
Montgomery County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles said on average the county has been receiving about 7,000 doses a week, adding up to a little more than 30,000 doses. He said the supply shortage is causing the county to restrict doses to fewer groups.
“Let’s say we get to a 10,000-dose a week average," Dr. Gayles said. "If we stayed at that current clip to get everyone covered, that’s going to be over 100 weeks, just shy of two years, and so something has to change.”