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After weeks of advocacy, Montgomery County is planning to open a mass vaccination site at the Montgomery College Germantown campus, in partnership with Maryland Department of Health, Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, Holy Cross Health and Montgomery College.
Multiple national groups have ranked the vaccine rollout by the Maryland Department of Health as one of the worst in the nation. For months, we have been asking the State to improve efficiency by bringing the doses to where the residents are — which means opening a mass vaccination site in Montgomery County.
Montgomery County should have been home to the first mass vaccination site in the state — not the seventh. We have the largest population, the second-highest COVID-19 case rate, and sadly, we’ve suffered the greatest number of deaths.
After months of advocating with the Governor’s staff, our federal lawmakers, our state legislators, and joining with my colleagues on the Council to maintain a constant drumbeat of pressure in the media, I’m glad the State is finally listening.
A mass vaccination site in Montgomery County is a critical step closer to achieving an equitable vaccine rollout in Maryland, and is the most effective way the State can boost its overall statewide vaccination numbers.
The goal at the Germantown site is to administer 3,000 doses per day, seven days a week at this site, while continuing to operate the community-based clinics and mobile vaccinations. The site will initially have 1,500 doses per day, five days a week, and plan to scale up as more vaccines become available. The site will be fully operational by the week of April 5.
My deepest gratitude and thanks to our outstanding residents, community partners and state and federal representatives who joined us in calling for a mass vaccination site in Montgomery County.
