Image Credit:
Department of Health and Human Services, Montgomery County, MD
(02/23/21)
As
we approach the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic
ravaging communities across the country and taking the lives of more
than 500,000 people, we are hopefully nearing the end to this
unprecedented chapter in our history. In Montgomery County, testing,
precautionary measures, along with the vaccination efforts that are
now underway, are focused on supporting our residents.
Over
13% of Montgomery County residents have received their 1st dose and
nearly 6% have been fully vaccinated. It is important to note that
these numbers reflect doses provided by our local health department
in addition to the many independent providers, including hospitals,
pharmacies and mass vaccination sites such as the one that recently
opened at Six Flags.
The
state has committed to providing the County Health Department with at
least 4,500 doses of vaccines per week for the next 3 to 4 weeks.
While this will enable the health department to better plan and
schedule vaccination appointments, we continue to push the State to
provide Montgomery County with additional doses. We have a high
number of seniors and vulnerable populations that have experienced
some of the greatest numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the
State. Albeit these challenges, our Health Department has been highly
successful in getting shots into arms.
Vaccine
Preregistration
The
County’s Health Department continues to vaccinate, and schedule
appointments to vaccinate, residents 75 years and older for COVID-19
as well as first responders and others designated in Priority
Groups 1A and 1B Tier 1. They hope to be able to move to
the next priority group soon. For County residents who fall under
Priority Group IB, Tiers 2 and 3 and Priority Group 1C, Tiers 1, 2,
and 3, you are eligible to pre-register
with the County’s Health Department. You may also seek appointments
from independent providers across the State by clicking here.
It
is extremely difficult to navigate through the various vaccination
providers’ pre-registration and appointment websites. I and my
colleagues, both at the Council and the State, have repeatedly urged
Governor Hogan to create a centralized registration system so that
residents do not have to constantly hunt for appointments on numerous
sites. Advocating for a one-stop registration vaccination portal
for County residents continues to be among our major priorities.
The
Baltimore Sun recently printed tips to help you find an appointment
at one of the many independent sites titled, “5 tips for getting
a COVID vaccine appointment from the ‘Maryland Vaccine Hunters’
group.” You may access these tips by clicking here.
When
eligible, and based on local vaccine supply, County residents who
have preregistered with our Health Department will receive a direct
link from c19vaccination@montgomerycountymd.gov
to make an appointment. People who have not received a link directly
from Montgomery County and show up to a County-operated vaccine
clinic will not be served.
In
the meantime, residents who fall under the Priority Groups of
IA/1B/1C, may pre-register with the mass vaccination sites below
across the State of Maryland to receive a vaccination appointment in
addition to all the independent hospital and pharmacy sites.
For
residents who are 75 years old and older and who do not have access
to the internet or need help preregistering are advised to call the
Vaccine Preregistration Assistance line, by dialing 240-777-2982.
This line is open seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
This
assistance phone number was established to solely assist residents
who are experiencing trouble preregistering online or do not have
access to a computer. This phone line is not designated to receive
calls from residents who seek answers to general questions regarding
vaccinations.
A Call for a
Montgomery County Mass Vaccination Site
This
past Tuesday, during our weekly Council public
health briefing, I expressed
our continued frustration surrounding the lack of a mass vaccination
site in Montgomery County. It is absurd that from a public health
standpoint, we, as the largest jurisdiction in the State of Maryland,
have not been considered a priority to host a mass vaccination site.
In Montgomery County, we have the largest percentage of seniors, and
the second largest percentage of minorities.
Prince
George’s and Montgomery Counties have been among the hardest hit by
COVID-19. These counties represent roughly a third of the
state’s population, but there is only one mass vaccination site to
serve over 2 million people. Our united call to action to
Governor Hogan is that Montgomery County has the capacity and stands
ready to host a mass vaccination site for our shared constituency.
This will help to save additional lives from this global pandemic.
In
closing, the County Council hosted a virtual townhall meeting to
provide an update on vaccination efforts in Montgomery County Thursday
evening. To view the virtual meeting in its entirety, please click here.
Local Agents of Change
Montgomery
County trailblazers such as Dr. Marilyn Hughes Gaston and Dr.
Kizzmekia Corbett have shaped public health as we know it and their
contributions to medicine will inevitably save lives for generations
to come.
Dr.
Hughes Gaston overcame poverty and racial inequality to achieve a
life-long goal of becoming a physician. Her determination and
commitment to care for underserved and minority families led to
groundbreaking research initiatives such as the establishment of a
sickle-cell screening program to test newborns for immediate
treatment. As the first African-American to lead a major U.S. federal
agency such as the Bureau of Primary Health Care, under the U.S.
Department of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA),
Dr. Hughes Gaston’s sickle-cell research
expanded across the country and the world to save countless young
lives for the past three decades.
In
a similar fashion Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett,
a research fellow and immunologist at the National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Vaccine Research Center NIH, led a
team of scientists during the first stage of clinical trials for the
Moderna vaccine. Dr. Corbett's team of dedicated scientists applied
the knowledge they have gained in the last six years of applied
research, and in collaboration with Moderna employed it to a vaccine
platform. Within a 10-momth time frame, Dr. Corbett’s team were pivotal
in establishing one of the first vaccines against the deadly COVID-19
virus with a 94.1 % efficacy rate.
It
is with this same spirit that the devoted staff of the African American Health
Program (AAHP) and local community leaders serve the needs
of the African American and Black communities of Montgomery County.
As Council Vice-President and chair of the Council’s Health and Human
Services committee, I look forward to continuing to engage with our
black community leaders and residents to address racial health
disparities and close the inequality gap. Representation matters and
by being inclusive, it builds and strengthens our community as a
whole.
To
view this year’s Council celebration of Black History Month and our
local changemakers, please click here.
Return to School
As
I noted in the last edition of the Albornoz Bulletin, the Montgomery
County Board of Education recently and unanimously approved a resolution to
begin the phased-in approach to in-person learning for MCPS students
starting March 1, 2021. This week, the Council’s Education and
Culture and Health and Human Services committees met with school and
public health officials to receive an update
on their plans to reopen safely and address any challenges that may
arise during this transition.
Our
health officer, Dr. Travis Gayles, and director of the Office of
Emergency Services, Dr. Earl Stoddard, also joined to discuss
COVID-19 metrics, impact of community spread, and review the
necessary safety precautionary measures students, teachers, administrators
and supporting staff must exercise during in-person learning. The
engagement of our public health and emergency management partners are
key to ensure a safe return for our students.
As
we continue to piece our lives back together from the onslaught of
this global pandemic, we stand committed to ensure that our children
are fully supported on their educational path. To view the joint
committee session of MCPS’ reopening plan, please click here.
Safety on the Capital Crescent Trail
The
Capital Crescent Trail (CCT) is a 7.04 mile shared-use rail trail
that runs from Bethesda, Maryland to Georgetown in Washington, D.C.
This local treasure is one of the most heavily used rail trails in
the United States and more than one million walkers, joggers, bikers,
skateboarders and roller bladers use it every year.
Given
the limited options residents have to enjoy leisure time with their
families and the great outdoors, more people are turning to nature to
relieve stress and engage in regular exercise. However, just
recently, several residents who regularly use the CCT contacted me
after they had a close call with cyclists as they were walking. They
were seconds away from becoming victim to a pedestrian collision. As
a result of this experience, they asked that I highlight trail safety
measures for County residents to follow particularly during this
challenging time of the pandemic.
The
Capital Crescent Trail Coalition created and posted safety tips for
CCT trail users to follow as they enjoy this shared-use rail trail.
Please see some highlighted tips below for all trail users.
Stay
ALERT, keep your ears OPEN
Stay
to the right, on your half of the trail, except when passing
Before
passing, give a clear warning and look behind you.
Pass
only left and if there is 2 feet of clearance from others
When
it's dark, wear reflective clothing and use a light so others
can see you
When
entering the trail, look both ways and yield to those on the
trail
Yield
to others at crosswalks
STOP
at stop signs, there may be dangerous car cross-traffic
As
the weather changes and we enter the Spring season, please continue
to practice safety measures in our local parks and trails and enjoy
what nature has to offer.
