Dear Friend,
With over one million Marylanders and over 125,000 Montgomery County residents vaccinated, I’m optimistic about the progress we are making. As of last week, the County's health department has vaccinated more residents with first and second doses than any other local health department in Maryland with more than 59,022 shots administered.
Over 11 percent of residents in Montgomery County have received their first vaccination and we’ve vaccinated more than 50 percent of our adults aged 75 and older.
Our health department has also been leading in achieving an equitable rollout, as compared to private providers and other state-operated clinics. This is why we continue to request that Gov. Hogan send more doses from the State directly to our local health department, which has an outstanding track record of getting shots into arms efficiently, while ensuring an equitable distribution to our seniors and underserved communities.
We are making significant progress, but we are still at least several months away from herd immunity.
Last week, the Biden administration committed to sending 13.5 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine per week to states across the nation -- up from 11 million doses. And the number of doses sent to pharmacies across the country is also expected to double to two million per week.
Here in our county, CCI Health and Wellness Services has been selected to be the first location in Maryland to participate in the Biden administration's initiative to increase coronavirus vaccine distribution in hard-hit areas. With locations in Gaithersburg, Silver Spring and Takoma Park, CCI serves both Montgomery and Prince George's Counties. We are excited by this news and look forward to the increased vaccination efforts for our medically under-served residents.
COVID-19 case numbers are going down, but we cannot get too comfortable. We all must continue to do our part -- masking up, social distancing, and getting tested regularly.
In my role, I will continue pushing for increased vaccine doses for Montgomery County, working with State and Federal partners to improve the delivery and allocation of vaccines, and continue advocating for a mass vaccination site in Montgomery County and a centralized registration system.
If you are interested in learning more about the vaccine rollout in the County or have questions that have yet to be answered, we have three virtual town halls focused on the COVID-19 vaccine rollout this week that you won’t want to miss.
The first is the Black Community Town Hall, happening now until 8:30 p.m. This event is a discussion with public health representatives on why getting the vaccine is so important. On Tuesday from 7-8:30 p.m., there will be an Asian American Community Town Hall with public health representatives and community physicians.
The Council will hold its second virtual town hall on vaccine rollout on Thursday from 7-9 p.m. The event will be held in English, with Spanish interpretation available.
This town hall will serve as an opportunity for me and my colleagues to provide you with an update on vaccine rollout in Montgomery County, hear from you, and address your questions and concerns. You can pre-register and submit questions here.
I hope to see you all there! Stay safe and stay in touch.
Sincerely,
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