About a third of vaccinations for those aged 75 and over have so far been from people who do not live in the county, according to health officer Dr. Ernest Carter.
Prince George County, Maryland, authorities are canceling all COVID-19 vaccination appointments made by people who do not live and work in the county to prioritize senior county residents and ensure that they do not get stuck “at the bottom of the queue. . “
Prince George County executive Angela Alsobrooks announced the move during a news conference on Monday morning.
When the county first opened vaccine nominations for people aged 75 and over under Phase 1b of the Maryland vaccine implantation plan, the programming system, a state-administered system, did not allow the county to track residents and was inundated with appointments made by people outside the county.
“There were a good number of people who signed up through this website who were not Georgian princes,” said Alsobrooks.
In all, about a third of vaccinations for people aged 75 and over have so far been from people who do not live in the county, according to the county health officer, Dr. Ernest Carter.
Last week, Alsobrooks said the county would honor nominations, even from non-residents, until February 9, after which all nominations would be restarted and only residents would be allowed to make appointments.
But Alsobrooks and Carter said on Monday that they had decided to restrict appointments more quickly, given the extremely limited supply of COVID-19 vaccines.
Now, the county will verify identity for proof of residence or employment “for each vaccination appointment going forward,” said Alsobrooks.
Both officials apologized to county residents because so many vaccine appointments for Prince George County residents were scheduled by non-residents.
“I heard loud and clear about concerns,” said Alsobrooks. “I know it caused great concern, great dismay, as it should.”
She added: “We are doing everything we can to prioritize the Georgian prince in our vaccination effort. And we are ensuring that residents have first access to this life-saving medication and are not left at the end of the line. “
If there was a more abundant supply of vaccines and a national distribution plan, the county would probably be able to vaccinate non-residents, Carter said.
“But we have neither,” he added. “So we have to do this in this way to ensure that our Prince George County residents are vaccinated.”
The only exception for non-residents receiving doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will be for those who have already received their first doses in the county. Appointments for second doses will still be met, said Alsobrooks.
The launch of the vaccine in the US has generated frustration due to limited supply.
The neighboring county of Montgomery has not yet started vaccinating people aged 75 and over – although they are now eligible – because of the limited supply. Montgomery County officials last week said they were aware of reports that some residents had gone to Prince George to get vaccine appointments.
Even with the limited supply, Maryland officials moved to expand eligibility. Earlier this month, Governor Larry Hogan announced that those aged 75 or older were eligible to receive the vaccine from January 18, and those aged 65-74 from Monday under what is known as Phase 1c of the plan.
Alsobrooks said older Prince George’s residents should now pre-register for vaccine appointments on the county’s website. They will be contacted by county health officials when it is time to make an actual appointment and will be given a private link to do so.
Alsobrooks emphasized that it can take several weeks before residents aged 65 to 74 can actually start making appointments. There are about 95,000 residents in the county in Phase 1b, which is still in progress, before the county begins Phase 1c photos.
The county is currently administering about 1,000 vaccines a day, although it expects to increase in the coming weeks.
The county website says those in Phase 1c are likely to be able to start making appointments to get their vaccines in early mid-March.
In addition to those aged 65 to 74, Phase 1c includes grocery workers, public transport workers and postal workers.
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Improving the numbers = internal dining room to restart
Meanwhile, officials said they are finally seeing more hopeful signs in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, following a wave earlier this winter.
The county’s positivity rate – the percentage of COVID-19 tests positive – has dropped – from 11.7% to 9.2% two weeks ago. The municipality’s target is less than 10%.
“Fortunately, we are now seeing a trend in the right direction,” said Alsobrooks.
As a result, she said, the county is “moving cautiously” to resume meals indoors on Friday, with internal capacity limited to 25%.
“That unless, of course, there is some dramatic and unexpected change. But we are really confident that it is going in the right direction, ”said Alsobrooks.
The county restricted indoor meals last month when faced with an increase in coronavirus cases.
Going forward, Alsobrooks urged residents to continue to be cautious, using facial covers, avoiding large crowds and practicing social distance – even with the increase in vaccination.
“We will have to walk and chew gum, people,” said Alsobrooks.