The coronavirus vaccination lines at Richard Montgomery and Quince Orchard High Schools were chaotic on Thursday because people with appointments were sharing their confirmation links to people who did not have an appointment.
County Executive Marc Elrich addressed the problem in a statement Friday: “It is extremely important that residents do not share the vaccination appointment links they receive with family, friends or neighbors. These links are intended ONLY for the recipient and not to share with others.”
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But this is exactly what @MoCoDHHS today said, not to do. Don’t send or share appointment making links. Right now they say, they’re prioritizing 75+ yet we @fox5dc are seeing long lines of people under 75 outside of Richard Montgomery High School. pic.twitter.com/WqWQOUS3Lb— Ayesha Khan (@AyeshaKhanNews) February 11, 2021
Elrich reminded residents that Montgomery County’s vaccination clinics are by appointment only and the county is “currently focused on vaccinating residents who are in Priority Groups 1A and 1B, Tier 1 (residents 75 and older).”
Bethesda Beat reports that half of the people who showed up at Richard Montgomery on Thursday didn’t even have an appointment. And those who did have appointments—healthcare workers and people over the age of 75—waited up to two hours in the cold to receive the vaccine.
Here are more tweets showing the chaos at Richard Montgomery in Rockville and Quince Orchard in Gaithersburg:
There is a MASSIVE line of people outside of Quince Orchard High School waiting to go inside for their COVID-19 vaccine.
People 75 and older can skip the line.
I’d like to know from @MoCoDHHS if this is typical at QO and/or Richard Montgomery HS? @wusa9 pic.twitter.com/JRugh7uGhb— Adam Longo (@adamlongoTV) February 11, 2021
Hundreds of people waited in the cold outside Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville to get their COVID vaccine.
After waiting hours. several were turned away. Why?
The county told @ABC7Kevin it's because scores of ineligible people showed up. https://t.co/PfD0Lsw0Ir pic.twitter.com/HQqf5lkXCN
— 7News DC (@7NewsDC) February 12, 2021
Full Statement from Elrich on Chaotic Vaccine Lines from Link Sharing
Elrich released a statement about the chaos, saying:
Yesterday, at two County Health Department vaccination clinic sites – Richard Montgomery High School and Quince Orchard High School, a large number of people showed up who either had appointments made from a forwarded link or did not have appointments scheduled. There was also information shared on listservs and social media incorrectly telling residents that the Richard Montgomery vaccination site was open for walk-ins. Montgomery County-run vaccination sites are by appointment only and are currently focused on vaccinating residents who are in Priority Groups 1A and 1B, Tier 1 (residents 75 and older). As a result, County staff and volunteers turned away residents who did not meet that criteria.
It is extremely important that residents do not share the vaccination appointment links they receive with family, friends or neighbors. These links are intended ONLY for the recipient and not to share with others. It is also important to note that the County’s vaccination clinics are BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. This process allows us to better ensure that doses are distributed equitably.
We apologize for the inconvenience this situation may have caused. Going forward, we will improve signage at sites, so that residents have a better understanding of their eligible for vaccination. In addition, we are investigating ways to improve the check-in process to reduce wait times.
We understand that the vaccination process may be confusing and frustrating, and we continue to ask for your patience during this time. We will continue to do our best to reduce the challenges that the limited supply of the vaccine is causing.
Related Post:
County Addresses Problems With State’s Vaccine Preregistration Scheduling System
