I am pleased to announce that pre-registration for the COVID-19 vaccine is now available by phone through our COVID-19 hotline," said Dr. Valerie A. Arkoosh, Chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. "Now we can reach people who do not have the technology or the technical skills to navigate the online vaccination registration site on their own."
Pre-registration for the COVID-19 vaccine by phone can be accessed through the previously announced COVID-19 hotline at (833) 875-3967. To connect with a volunteer, callers should let the agent know they would like support in pre-registering for a vaccine appointment. Volunteers are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to support callers in pre-registering for vaccine appointments. When a vaccine appointment becomes available, volunteers will call back to schedule the appointment.
“The Montgomery County Office of Senior Services recognizes that technology access may be a significant barrier for older adults to use online vaccine appointment systems. Many of us are already helping older family members, friends, or neighbors in the vaccine process. For people who may not have that support in their life, there are kind, capable volunteers out there who want to help,” said Doreen Hespell, Administrator of the Office of Senior Services.
The Office of Senior Services has partnered with 14 nonprofit agencies in Montgomery County to recruit volunteers for the service. To date, over 160 volunteers have been screened, background checked, and trained to support vaccine registration. To inquire about volunteering, please visit the
Office of Senior Services website.
To help manage the call services, the Office of Senior Services is partnering with technology provider
Mon Ami, whose software will route calls to volunteers and allow volunteers to register callers for vaccine appointments on their behalf, while while maintaining confidentiality of both the volunteers’ and clients’ personal contact information.
For many volunteers, it’s a chance to pay it forward. Ginny Vandenburg, a Souderton resident and volunteer, says, "My grandmother lives at Dock Woods and hasn't been able to spend time with family in months. After surviving and recovering from COVID, she finally received her vaccination and it's given her hope that she may soon be able to see her great-grandchildren again! I volunteered because I want other seniors to have that same hope."
Montgomery County has received approximately $9.4 million in state funding to provide grants to eligible businesses. The eligibility, application requirements, and program design were all developed from Senate Bill 109 known as Act 1 of 2021. Grant awards will be in increments from $5,000 to $50,000. Applicants will be required to submit documentation of expenses incurred and paid during the eligible expense period. The application window will open at noon on Friday, March 12.
COVID-19 Vaccine Updates: Due to the limited supply of vaccine at this time, only people who qualify for Phase 1A will be given appointments. This includes people ages 65 and older and people ages 16-64 with specific underlying medical conditions known to be associated with severe cases of COVID-19. Appointment slots are limited and are available by reservation only. Walk-up registration is not accepted. To learn more about the 1A criteria or to pre-register for an appointment, visit www.montcopa.org/covid-19vaccine.
To date, there are over 172,000 people pre-registered to receive vaccine through the Montgomery County Office of Public Health. At this time and depending on when you registered, it may take up to 12 weeks before registrants hear back from the County about scheduling an appointment as the County is booking appointments to match its supply of the vaccine.
Residents can check their status at the County's vaccine status page. This page lists the number of requests by date of registration. Montgomery County is currently booking appointments for those who pre-registered on or before January 13, 2021.
Montgomery County COVID-19 Hotline: A COVID-19 hotline is available for general COVID-19 questions and pre-registration for the COVID-19 vaccine. The number to call is (833) 875-3967. The Montgomery County COVID-19 hotline is operational six days a week, Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., with live operators. Phone pre-registration for vaccine appointments is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition, the hotline has language line support for over 100+ different languages.
County-run Vaccination Clinics: County vaccine clinics run Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Appointments are required to receive the vaccine. Registrants will be assigned a location. There is no option to choose where you receive the vaccine. No walk-up registration is accepted. Currently, Montgomery County has two vaccination clinics:
- Montgomery County Community College – Blue Bell, PA
- Norristown Area High School – Norristown, PA
As more vaccine doses become available, more appointment slots and vaccination clinics will be opened. The public should not call these sites directly, they are hosting the clinics and have no information on vaccine distribution.
Vaccine Pre-registration with Other Providers: There are a number of pharmacies and other providers in the County and region that are receiving the vaccine. Residents can look these up on the PA Department of Health (DOH) vaccine provider map as they change weekly. Each site has its own registration process that is separate from the County. The Montgomery County Office of Public Health does not distribute vaccines to these locations and does not have any control over how the vaccine is distributed. The PA DOH distributes the vaccine directly to them. Wherever a resident goes to receive their first dose of vaccine is where they need to go to get their second dose.
COVID-19 Testing Sites Schedule: Montgomery County COVID-19 testing sites are open various hours each weekday at six locations across the County weather permitting. Testing is available to anyone who lives, works or goes to school in Montgomery County. Appointments can be made on weekdays starting at 7 a.m. online or starting at 8:30 a.m. by calling (610) 970-2937. Note: the Pottstown and Green Lane testing sites remain closed this week.
COVID-19 Cases & Data: A full breakdown of all Montgomery County COVID-19 cases can be found on the COVID-19 Data Hub. The Hub hosts the County’s COVID-19 maps, data, and charts that show the number of daily cases and deaths related to COVID-19, including hospitalizations and ventilator use. There is also demographic information on cases by age, gender and race. For all other COVID-19 resources in Montgomery County, please visit https://www.montcopa.org/COVID-19.
COVID-19 Virtual Media Briefings: The next press briefing on COVID-19 mitigation efforts will be held Wednesday, March 3, at 1:30 p.m. A link for media to register will be announced through a media advisory. It will be streamed live to the public on Montgomery County’s Facebook page and a recording will be uploaded on the County’s Public Safety YouTube channel.