County Executive Marc Elrich and County Council Applaud Announcement of Mass Vaccination Site Coming to Montgomery County
We would like to thank Governor Larry Hogan and the State of Maryland for their partnership over the last few weeks as we worked to open a mass vaccination site at the Germantown campus of Montgomery College.
With thousands of Montgomery County residents leaving the County and driving to other jurisdictions to get vaccinated, we are pleased to have a site that will provide better access for our residents and other Marylanders. We would also like to thank our partner Holy Cross Health for the time and expertise that they have put into planning for this new mass vaccination site. They have been pivotal to the process, and we look forward to continuing to work with them. We also are grateful for Montgomery College’s willingness to continually step up to serve our community.
In addition, we would like to thank our State and federal delegations for their support and advocacy throughout this process. They understand how important this site is to the County and the State and they helped us amplify our message. Montgomery County is fortunate to have such engaged and influential legislators at both the State and federal levels. Their voices continue to make a difference.
As Maryland’s largest and most diverse community by race, socio-economic status, and culture, we have been and will continue to make sure that our vaccination efforts are equitable throughout the County. We encourage all residents to get vaccinated as soon as they are eligible.
Our priority has always been the health and safety of our residents as well as others in the region, which now includes having greater access to the COVID-19 vaccine. This mass vaccination site will be more accessible by public transit than other locations around the State, making it easier for people who depend on public transportation to get to the site.
With the anticipated increase in the volume of vaccine that the State will receive from the federal government in the coming weeks, this new site will enhance and expand our efforts to get more shots in the arms of Montgomery County residents, while also focusing on our most vulnerable residents and hardest hit communities. Vaccinations, masking up and testing are our best defenses against the virus. This mass vaccination site is a significant step forward, but we can’t stop doing the things that have kept us safe for the last year.
Featured photo courtesy of @DronifyDMV
Notes Governor Hogan’s 3/23 Press Conference
Governor Hogan announced in today’s press conference that MoCo will be getting its mass vaccination site at Montgomery College- Germantown as previously mentioned by local elected officials.
The MC-Germantown site will be ready the week of April 5th.
Our regular note-taker for this meeting was unavailable, so the notes below come from Governor Hogan’s Deputy Communications Director, Kara Hall.
• Today the State of Maryland entered Phase 2A of our #COVID19 vaccine plan.
• VACCINE UPDATE. Maryland has administered 2,252,974 COVID-19 vaccines and is averaging 43,882 shots per day.
More than 70% of all Marylanders over 65 have been vaccinated, and nearly 35% of all Marylanders over 18 have been vaccinated.
• VACCINE EQUITY TASK FORCE. 55 missions have been completed or are being completed, and they have rolled out mobile clinics for hard-to-reach areas.
Holding clinics nearly every day, and we are seeing significant increases in vax rate in the hardest-hit zip codes.
• PHASE 2B UPDATE. The governor announces that Phase 2B, which begins one week from today on 3/30, will be expanded to include all Marylanders 16 and older with disabilities.
• Pre-registration for all those eligible under Phase 2B begins TODAY. More than 150,000 Marylanders have already successfully pre-registered on the new state website.
• MASS VAX SITES. The governor announces the launch of 6 additional mass vaccination sites next month, for a total of 12 by the end of April.
• Week of April 5:
-Timonium Fairgrounds site in Baltimore County will transition to mass vax site
-New mass vax site at Montgomery College in Germantown
• Week of April 12:
-New mass vax sites in Anne Arundel County and Frederick County
• By the end of April:
-New mass vax sites in Howard County and Harford County
Montgomery College’s Germantown campus will host the county’s first mass vaccination site, according to Montgomery County Councilmember Evan Glass.
According to Glass, “The state, county and Holy Cross Health are diligently working on the logistics to prepare for the first doses to be disbursed in a few weeks.”
Last week Dr. Earl Stoddard, Director of MoCo’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, mentioned that Montgomery County was looking at the MC-Germantown campus as a potential site for a mass vaccination site.
More information regarding exact dates will be available in the coming days.
Photos courtesy of Dronify DMV
Brief History of “Earthoid” at MC Germantown
Back in 2019 we asked 100 MC-Germantown students if they knew what the giant globe on their campus was. Only 16 of them were aware that it is actually a water tank!
Earthoid, as it was named by students who designed the tank, is owned and maintained by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. It holds two million gallons of water!
Per Atlas Obscura:
“In 1980, the students of Montgomery College’s Germantown campus were tasked with designing the water tank that stood on the edge of their university. After a vote, the students designed that the spherical tank would emulate the Blue Marble. It was dubbed “Earthoid.”
The school commissioned artist Peter Freudenberg, who had worked on similar spherical projects in the past, to paint the scale model globe. He used a National Geographic globe image and satellite photos from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for reference.
Two months later, the gigantic Mother Earth mural was complete. The Earthoid has gotten a new paint job since then, but still stands today and acts as a powerful symbol for environmental protection every year on Earth Day.”
The Montgomery College- Germantown newspaper is aptly named… The Globe.
Photo courtesy of The MoCoShow’s eye in the sky, @DronifyDMV
MC Student Tests Positive for COVID-19
A student, who was at the Montgomery College Rockville campus, has tested positive for COVID-19, according to an email to the community.
The student had last been on campus Wednesday, Oct. 20 in the Gudelsky Building, which houses MC’s technical education program.
According to MC, Campus Facilities began disinfecting areas the student had visited yesterday, and it explained that those who have been in contact with the student may be contact-traced, receive a call from (240) 466-4488 with the name “MD COVID” and asked to begin a 14-day quarantine.
Classes have been operating on a remote reschedule, with the exception of certain programs, like career-technology classes, which are “hybrid courses.” These courses have some sessions online and some in-person in specific locations on campus to allow students to use special equipment and use hands-on instruction.
To close the community email, MC emphasized the importance of following safety protocols and monitoring for symptoms and asked that questions about the COVID-19 case goto the college’s Coronavirus Advisory Team, which can be reached [email protected]
By Adam Levine
