County collecting data on race and ethnicity to analyze vaccine equity

NORRISTOWN >> Montgomery County officials urge residents who pre-register to receive a COVID-19 vaccine to identify their race or ethnicity in order to assist health officials in determining if vaccine is being administered equitably in the county.

“We continue to be challenged by not having a clear picture of who we are vaccinating,” county Commissioners’ Chairwoman Dr. Valerie Arkoosh said this week. “I do want to encourage people to please self-identify when you are making your vaccine appointment.”

According to county data, among those who have registered for a vaccine, one in five people are not identifying their race and one in three people are not identifying their ethnicity.

“This data is important to us because it is one of the ways that we can insure that this vaccine is being delivered equitably. We want to make sure we get vaccine to every community member in our county and without this data it’s very hard for us to know if the efforts that we’re making are working,” Arkoosh explained.

“So please, I urge people to just take a couple seconds and fill out the two questions. This data is only being used for our purposes to help us track how we’re doing. It will not be used for any other purpose,” Arkoosh added.

According to the most recent countywide vaccination data, while the Asian population comprises about 7.7% of the county’s total population it represented only about 0.6% of those vaccinated through March 10.

While the Black or African American population comprises 9.6% of the county’s total population it represented about 4.2% of those vaccinated through March 10, according to county data.

Comparatively, the white population, while it comprises about 78.8% of the county’s total population, it represented 86.6% of the vaccinated population through March 10.

The county’s total population is about 830,915, according to U.S. Census data

According to countywide vaccination data through March 10, there were a total of 100,702 people who received a first dose of the vaccine and are partially covered, or about 14.9% of those eligible in the county to receive the vaccine, essentially those over the age of 16. Another 55,474 individuals received the full doses of vaccine, or about 8.2% of the eligible population.

“In total, we have 23% of our population that’s eligible to receive the vaccine having received one or both doses,” Arkoosh explained.

Appointments are required to receive the vaccine.

Due to the limited supply of vaccine at this time, only people who qualify for Phase 1A will be given appointments. Those currently eligible include people over 65 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.

All those eligible for the vaccine in Phase 1A can preregister to receive the vaccine through the county health department. The pre-registration link can be found at www.montcopa.org/COVID-19 under the green vaccination information button.

Residents who don’t have internet access can call the county’s COVID-19 hotline at (833) 875-3967 to connect with a volunteer who can assist them in pre-registering for a vaccine.

To date, there are more than 137,000 people remaining on the Phase 1A pre-registration list. At this time and depending on when a person pre-registered, it may take up to 12 weeks before registrants hear back from county officials about scheduling an appointment. The county is booking appointments to match its supply of the vaccine.

Currently, the county Office of Public Health operates two vaccination sites. The county vaccine clinics operate Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

The county opened a vaccination clinic at Norristown High School to serve those who have appointments to receive their second doses of the vaccine.

Those receiving their first dose of the vaccine are currently being served at a clinic hosted by the Montgomery County Community College campus in Whitpain.

Officials plan to open a third vaccination site in Willow Grove when vaccine supplies increase.