Officials OK $2M in coronavirus contracts

The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners allocated more than $2 million in contracts related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Both agreements presented at the May 20 meeting involved the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services.

Health officials required existing contracts concerning contract tracing services be renewed.

The contracts, which total roughly $1.94 million across three different companies, will remain valid for six months:

• $611,191.45 for ACLAMO, of Norristown, from May 26 to Nov.

25.

• $700,000 for Family Services of Montgomery County, of Eagleville, from June 8 to Dec. 7

• $633,853 for VNA Community Services, of Abington, from June 8 to Dec. 7

Following the latest extension, the contract stipulates this is the “[seco]nd of [three] optional [six]month renewal terms.”

A $138,760.02 agreement with NPC Inc., of Claysburg, Pa., covered the “printing and mailing of vaccine information postcards for Montgomery County residents.”

Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairwoman Val Arkoosh noted the area’s 14-day average positivity rate is now at 4.28 percent.

“So this means that we have finally gotten back to suppression of this virus in our community here in Montgomery County, and I think it’s definitely a re

flection of more members of our community getting vaccinated,” she said in her opening comments during Thursday’s meeting.

According to Arkoosh, 30.8 percent of Montgomery County residents have received one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and 56.8 percent of Montgomery County residents have received at least one dose of a vaccine.

As of Friday afternoon, those figures translate to 269,512 people that have been fully inoculated, and another 217,324 others who’ve been partially vaccinated, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

“So again, really great news — we’re making fantastic progress,” Arkoosh said.

Anyone with questions about the COVID-19 vaccine can email covid19@montcopa.org or call the Montgomery County COVID-19 vaccination hotline at 833875-3967 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

To register for an appointment, call the hotline from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday or visit www.montcopa.org/3660/ COVID-19-Vaccine.