Behind the scenes

The gymnasium inside of Montgomery County Community College’s Health Science Center was transformed Wednesday morning into a COVID-19 vaccination site.

Caution tape and orange cones were constructed to serve as a makeshift line for eligible health care and frontline workers living and/or working in Montgomery County. The line of people to receive the COVID-19 vaccine was expected to serpentine through as more turned up.

“That is one of the largest gymnasiums in the county, and our goal was to be able to have a very high throughput at our first location so we could get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible,” said Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairwoman Dr. Valerie Arkoosh.

The COVID-19 vaccination clinic has a capacity to vaccinate between 800 and 1,000 people per day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at the facility located at 340 Dekalb Pike in Blue Bell.

Along with Arkoosh, Montgomery County Commissioners’ Vice Chairman Ken Lawrence Jr. and several other health representatives updated reporters Wednesday morning about the clinic’s status. In addition to the space’s sheer size, Arkoosh touted the accessibility of the campus’ location to those living or working in Montgomery County.

“Montgomery County Community College is pleased to serve our communities by supporting Montgomery County as a COVID-19 testing site last year and now as the first COVID-19 vaccination clinic site in the county,” said college President Dr. Victoria L. Bastecki-Perez in a statement. “As the communities’ college, MCCC is a comprehensive resource hub during the pandemic and with the economic recovery through our educational and workforce programs.”

As testing capabilities expanded in the state’s third most populous county, officials worked behind the scenes for the past several months to prepare a vaccination strategy.

“This is the largest public health initiative in most of our lifetimes, and we’re very, very much looking forward to a successful conclusion,” said Dr. Richard Lorraine, medical director of the Montgomery County Office of Public Health.

Arkoosh estimated the priority 1A category — those in professions vulnerable to contracting COVID-19 — covered approximately 20,000 people. Some jobs included medical first responders, doctors, dentists, and home health aides.

However, she said those involved in organizing the county’s vaccine response campaign took a number of proactive measures such as sifting through the number of people who’ve signed up for a vaccine as well as determining the number of home health care agencies and of dental and medical practices located in Montgomery County.

“We’ve actually been compiling a lot of this information prior to even getting the vaccine so we would be ready to start to reach out to these groups,” she said.

Although, she noted that once “we actually had a date certain of getting delivery then we really started to work in earnest” and orchestrating the clinic’s setup “has really come together in about the last week.”

Arkoosh expressed her gratitude and appreciation to those working in the county’s public health and safety sectors throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“While much of the work that came before today was to defend our community from the virus, today we take the fight to the virus as we begin mass vaccination with a vaccine that is both safe and effective,” Arkoosh said.

Cases of COVID-19 were first reported locally in March 2020. The area has seen spikes and dips in the overall case and deaths, but the second wave has rates of both steadily climbing in Montgomery County.

Most recently, there were 387 new cases and 15 deaths recorded as of 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to the county’s COVID-19 resources webpage.

“As exciting as it is to have a safe and effective vaccine against the coronavirus, we must never forget those already deeply impacted by this disease,” she said. “This day has come too late for the [1,043] Montgomery County residents that have lost their lives to this disease and the [35,313] individuals that we know have contracted COVID-19.”

COVID-19 vaccine recipients react

Several people who received the COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday morning in Montgomery County agreed the experience was practically painless.

“[I’m] not sure she really did it,” said Dr. Alan Bilksy, physician who practices internal medicine in Wyncote.

“I think it’s a big relief. I feel like it’s really great, and it’s a good day,” said Elizabeth Sconthal, a dietician at Montgomery County Emergency Services in Norristown.

“I didn’t feel it,” said Terrace Daniels, a home health care worker in Montgomery County.

Daniels, of Philadelphia, was the first person to receive the vaccine at the site that morning.

“It felt good that it’s over. The anxiety is gone,” he said.

Daniels added that the “African-American community” has some reservations “about the vaccine, and what we know about the virus... and just with the pandemic.”

Montgomery County’s health and governmental leaders did their best to ease any doubts.

“And we know that there’s some hesitancy particularly in communities of color, some skepticism about vaccine,” Lawrence said. “Please, do not get your medical information from social media, from Facebook, from Twitter. Talk to your medical professional.”

“I can assure you as soon as it’s my turn I will take my shot. I will get vaccinated,” he continued. “This vaccine has been tested, it’s been safely developed and it’s highly effective at preventing COVID-19.”

Officials stress ‘patience’ from community

As Wednesday’s vaccination campaign launch applied to some, officials implored all area residents to continue following established health and safety practices including wearing a mask, washing his or her hands and maintaining social distancing.

“The goal for everyone is to get easily vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible, but we need the supply of the vaccine to do this,” Lawrence said. “So vaccine availability is still limited, which is why we’re starting distribution in a phased approach. As more doses become available, we will be able to vaccinate more people at more locations as well.”

Following the vaccination of those in priority 1A,