All Montco Second Doses Will Be Given 28 Days Later

NORRISTOWN, PA — Montgomery County announced changes to its coronavirus vaccine policy on Wednesday, as all second doses of the vaccine will now be given following a 28-day interval.

This interval will be steady regardless of which vaccine patients received. Authorities say that slightly extending the interval between doses will expedite the total number of vaccinations, and will increase the supply granted to the county.

"There is no medical reason we cannot extend the interval," Montgomery County Commissioner Dr. Val Arkoosh said.

Doing so means the county can "say yes" to all vaccine it is offered, and book first dose appointments in a more timely manner.

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The CDC's recommended time interval between doses is three to four weeks; 42 days is the maximum interval.

Arkoosh reiterated that despite the state's Moderna mixup announced last month, all necessary second doses of the vaccine have been received. Even better, the county health department did not need to cancel any second dose appointments due to this mixup, although it did significantly impact other parts of the state, as well as private vaccine providers in the county.

A total of 185,000 residents are now preregistered in the county, an increase of about 13,000 over last week. The county is continuing to vaccinate about 1,000 people a day.

While it could still take up to 12 weeks to hear back about scheduling an appointment after the day patients register, things are improving.

"This is a better place to be then we've been, because it allows us to schedule our appointments (earlier)," Arkoosh said.

The county is now moving through preregistrations made on Jan. 13, and expects to move to Jan. 14 next week.

Overall, 84,955 have received their first dose in the county, while 42,232 have received their second dose. This means that roughly 19 percent of the county's population (over the age of 16) has received at least some vaccine.

If you are within the eligible 1A category, you can preregister for an appointment here.