Montco Alters Registration System To Prevent Line Jumping

NORRISTOWN, PA — Montgomery County has announced a new COVID-19 registration system that it says will stop the ongoing issue of line-jumping.

A new single-use token will be given to book vaccine appointments, replacing the previous PrepMod system which had been manipulated by a large number of people.

"This will allow us to eliminate link sharing issues, and prevent individuals from jumping the line," Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh said Wednesday.

Those making appointments must bring the unique token number with them when they arrive for their appointment. Because the token number is connected to an individual's name, it cannot be shared.

RELATED: COVID Vaccine 'Line Jumpers' A Growing Problem In Montgomery Co.

It's not clear exactly how many people have butted in line in this manner, but officials noted that it's a problem that has grown over the past several weeks as the more vaccine registration links are sent out to the general over-65 population.

The jumping had been enabled by the nature of the registration system used by the county. Individuals who sign up to receive a vaccine in the county are sent a generalized link to register when it's their turn. Because links are not unique, there were a number of cases where an individual sent a link to a family member, friend, or even posted it on social media. Often, these line jumpers are not even in the 1A priority group.

The county also announced Wednesday that the mass vaccination clinics would be shut down this week again due to a lack of supply and the inclement weather. Catch up on the latest details here.