'Not Ethical': Montgomery County Warning People Not To Share COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment Links With Others
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Pa. (CBS) -- Montgomery County is giving a warning to people who are sharing COVID-19 vaccine appointment links with others. Officials say it leads to so-called "line jumping," allowing those not eligible for the vaccine to schedule appointments.
"This is not ethical or moral and it needs to stop. Given the scarcity of the vaccine, we need to pull together as a community and make sure that our most vulnerable get vaccinated first. There will be enough vaccine for all of us that want it, but there is not enough today," said Montgomery County Board of Commissioners Chair Dr. Valerie Arkoosh.
When Can I Get The COVID-19 Vaccine In Pennsylvania, New Jersey Or Delaware?
Arkoosh stressed that people will be turned away from vaccination sites if they don't fit the eligibility requirements.
Arkoosh is urging patience as the vaccine rollout continues, saying it will take about six to 12 weeks to hear back from the county about scheduling an appointment.
"For those of you who have already pre-registered on our site, we are working to communicate with you more regularly in order to give you information about where you are in the line of registrants," Arkoosh said. "As of [Wednesday] morning over 138,000 people pre-registered to receive the vaccine. In contrast, we were notified that we will only receive 1,000 first doses of vaccine for this week. At this current rate, it will take six to 12 weeks before you hear back from us about scheduling an appointment. We again ask for your patience as we continue to receive very limited amounts of vaccine."
Over 43,000 Montgomery County residents have contracted the virus since the pandemic began. More than 1,100 residents have died.
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