Montgomery Community Media

Novavax, a vaccine development company headquartered in Gaithersburg, has initiated Phase 3 for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate.  It is the fifth candidate to reach Phase 3 in the U.S., after Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Janssen. Novavax is looking for volunteers to participate in vaccine trials, particularly those who are part of at-risk populations like Hispanics, […]

Montgomery County has launched an online survey for residents to better understand the community’s concerns about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. The county plans to use the feedback to answer questions and reach communities that have been hit hardest by the pandemic. The county will also use the feedback to create a communications plan to educate […]

Montgomery County officials expect to receive about half the amount of COVID-19 vaccine doses they requested for this week, Deputy Health Officer Dr. James Bridgers said during a council meeting Tuesday. County Health and Human Services (DHHS) requested about 12,000 doses this week, however the county was allotted 6,700 as of Tuesday morning, Bridgers said. […]

Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) received its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines, manufactured by Moderna, on Wednesday morning. According to a county news release, this first shipment of vaccines is reserved for county health staffers who are engaged in managing the coronavirus response—including Montgomery County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles. 📢 […]

To ensure that the Pfizer vaccine doesn’t spoil, it needs to be kept extremely cold. One company in Gaithersburg, Roberts Oxygen, is doing its part to help keep the vaccine safe by manufacturing dry ice. Reggie Wright, the regional sales manager for Roberts Oxygen, explained how dry ice—which is 109 degrees below Fahrenheit—is manufactured. “We […]

As COVID-19 vaccines are starting to roll out across Montgomery County hospitals, County Executive Marc Elrich is warning the public to expect mask wearing to continue into the future. Elrich said at a media briefing Dec. 16 that once COVID-19 vaccines are widely available, people should prepare to keep wearing a mask even after they […]

At a press briefing on Dec. 16, Montgomery County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles said the Pfizer vaccine should be arriving at all hospitals in the county Wednesday or Thursday. He added that the vaccine doses will also be distributed to pharmacies, which will work to get the doses out to nursing homes and long-term […]

What’s in Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine? Dr. David Marcozzi, COVID-19 Incident Commander for the University of Maryland Medical System, explained the answer to Marylanders at a press conference with Gov. Larry Hogan on Tuesday. Pfizer’s vaccine was granted emergency use authorization (EUA) by the FDA last Friday. Marcozzi said there are four components that make it […]

Former U.S. Rep. John Delaney (D-Md. 6) is getting attention on Twitter for his idea for distributing a coronavirus vaccine, once it is made available. Delaney tweeted Friday, “Pay everyone $1500 to get vaccine[.] It is a stimulus check & big vaccine incentive rolled into one[.] Result: more people get vaccine, it saves lives, helps […]

A vaccine development company headquartered in Gaithersburg is starting clinical trials for a potential COVID-19 vaccine.  Novavax will administer the trials for vaccine candidate NVX‑CoV2373 in two phases, a statement from the company says. Phase 1 will test 131 people in Australia for immune response and safety. Results are expected in July. “Administering our vaccine […]