Montgomery County gearing up child COVID-19 vaccine plan; 'Test To Stay' program imminent

Montgomery County health officials are gearing up their COVID-19 vaccine plan for children and are continuing to work on a plan to keep students out of quarantine and in the classroom.

SILVER SPRING, Md. - Montgomery County health officials are gearing up their COVID-19 vaccine plan for children and are continuing to work on a plan to keep students out of quarantine and in the classroom.

Vaccines are expected to become available for children from ages five to twelve during the first or second week of November. The County is asking for the maximum 20,000 dose allotment of the vaccine which will be distributed to pediatrician offices, hospitals, other health care settings and county sites.

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The County is working with public and private schools to determine locations for school-based vaccine sites.

Montgomery County anticipated 'test to stay' program has hit a hiring snag, according to FOX 5's Melanie Alnwick. The plan would use daily testing to allow students identified as close contacts to stay in school rather than quarantine as long as their tests are negative. Mobile testing units would travel from school to school performing tests. The launch of mobile testing units is imminent, Alnwick says, but the lack of workers will reduce the number of schools the teams can go to.