ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan held a press conference on Tuesday afternoon to update Marylanders on the state’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
Governor Hogan stated that, While the speed of vaccinations is increasing, supply from the federal government remains extremely limited. Maryland is only allocated roughly 10,000 doses per day for the 2 million people in Phase 1 of the state’s vaccination plan.
For at least the near future, officials expect demand to continue to far exceed supply.
To date, providers in Maryland have administered 396,661 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, including 75.9% of first doses. The 7-day average of doses administered is 18,715 – an increase of 54% over the last two weeks. The state remains focused on building the broadest possible network of vaccinators to serve the public.
CVS and Walgreens have completed nursing home clinics, and have begun to move into assisted living facilities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requires the state to set aside approximately 20,000 doses for assisted living facilities. County health departments have done nearly 70% of their doses. The state has deployed 800+ volunteers, as well as National Guard teams to assist. The state is prioritizing hospitals that have stayed above 75% utilization.
Some Safeway and Rite Aid locations in Maryland will begin to offer COVID-19 vaccinations next week.
MASS VACCINATION SITES
The state is in the process of opening at least six centrally-located mass vaccination sites, beginning next week with Six Flags America in Prince George’s County and the Baltimore Convention Center. M&T Bank Stadium will also be utilized once the state can secure higher allocations.
There are also plans to finalize regional hubs on the Eastern Shore, in Western Maryland, and in Southern Maryland.
The state will expand Phase 1 eligibility for some severely immunocompromised Marylanders beginning next week. Those vaccinations will be done by hospital-based providers.
There are now roughly 100 providers online across the state, and residents can go to https://covidvax.maryland.gov to find a provider or call 211.
