Governor’s Office says the state has received more than 273K doses from the federal government.
Annapolis, Md (KM) Vaccinations against COVID-19 are expected to continue this week at Maryland hospitals, long term care facilities and health departments. As of Monday, the Governor’s Office says the state has received 273,875 doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. That includes 140,300 doses from Moderna, and 133,575 from Pfizer.
Governor Larry Hogan was a guest on Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” He discussed the efforts of he and other governors in battling the coronavirus in their states. “Unlike Washington, where we see so much divisiveness and dysfunction, the governors didn’t t always agree. But we sure did try to come together to help one another in this crisis,” he said.
In many instances, Hogan said efforts were made up as the governor’s went along. “We were all trying to figure this thing out as we went. And we all made very difficult decisions, and we continue to make very difficult decisions,”: he said.
With the amount of doses on hand, the Governor’s Office says the state can begin vaccinating first responders. The local health departments will receive a total of i 33,100 doses of the Moderna vaccine this week. Each department will receive 600 doses, and could receive more or less than that amount based on the size of the jurisdiction’s population.
The next big step, according to Governor Hogan, will be vaccinating the general public. “As we start to go through this larger and larger vaccination of the population as the production ramps up, it’s going to take all of us doing everything we can. This is going to be the most major undertaking of the entire virus so far,” he says.
The Governor says he’s counting on the incoming Biden Administration to be a partner in this effort. “I’m hopeful that the Biden Administration is going to continue on that and continue to work with us,” he says. “It’s going to be a cooperation with people in government at all levels; and it’s going to be the federal, state and local governments, along with the hospital systems and o0ur private sector partners getting people vaccinated.”
The Governor’s Office is encouraging all Marylanders to learn more about the state vaccination plans by going to covidlink.maryland.gov.
By Kevin McManus