He says one will open at Six Flags America on February 5th
Annapolis, MD (KB) The State of Maryland will be ready when it receives more COVID-19 vaccine doses.
During a news conference on Tuesday, Governor Larry Hogan said Maryland residents will have access to at least six mass COVID-19 vaccination sites once the state receives more allocations. One will be at M&T Stadium.
“Through a partnership with the University of Maryland Medical System and the Baltimore City Health Department, we will be opening a mass vaccination site at M&T Stadium as soon as we are able to secure higher allotments of vaccines from the Federal Government,” explained Hogan.
Hogan said demand for the coronavirus vaccine in Maryland far exceeds the supply.
Maryland Secretary of Health, Dennis Schrader, said the vaccination sites will be ready to go once supply picks up.
“By establishing a robust infrastructure now while vaccine supply remains limited for all states, we can seamlessly deliver and administer doses when the national supply chain matures,” said Schrader.
Hogan said another site at Six Flags in Prince George’s County will open next week. Other sites on the Eastern Shore and western and southern Maryland are coming.
Also on Tuesday, Hogan announced that eligibility for the vaccine has been expanded to include severely immunocompromised individuals. Dr. David Marcozzi is the University of Maryland Medical System’s COVID Incident Commander. He listed the individuals that will be eligible for the vaccine beginning on February 1st.
“Cancer patients currently in active treatment, end-stage renal disease patients requiring hemodialysis, patients who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, solid organ transplant patients that are recipients, sickle cell disease, and diabetic patients,” said Dr. Marcozzi.
The Governor also said that federal funding has been approved to assist the state with vaccination programs.
“FEMA just approved our request for an additional $219 million dollars in federal funding to support Maryland’s COVID-19 emergency vaccination programs,” he said.
Hogan said he was able to speak to the Biden Administration about the limited supply of vaccines on Tuesday. He urges President Biden to “take every imaginable step within his power to ramp up production without delay.”